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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 30, 2015 14:42:49 GMT -5
that's cool that Texas A&M-CC are the Islanders ...
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 30, 2015 14:45:58 GMT -5
No. 10 Seed Texas A&M to Host NCAA Championship First and Second RoundsVolleyball | Nov 29, 2015 | Texas A&M Media Relations Excerpt: "COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Southeastern Conference-champion Texas A&M received an automatic berth to the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Championship and will host first and second rounds, Friday and Saturday at Reed Arena, the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee announced today. The Aggies (23-6, 16-2 SEC), the No. 10 seed in the 64-team tournament, play host to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (31-4) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Reed Arena. The match follows another first-round match-up between Hawaii (26-1) and TCU (19-9) at 4:30 p.m. at Reed. The two first-round winners will meet in the second round, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Reed, with the winner earning a berth into the Des Moines Regional, Dec. 11-12, at Wells Fargo Arena. All-session tickets for the first two rounds at Reed Arena will be available in advance at 12thManFoundation.com, during business hours at the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office located in the north end of Kyle Field and on match day at Reed Arena beginning one hour before the match. Each day is a session and is ticketed accordingly. Prices are as follows: All-Session:Reserved Adult: $16 General Admission-Adult: $12 General Admission-Student: $5 Free for children under age two Single Day:Reserved Adult: $9 General Admission-Adult: $7 General Admission-Student: $3 Free for children under age two A&M, which enters the tournament riding a 14-match win streak and is 12-1 in home matches, is making its fifth consecutive and 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. This marks the Aggies' 19th appearance under 23rd-year head coach Laurie Corbelli. The Islanders earned their first NCAA berth by winning the Southland Tournament this past weekend. Hawaii, which won the national championship in 1982, 1983 and 1987, is the automatic qualifier from the Big West Conference and is making its 34th appearance overall. TCU received an at-large bid and is making its second NCAA appearance in program history." Full TAMU release: 12thman.com/news/2015/11/29/WVB_1129154801.aspx
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 30, 2015 14:48:58 GMT -5
Hawaii Dominates Big West Postseason Honors2015 VB All-Conference11/30/2015 Excerpt: "Hawai’i, the 2015 Big West Conference Champion, continued its dominance in the conference’s annual awards as it nabbed two of the three top awards. Junior Nikki Taylor was named Big West Player of the Year and Big West Coach of the Year was awarded to Dave Shoji. Grabbing the final award was Cal Poly’s Adlee Van Winden, who was named Big West Freshman of the Year." Full Big West releases: www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=18758 www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=18758#sthash.WiVWpp3c.dpuf
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 30, 2015 14:53:03 GMT -5
Taylor POY, Shoji COY, Magill, Maglio Manu-Olevao 1st teamby CINDY LUIS on NOVEMBER 30, 2015 Full blog post: hawaiiwarriorworld.com/volleyshots/taylor-poy-shoji-coy-magill-manu-olevao-first-team/ Excerpt: "From the Big West www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=18758 Hawaii, the 2015 Big West Conference Champion, continued its dominance in the conference’s annual awards as it nabbed two of the three top awards. Junior Nikki Taylor was named Big West Player of the Year and Big West Coach of the Year was awarded to Dave Shoji. Grabbing the final award was Cal Poly’s Adlee Van Winden, who was named Big West Freshman of the Year. Honorable Mention to Savanah Kahakai and Kalei Greeley."
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 30, 2015 14:55:55 GMT -5
congrats to Taylor and Shoji on POY and COY honors!
congrats to Magill, Maglio and Olevao for joining Taylor on the all-conference 1st team!
congrats to Kahakai (only 1 of 3 liberos honored on the entire list) and Greeley (who would've been 1st team if not for injury holding her back) for honorable mention!
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Post by Wolfgang on Nov 30, 2015 15:20:41 GMT -5
Really proud of Maglio, what with Annie Mitchem breathing down her neck most of the season. She didn't even play full matches sometimes because Shoji inserted Mitchem. Next year, I expect the middles to be even better with Mitchem and Maglio and Burns off the bench.
Higgins is a glaring omission. I think the voters got it right. This year, the hitters made the setters look good.
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Post by italianmattd on Nov 30, 2015 15:42:54 GMT -5
that's cool that Texas A&M-CC are the Islanders ... That, and they do the "Shaka"
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2015 13:51:10 GMT -5
6 Wahine get Big West honorsBy Cindy Luis, Star-AdvertiserPosted November 30, 2015 TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER / NOV. 15 Hawaii’s Nikki Taylor led the Big West in three categories — points, kills and aces.DARRELL MIHO / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER / NOV. 6 Wahine head coach Dave Shoji was named Big West Coach of the Year for the fifth time.In a word? Dominant. It describes Hawaii’s performance this season in Big West volleyball in going 16-0, including 11 sweeps. It is reflected in the number of Rainbow Wahine honored by the conference on Monday. Led by Player of the Year Nikki Taylor, Hawaii had four on the 16-player first team and two among the seven honorable mentions. Joining Taylor, a junior opposite, on the first team were senior middle Olivia Magill, sophomore middle Emily Maglio and senior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao. Sophomore libero Savanah Kahakai and sophomore hitter Kalei Greeley were named honorable mention. Topping it off was Dave Shoji being named Coach of the Year in the Big West for the fifth time. It is his 13th honor in his 41 seasons at Manoa, with seven coming during Western Athletic Conference competition and one in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference; the PCAA was renamed the Big West in 1988. Shoji had no comment on his accolade but had plenty to say about his players. “I think Nikki was clearly the best player in the conference,” Shoji said as his team prepared to leave Tuesday for the NCAA tournament first-round match against TCU at Texas A&M. “The only other person might have been Olivia, who had a fantastic year as well. “Nikki was just dominating in so many ways … hitting, blocking, serving, playing all six rotations. “Tai has been a solid performer as well. The surprise maybe was Maglio. Her numbers were not overwhelming, but the coaches see her as the second-best middle behind Olivia.” Shoji also said he was happy that Kahakai and Greeley received recognition. “Our block (No. 1 nationally at 3.30 bps) doesn’t leave a lot of balls left to be dug,” he said. “And digging numbers sometimes depend on the stat keeper. We all know how valuable Savanah is. “Kalei had another solid season.” The only position UH was not recognized for was setter. Junior starter Tayler Higgins missed four matches and most of a fifth (sprained ankle) and also shared time with sophomore Kendra Koelsch, who played in all 27 matches with five starts. Third-place Cal Poly also had four named to the first team, led by Freshman of the Year Adlee Van Winden. The outside hitter, who is the niece of former Wahine Lisa Strand-Ma’a, was one of two freshmen on the first team, UC Irvine opposite Harlee Kekauoha being the other. Taylor, named the conference player of the week five times, led the Big West in three categories that also had her top 21 nationally. The Kaiser High graduate, named national player of the week on Sept. 15, is fifth in the country in points (5.46 pps), 19th in kills (4.36 kps) and 21st in aces (0.43 aps). “It’s a huge privilege and a huge honor,” Taylor said. “It’s something I’ve worked really hard for in the preseason, the off-season and into the season, so it definitely feels great to earn something that I was working really hard for. “I didn’t expect it. It’s a nice confidence boost, but I still have a lot more to accomplish. It is definitely pretty humbling.” It was Taylor’s third Big West first-team honor and the second for Magill and Manu-Olevao. Magill ranks No. 7 nationally in blocking (1.53 bps). The Rainbow Wahine head into the NCAA tournament with a 21-match win streak and a new ranking. Hawaii moved up a spot in Monday’s AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll to No. 7 while staying at 26 in the Ratings Percentage Index. Hawaii (26-1) faces TCU (19-9) in Friday’s first round hosted by Texas A&M. The 10th-seeded Aggies (22-6), the SEC champions, meet Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (31-4) in Friday’s second match. Friday’s winners meet in Saturday’s second round, with that winner advancing to Des Moines, Iowa, for a Sweet 16 match on Dec. 10.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2015 13:55:11 GMT -5
Taylor Named Big West Player of the Year; Shoji BWC Coach of the Year
11/30/2015 12:51:00 PM Excerpt: "IRVINE, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team's hard work in the Big West was recognized on Monday in the conference's annual awards. Head coach Dave Shoji was named Big West Coach of the Year while junior Nikki Taylor earned Player of the Year honors. Four Rainbow Wahine—Olivia Magill, Emily Maglio, Tai Manu-Olevao, and Taylor were all selected to the Big West's first team. Kalei Greeley and Savanah Kahakai both earned honorable mention honors. Taylor (Honolulu, O'ahu/Kaiser HS) is the seventh Rainbow Wahine to be named Big West Player of the Year and the 24th overall UH player to earn the conference honor in program history. ... Coach Shoji, earned his fifth Big West Coach of the Year accolade after guiding the Rainbow Wahine to their eighth Big West title with a perfect 16-0 conference record. Overall, it marks Shoji's 14th conference Coach of the Year honor (5-Big West, 8-WAC, 1-PCAA). Hawai'i became just the 10th team to finish the Big West season undefeated and the fourth Hawai'i team to master the feat in the Big West. Overall, Shoji has led his squad to 15 total (11 WAC) undefeated conference seasons." Full UH release: hawaiiathletics.com/news/2015/11/30/WVB_1130150043.aspx?path=wvball All-Big West Honorees: hawaiiathletics.com/documents/2015/11/30//15VB_AllConference_2.pdf?id=3763
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2015 13:59:03 GMT -5
Nikki Taylor named Big West volleyball player of the year; Shoji coach of the yearPosted: Monday, November 30, 2015 1:51 pm | Updated: 9:00 pm, Mon Nov 30, 2015. Alden Alayvilla, Web Editor Photo by Shane Grace/Ka Leo O HawaiiUniversity of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine volleyball player Nikki Taylor has been named the Big West Conference player of the year, while Wahine volleyball head coach, Dave Shoji, has been named coach of the year, according to a Big West Conference (BWC) report Monday. Taylor, an O‘ahu native, earned the award for ranking among the best in the nation in points, kills and service aces, according to the report. Taylor ranked fifth in the nation with an averaged of 5.46 points per set, 19th in kills per set (4.36) and 21st in service ace average (.43). Earlier in the year, Taylor earned AVCA/Sports Imports and ESPNW National Player of the Week awards for the week of Sept. 14 after posting a career-best 27-kill performance against nationally-ranked Florida. Taylor is the eighth Rainbow Wahine to earn the BWC player of the year award in four years. Capturing his fifth Big West Conference coach of the year award, David Shoji earned the distinction for leading the 'Bows to the team's eighth Big West championship, en route to a perfect 16-0 conference record. The 21-match win streak is the longest for the 'Bows since the team's 26-match win streak in 2011. The No. 8 Rainbow Wahine volleyball team is set to face TCU in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament on Dec. 4 at 4:30 p.m. (CST). Full story: www.kaleo.org/sports/nikki-taylor-named-big-west-volleyball-player-of-the-year/article_39cfe02a-97bd-11e5-9973-4ba9ed0f43dc.html
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 1, 2015 14:06:24 GMT -5
Rainbow Wahine return to gloryPosted: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 5:00 am Rashawn Wong, Staff Writer Excerpt: "As the season dwindles to its close, the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team finds themselves in familiar territory atop the Big West Conference standings. Up next for the Wahine: the NCAA tournament. Coach Dave Shoji has led the ‘bows to three national titles in his tenure at UH, with his most recent in ‘87. After 16-straight victories, the ‘Bows finished the regular season atop the Big West Conference with an unblemished record. Now that the regular season is over, the Wahine are hungry in their quest for a national championship. “It’s not easy. People might think it’s easy, but no matter who the opponent is it’s a difficult thing to string that many games together,” coach Shoji said. “Our girls and staff did a really nice job preparing every time out.” The Wahine are no stranger to success in the regular season; this is the 15th time in program history they have finished with an undefeated record in conference play." Full story: www.kaleo.org/sports/rainbow-wahine-return-to-glory/article_8f695f54-978e-11e5-8531-135f837ea206.html
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Post by pineapple on Dec 1, 2015 15:06:23 GMT -5
Shoji led the Wahine to four national titles: 1979 AIAW, 1982 NCAA, 1983 NCAA, and 1987 NCAA.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 2, 2015 14:20:42 GMT -5
Mitchem cleared to practice, no TV Fridayby CINDY LUIS on DECEMBER 1, 2015 Blog post: hawaiiwarriorworld.com/volleyshots/tuesday-practice-mitchem-cleared/ "Mitchem cleared to practice. Pins removed but finger will always be bent and pretty ugly. she took a few reps but didn’t push it.She will have a support on it should she play at some point. Shoji said she’s not cleared to play yet Team ready to hit the road again. They are flying to Houston and driving, about 90 minutes. Shoji said it was reminding him of the old WAC road trip."
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 2, 2015 14:21:32 GMT -5
Video: Shoji on TCU, Texas A&M
by WARRIOR WORLD on DECEMBER 1, 2015
Blog Post:
"Hawaii volleyball coach Dave Shoji talks about his team’s game against TCU in the NCAA tournament’s first round and a possible match against Texas A&M in the second round.
Hawaii faces TCU on Friday."
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Dec 2, 2015 18:22:09 GMT -5
Fully loaded Wahine head to Texas tourney
By Cindy Luis, Star-Advertiser
Posted December 01, 2015
“Aloha” meets “Howdy” beginning Wednesday when seventh-ranked but unseeded Hawaii arrives at College Station, Texas, to open the NCAA tournament. It is the second straight year that the Rainbow Wahine (26-1) are on the road for a first-round match, the 10th time in 12 seasons.
But the deja vu goes beyond the most-traveled team in NCAA volleyball to be traveling again.
“It feels like an old WAC kind of travel,” Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said of the Western Athletic Conference. “We fly all night to Texas and get on a bus. It’s like going to Louisiana Tech.”
It will be a much shorter drive than the five-hour one the Rainbow Wahine used to make to Ruston, La. This time it’s about 90 minutes to the host Aggies’ campus, but it will be deja vu all over again when Hawaii sees former WAC opponent TCU across the net in Friday’s first match.
The Horned Frogs (19-9), an at-large selection out of the Big 12, have made first-year coach Jill Pape Kramer’s homecoming a very successful one; Kramer played for TCU (1996-99), where she was the program’s first scholarship player.
TCU’s signature win was a sweep over then-No. 2 Texas in the overflow 2,000-seat University Recreation Center on Oct. 28, the program’s first victory over the Longhorns.
“They look good on film,” Shoji said. “We’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Hawaii will do its game preparation with its entire 15-player roster on the trip for the first time this season. That includes redshirt middle Natasha Burns as well as junior middle Annie Mitchem, who hasn’t played — or traveled — since fracturing her right pinkie finger in the Oct. 17 home match.
Some six weeks later, Mitchem was finally cleared to practice Tuesday and took a few reps.
As happy as she was about that, she was even happier that she’ll be about two hours northwest of her hometown of Friendswood on Wednesday.
“I am really excited to go home, see some family and eat the food in Texas,” said Mitchem, the reigning two-time two-year-college national player of the year. “(The finger) is still pretty sore, so I’m not too sure when (she’ll be cleared to play). Hitting and blocking could be difficult.”
While Mitchem isn’t expecting a lot of family and friends to make the drive, one friend will already be there. TCU starting junior outside hitter Jillian Bergeson, who transferred from Pepperdine after two seasons, was Mitchem’s high school and club teammate.
One other Hawaii connection will be starting for host Texas A&M. Sophomore middle Jazzmin Babers is the daughter of former Rainbow Warrior Dino Babers, current head football coach at Bowling Green, and Sue Hemenway Babers, who played for the Rainbow Wahine in 1981.
The 6-foot-2 Jazzmin Babers, an honorable mention All-American last season, leads the Aggies in kills (3.20 kps) and blocks (1.41 bps). She was named the national player of the week on Nov. 24 after leading Texas A&M to a sweep of No. 19 Kentucky and a five-set victory over No. 14 Florida, and has started every match during her three-year career.
“I was excited when I saw Hawaii was coming here,” Jazzmin Babers said in a phone call with the Star-Advertiser on Tuesday. “UH always has a great team, and having that connection with both my parents is cool. It would be really cool if we were to meet.
“Mom isn’t sure if she’s coming, but she has talked about what a great coach (Shoji) is and that she loved him to death.”
The Aggies are coached by Laurie Corbelli, whose husband John, is the associate head coach and a 1974 Punahou graduate.
The last time Hawaii and Texas A&M met was in 1999 in an NCAA regional semifinal at the Stan Sheriff Center. It was also the last time that Hawaii hosted the final four.
“They came in and upset us,” Shoji said of the four-set loss. “They are well coached and will be a great challenge to us if we see them.
“We’ve never played there, but I’ve heard they have a tremendous atmosphere at home and great student support.
“It should be a fun match. But first we have to get there.”
To ensure a good home crowd, the 12th Man Foundation is paying for all TAMU students who wish to attend on both Friday and Saturday. The normal student ticket is $3. Reed Arena seats 12,989.
NCAA VOLLEYBALL
At Reed Arena (12,989 capacity), College Station, Texas
FIRST ROUND
>> Hawaii (26-1) vs. TCU (19-9), 12:30 p.m., Friday
>> Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (31-1) at Texas A&M (23-6), 30 minutes after end of first match
SECOND ROUND
>> Friday’s winners, 2:30 p.m., Saturday (Winner advances to third round, Des Moines, Iowa)
Radio: 1420-AM (Hawaii matches only)
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