|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 6, 2014 13:54:40 GMT -5
Long makes it look easyGinger Long replaced an injured Kalei Greeley in the first set and kept UH rollingBy Billy Hull, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:01 a.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER UH’s Ginger Long rifled a kill past Duke players Alyse Whitaker, left, and Christina Vucich on Friday.SEATTLE » All Ginger Long wanted to do was fit in. The Hawaii volleyball team was off to a fast start in its first-round NCAA tournament match against Duke on Friday night when freshman outside hitter Kalei Greeley went down with an ankle injury. Long, who didn't want to disrupt UH's rhythm, did a little bit of everything after replacing Greeley late in the first set to keep the Rainbow Wahine on cruise control in an impressive 25-15, 25-19, 25-17 win over the Blue Devils at Alaska Airlines Arena. Long finished with six kills, eight digs and three blocks after substituting in for Greeley with UH ahead 18-11. The 5-foot-11 junior, who announced last week she would not return for her senior season, blended right in with her UH teammates and came up with numerous big plays to help Hawaii advance to the second round of the tournament for a 17th consecutive year. "I had a lot of support from my entire team," Long said. "It's hard for a player to come in off the bench and really kind of jell well, so I think our starting lineup group did a good job of inviting me in and giving me that positive energy to feed off of." Long started seven of UH's first eight matches before her playing time diminished as coach Dave Shoji settled on his regular rotations. After her announcement, she was given a proper send-off during UH's senior night festivities on Nov. 29 in a sweep of UC Davis. Thrust into action against the 21st-ranked Blue Devils, Long played three sets in a match for the first time since Oct. 26. She did so well that Shoji kept Greeley on the bench the rest of the game as a precaution. "Our trainers thought that Greeley could go back in, but I thought Ginger was doing great and so there was no need to put her back in," Shoji said. "Sometimes overnight (the ankle) can swell, but we just didn't need her to go back in." While Greeley tried to keep her ankle loose behind the Rainbow Wahine bench, Long kept Hawaii well ahead of Duke, which never led by more than a point the entire match. Duke fell behind two sets to none for just the fourth time this season and had no chance to catch Hawaii in the third after UH raced out to a 14-3 lead. Long capped a 7-0 run with a thunderous solo block on Alyse Whitaker to force a Duke timeout with UH ahead 8-2. She was in on three more blocks on the set as Hawaii dominated the middle, tallying 111⁄2 blocks that forced Duke to hit .050 for the match. The Blue Devils came in leading the country in assists per set (14.18) and were second in kills per set (14.7). They averaged 9.67 kills and 9.3 assists against the Rainbow Wahine. "Dave always tells me in the beginning of every match, ‘Be ready,' so of course you always have to be ready for the worst," Long said. "Just go in and do what I've been doing in practice was really my main thought."
|
|
|
Post by kahusancali on Dec 6, 2014 14:23:52 GMT -5
Where did the reporter get this info? I don't see it anywhere on espn3.com
Online: ESPN3.com
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 6, 2014 14:27:40 GMT -5
Where did the reporter get this info? I don't see it anywhere on espn3.com Online: ESPN3.com cindy luis says she was initially told it would be on espn3. she's clarified this on her blog (at about post #106). hawaiiwarriorworld.com/volleyshots/live-blog-hawaii-vs-duke/and i guess, we're all now seeing that the hawaii-uw match is not listed on the watchespn site...
|
|
|
Post by Wolfgang on Dec 6, 2014 14:41:10 GMT -5
The posters on Cindy's blog...there are no words to describe them. I don't know how she puts up with all that shiite.
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 6, 2014 14:58:29 GMT -5
The posters on Cindy's blog...there are no words to describe them. I don't know how she puts up with all that shiite. wolfgang ... come post over there. it's fun to poke the animals in their cages sometimes wait -- what am i saying, i'm sure you're already posting over there ....
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 7, 2014 1:12:24 GMT -5
Hawaii falls to Washington in NCAA tournament Huskies down Rainbow Wahine in second roundBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 07:29 p.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 07:47 p.m. HST, Dec 06, 2014 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji talked to his team before Saturday's match against Washington in Seattle.SEATTLE >> Reigning national player of the year Krista Vansant put down 22 kills and No. 3 Washington eliminated No. 23 Hawaii in the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third time in five years, 25-20, 19-25, 25-16, 25-14 Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines. Nikki Taylor had 14 kills and Kalei Greeley and Kalei Adolpho each had 10 for the Rainbow Wahine (22-7). The Huskies (31-2) ran their home-court winning streak to 34. Washington will stay at home and host the Seattle Regional next Friday and Saturday. The Huskies will meet No. 11 Nebraska (22-9) in one third-round match and No. 6 Florida State (30-2) faces No. 12 BYU (27-4) in the other.
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 7, 2014 14:19:57 GMT -5
Wahine eliminated Washington sends Hawaii home from the NCAA tournament for the third time in five seasonsBy Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 07, 2014 JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Hawaii’s Kalei Greeley couldn’t get a hit over the Washington block of Lianna Sybeldon, left, and Crissy Jones. JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Sarah Mendoza set a UH four-set record with 32 digs.JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER Coach Dave Shoji: “We faced a great team tonight, they have no weaknesses.”SEATTLE » Washington's athletic slogan is "Who we are is why we win." The Huskies lived up to that Saturday night by being who they are — third ranked and third seed — and having who they have — all-everything Krista Vansant — eliminating Hawaii in the second round of the NCAA volleyball tournament for the third time in five years. Vansant put down a match-high 22 kills en route to becoming the program's all-time kill leader. The senior hitter dominated the final set with nine kills with no errors and the Huskies dominated the Rainbow Wahine over the final hour of a 25-20, 19-25, 25-16, 25-14 victory at Alaska Airlines Arena. It was the 34th consecutive home victory for Washington (31-2), which will remain home to host next week's regional. For the second time in three years, the Huskies will see No. 11 Nebraska (22-9). For Hawaii, it was the third straight year the season ended in the second round, this time after 1 hour and 57 minutes. It also ended the careers of seniors Kalei Adolpho and Sarah Mendoza and redshirt junior Ginger Long. Leading Hawaii was sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor, who finished with 15 kills. Adolpho and freshman hitter Kalei Greeley both had 10, Greeley earning her sixth double-double with 13 digs. While there was too much Vansant for Hawaii to handle, there also was too much Mendoza, who frustrated the Huskies' hitters. Mendoza finished with 32 digs, setting a UH record for digs in a four-set match; the previous mark of 31 was set by libero Elizabeth Ka‘aihue in 2007. "It was a loud crowd going against you and that's a different motivation," said Adolpho, who finished with 10 kills in front of a crowd of 3,985. "Set 2 was a real confidence builder, and we came back out (after intermission) believing we could win." Indeed, Set 3 was a dogfight, with nine ties through 9-9. The Wahine got stuck in a bad rotation and the Huskies took advantage with a great run, scoring five straight for a 14-9 lead. Hawaii never recovered, going down 2-1, and Washington continued to ride the momentum into Set 4. The Wahine hung in early in Set 4, coming to within 11-8. The Huskies simply ran away to their 34th consecutive home victory, riding Tia Scambray's 8-0 serving run, ending any hopes of a Hawaii comeback. "We faced a great team tonight, they have no weaknesses," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "There's no place you can pick on them. They have Vansant, but they also have five others who are capable of scoring points. "They have depth and balance, they are big and well coached. They are a great team and they wore us down. I thought we'd get them thinking about things after Set 2, but they've been through a tough conference and it didn't faze them." Washington coach Jim McLaughlin spread the credit among his players but also praised Hawaii's efforts. "Hawaii put pressure on us early, handled us pretty good in Set 2," he said. "We were able to handle that adversity, made some adjustments. "We knew we needed to be ourselves, do what we do better than what they were doing. The worst thing to do is not be who you are. We started being who we are. Our composure was good and the match came back our way." Hawaii was unable to be itself, which meant blocking. The Wahine, tied for fifth nationally in blocks, were outblocked 15.5-6. That Hawaii won the dig war 86-75 was due in part to Mendoza's career night. But the Wahine could not convert on many of those digs, finishing with a season-low hitting percentage of .088. Junior Cassie Strickland, the Pac-12 Libero of the Year, finished with 25 digs. It was the first time in 17 home matches this season that Washington did not have an ace. Full Photo Gallery here, by JENNIFER BUCHANAN / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER.
|
|
|
Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Dec 8, 2014 11:12:25 GMT -5
Wahine Just Weren't Consistent Enough
By Cindy Luis
Good but not good enough. Or consistent enough. Or great enough when needed.
Saturday's season-ending loss to No. 3 Washington was a microcosm of No. 23 Hawaii's play over its 29 matches. There was brilliance and balance but also lapses and letdowns.
Just as they were against the Huskies, the Rainbow Wahine were in all the matches they eventually lost, with perhaps the exception of the RPI-deflating sweep by host Cal State Northridge.
Among the highs? Dave Shoji celebrating his 40th campaign as the Rainbow Wahine coach, a year that included sweeping No. 21 Duke to open a 33rd consecutive NCAA tournament and recording the program's 21st straight 20-plus win season.
Among the lows? Losing to all of the other five ranked teams played; falling out of the national rankings for the first time since 1992; and failing to earn at least a share of the conference title, a streak that dated back to 1994.
Whether Shoji returns for his 41st — "I haven't made a decision yet," he said — his thoughts regarding 2015 began not long after Washington's Krista Vansant put down aloha ball that put Hawaii back on the plane to Honolulu.
"I think we have a lot of room for improvement," Shoji said. "Each player coming back didn't have their best match (Saturday and) needs to improve; otherwise they will be replaced by one of the current players or someone new coming in.
"If you analyze position by position, we need better lefts (left-side hitters), be more reliable on the right. And we'll take a look at setter. Tayler (sophomore Higgins) played well at the end but still has to be better. Kendra (freshman Koelsch) has shown ability. It's another area we need improvement."
The Wahine lose just three players from the current roster in seniors Kalei Adolpho and Sarah Mendoza, and redshirt junior Ginger Long, who is forgoing her fifth year. Long played sparingly against Washington but had a career night off the bench Friday in the victory over the Blue Devils.
Saturday, Adolpho had 10 kills with just one hitting error and was in on three blocks in her final volleyball match. (She is expected to again play for the Wahine basketball team in 2015-16).
Mendoza had 32 digs against the Huskies, setting a school record for a four-set match.
"I thought our two seniors had the best match of their careers," Shoji said after Saturday's loss. "I'm so proud of both of them. I can't say enough about the senior leadership they provided."
Besides the two setters, returning are all-conference hitters Tai Manu-Olevao, a current junior; sophomore Nikki Taylor and freshman Kalei Greeley. All-Big West middle Olivia Magill, among the national leaders in blocks and hitting percentage, also will be back. Freshmen Megan Huff, a middle who was converted to an outside hitter, and middle Emily Maglio will add to the depth up front.
Freshman Savanah Kahakai is the heir apparent to replace Mendoza. Also expected back are defensive specialists Katiana Ponce, a sophomore, and freshmen Clare-Marie Anderson and Gianna Guinasso.
Last month, Hawaii signed a talented trio in 6-foot-2 middle Annie Mitchem, the reigning junior college player of the year who is a sophomore at Irvine Valley (Calif.) College; Punahou All-State selection McKenna Granato, a 5-11 hitter; and 6-3 hitter/middle Casey Castillo out of Santa Fe Christian in the San Diego area.
Shoji said he wasn't sure where any of the three would fit, especially Mitchem, who has been a six-rotation player for the Lasers under former Hawaii All-American Tom Pestolesi. Friday, Mitchem had 19 kills with no errors, hitting .826, in IVC's win in the CCCAA State Championship quarterfinal, and 15 kills and 10 digs in Saturday's semifinal sweep as IVC (26-0) ended Cabrillo College's 62-match winning streak.
"It's a good class," Shoji said. "We know what Mitchem can do and she could be in the middle or she could play on the left or on the right. The freshmen will be freshmen and fight for playing time just like everyone else."
The way the season ended was bittersweet, Shoji said. He felt his team had started to play its best volleyball at the end but were once against shipped to Washington to play in one of the toughest places in the country.
"It just might be the toughest place to play," he said. "It's just like Nebraska and Penn State. With great fans and it was loud.
"I thought we showed we could compete with just about anybody in the country, but it was a monumental task. It was disappointing to be sent there again, to a place where basically they don't lose."
Shoji is still working on the 2015 schedule. Headlining one of the three preseason tournaments will be Florida, Oregon State and perennial visitor UCLA. All three have advanced to this week's regional semifinals.
Will Shoji be on the opposing bench nine months from now?
"I am not leaning one way or another at the moment," he said.
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Dec 8, 2014 11:18:08 GMT -5
I don't understand why Shoji is being coy about whether he returns or not for next season.
|
|
|
Post by Wolfgang on Dec 8, 2014 11:24:33 GMT -5
From the POV of the institution, the best time for a coach to quit or retire would be sometime around now. This gives time to round up the candidates and interview them during the AVCA convention. It's not absolutely essential, of course. The AD or the Hiring Committee (if there is one) can come up with short lists and conduct phone interviews. Once they've whittled down the strongest candidates, they can fly them over to Hawaii, put them up at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and interview them face-to-face. But the AVCA convention would be ideal.
|
|
|
Post by jake on Dec 8, 2014 11:50:47 GMT -5
Good luck to Dave Shoji.
Whichever way he decides to go,...always be welcomed in SLO.
GoPOLY!!!
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 8, 2014 14:15:04 GMT -5
shoji's not retiring just yet. you can just sense it. there's just too much potential with this group and the group coming in next year.
|
|
|
Post by Wolfgang on Dec 8, 2014 14:18:52 GMT -5
I also think Shoji wants to go out on a high note. But every coach wants this. And they can't all get what they want. Most of the greats were "pushed" out. Bill Neville at Washington. I still feel bad about the way Banachowski left. I think he just got fed up with it all after Lauren Cook transferred. I always picture him saying, "Ahh, f**k this sh*t."
|
|
|
Post by ACE on Dec 8, 2014 22:23:07 GMT -5
Glad to see Florida heading back to the islands for a perseason tournament.
|
|
|
Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 10, 2014 14:12:35 GMT -5
Shoji's top assistant, Scott Wong, leaving for PepperdineBy Star-Advertiser staff POSTED: 07:54 a.m. HST, Dec 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 08:27 a.m. HST, Dec 10, 2014 BRUCE ASATO University of Hawaii Sand Volleyball coach Scott Wong watches the team practice on their new on campus sand volleyball courts located between Ching Field and Duke Kahanamoku Swimming Pool.University of Hawaii women's volleyball associate coach and head sand coach Scott Wong has taken the head women's coaching job at Pepperdine. The joint announcement was made Wednesday morning by the Hawaii and Pepperdine athletic departments. Wong, a 2001 Pepperdine graduate, has been the lead recruiter and coached technical aspects of the Rainbow Wahine since 2010. "It was a tough decision," Wong told the Star-Advertiser Wednesday. "For years, it was my dream to come back home and coach (at Hawaii). I was able to coach indoor and start the sand program. "Hawaii is a special place and if I had to leave, the only program it would be for would be Pepperdine. It's where I spent eight years of my life (as a student-athlete and assistant coach). I'm excited about developing my own program as a head coach." Wong becomes the fifth coach in Pepperdine program history.. Troy Tanner resigned Dec. 2 after one season for undisclosed family reasons. "Dave (Shoji) has been awesome and I'm thankful he gave me the opportunity to play such as pivotal role in his program for the last five years," Wong said. "I never thought about leaving but this is the chance to be a head coach. Pepperdine is the only program I would leave Hawaii for." "He has done everything he needed to do to become a head coach and I have no doubt that he will be successful at Pepperdine," Shoji said of Wong. We wish he and (wife) Tamar and their children, Elyse and Dylan, the very best. They will always be part of part of the Rainbow Wahine ohana. "We knew after Tanner resigned last week that Pepperdine would be looking." Shoji said the search to replace Wong would begin immediately. Wong said that he had been contacted by Pepperdine last week but the decision was made not to discuss it until after Hawaii's season was finished. The Rainbow Wahine were eliminated in the NCAA tournament by host Washington last Saturday in the second round. Wong also guided the Rainbow Wahine sand volleyball team to the 2012 AVCA National Championships in Alabama in the program's inaugural season and did so again this past spring where the SandBows finished third nationally. Wong joined the UH staff in 2010. Before that, he assisted coach Marv Dunphy at Pepperdine, where he helped the Waves win the 2005 NCAA men's title, its fifth NCAA title in program history. Wong, a Punahou alum, also played professionally on the beach for seven years. He was a three-time AVCA All-American and four-time All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selection.
|
|