Hawaii Beach Team articles (2015)

[Cubicle No More ...]

SandBows win 3 duals on senior night

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 20, 2015


BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]
Hawaii's Olivia Urban spiked the ball past San Jose State's Allison Morgan on Sunday.


Swirling winds, passing showers and sweet shave ice.

There was a little bit of everything Sunday as No. 2 Hawaii sent its seniors off with three dual victories in the Outrigger Resorts Invitational duals tournament. Grand Canyon crashed the party with the lone win against the SandBows when the Antelopes' No. 1 Shannon Dugan-Kenzie Phelps swept UH-1 Brittany Tiegs and Sammie Brown 21-19, 21-18 in a televised win over Grand Canyon at the T.C. Ching Athletic Complex courts.

"Awesome" was the word of the night from how well the Rainbow Wahine played in improving to 15-1 to the overall experience of the season thus far to how the team feels about the trio of seniors playing their last home matches. Tiegs, Brown and Olivia Urban were feted with the traditional graduation-style piling of lei after Hawaii completed the four-team event with 5-0 wins over Hawaii Pacific and San Jose State and 4-1 over Grand Canyon.

"It was a great day, to win all three duals, and I'm really proud of our girls," SandBows coach Jeff Hall said. "It is disappointing to lose that last one, but (Dugan-Phelps) are just a really good team, one of the top 10 pairs in the country. I like to have another chance at them at the nationals."

Hawaii likely will be the second seed at next month's AVCA Collegiate Sand Nationals in Gulf Shores, Ala. Three quality wins against the SandBows may be enough to give Dugan-Phelps an at-large spot in the pairs portion of the nationals.

Tiegs and Brown were unable to avenge their loss to Dugan-Phelps suffered in the semifinals of Saturday's pairs tournament, the first time Tiegs and Brown had been paired together. The situation was created when Tiegs' usual partner, Nikki Taylor, was out after reinjuring her right elbow.

The Antelopes pulled out a tight Set 1 that was tied seven times from 13-13 through 19-19. Kills by Phelps finished it off.

Hawaii regrouped in Set 2, with Brown serving for six straight for an 11-5 lead. GCU chipped away, catching UH at 12 and it remained tight through 16-16.

Dugan had two kills and a block of Brown to pull ahead at 19-16. Dugan's ace landed between Tiegs and Brown for match point and her kill ended the sweep.

"They're a great team," Brown said. "Britt and I got better the more we played, but we never even had time to get in a practice.

"Tonight was great (with the senior festivities). The only thing that would have made it better was if we had won."

UH-2 Urban and Katie Spieler put the emphatic exclamation point on the sweep of San Jose State with a dominating 21-7, 21-15 victory over Jamie Hirai and Allison Morgan. The 5-foot-5 Spieler had 24 kills, 15 digs and an ace in the win.

Hirai, a Mid-Pacific graduate, said it was great to play back home.

"It was really great to be here, play in front of my parents and friends," the Spartans freshman said. "The nice thing was my grandparents couldn't come but they were able to watch on TV."

Hawaii concludes the regular season with the Aloha Invitational, Friday and Saturday at Queen's Beach. Also competing are No. 6 Long Beach State, No. 8 UCLA and Saint Mary's.


OUTRIGGER RESORTS INVITATIONAL DUALS TOURNAMENT SCORES

Hawaii 5, HPU 0
1. Brittany Tiegs/Sammie Brown (UH) def. Tenika Wentworth/Kasey Thompson (HPU) 21-11, 21-10
2. Olivia Urban/Katie Spieler (UH) def. Brooke Garlick/Pomai Recca (HPU) 21-11, 21-10
3. Kaiwi Schucht/Mikayla Tucker (UH) def. Elizabeth Culpepper/Amanda Moriarty (HPU) 21-9, 21-9
4. Hannah Rooks/London Chow (UH) def. Kara Wong/Haley Doerfler (HPU) 21-10, 21-5
5. Heather Boyan/Lara Schreiber (UH) def. Kayla Kilaulani/Lea Felton (HPU) 21-11, 21-10

Hawaii 5, San Jose State 0
1. Brittany Tiegs/Sammie Brown (UH) def. Bre Moreland/Nandyala Gama (SJSU) 21-11, 22-20
2. Olivia Urban/Katie Spieler (UH) def. Jamie Hirai/Allison Morgan (SJSU) 21-7, 21-15
3. Kaiwi Schucht/Mikayla Tucker (UH) def. Summer Avery/Julie Sam (SJSU) 21-10, 21-10
4. Hannah Rooks/London Chow (UH) def. Sarah Hibbs/Yavianilz Rosado (SJSU) 21-13, 21-11
5. Gianna Guinasso/Hannah Zalopany (UH) def. Breann Robinson/Navjit Brianna (SJSU) 21-13, 21-11

Hawaii 4, Grand Canyon 1
1. Shannon Dugan/Mackenzie Phelps (GCU) def. Brittany Tiegs/Sammie Brown (UH) 21-19, 21-18
2. Olivia Urban/Katie Spieler (UH) def. Molly Turner/Emily Erichsen (GCU) def. 21-8, 21-12
3. Kaiwi Schucht/Mikayla Tucker (UH) def. Brooke Razo/Alex Green (GCU) 21-14, 21-11
4. Hannah Rooks/London Chow (UH) def. Kaitlyn Ausmus/Megan Glennie (GCU) 21-17, 21-19
5. Gianna Guinasso/Hannah Zalopany (UH) def. Alex Goodman/Becca Conrad (GCU) 15-21,21-19, 15-13

Grand Canyon 4, San Jose State 1
1. Shannon Dugan/Mackenzie Phelps (GCU) def. Bre Moreland/ Nandyala Gama (SJSU) 21-9, 21-16
2. Molly Turner/Emily Erichsen (GCU) def. Summer Avery/Julie Sam (SJSU) 21-9, 21-11
3. Brooke Razo/Alex Green (GCU) def. Jamie Hirai/Allison Meehan (SJSU) 21-15, 21-18
4. Sarah Hibbs/Yavianilz Rosado (SJSU) def. Megan Glinnie/Kaitlyn Ausmus (GCU) 21-16, 12-21, 15-12
5. Alex Goodman/Becca Conrad (GCU) def. Breann Robinson/Navjit Brianna (SJSU) 21-6, 21-9

[Cubicle No More ...]

Sand Volleyball: UH vs. San Jose State, April 19

Full Photo Gallery here. Photos by BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]

[Cubicle No More ...]

Sand Volleyball: UH vs. Grand Canyon Univ., April 19

Full Photo Gallery here. Photos by BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]



Hawaii Sand Volleyball seniors Olivia Urban, Sammie Brown and Brittany Tiegs are honored following the Grand Canyon University vs. Hawaii sand volleyball match at UH sand volleyball courts.

[Cubicle No More ...]

some great photos from senior night (last night) on the UH web site also ...

Hawaii Athletics Photo Gallery

Senior Night

www.hawaiiathletics.com/galleries/?image=11649

[Wolfgang]

I have not seen a single sand volleyball match, but I read all the articles and "follow" the Hawaii players. Weird.

[Cubicle No More ...]

SandBows headed to Gulf Shores for AVCA championships

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 21, 2015


BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]
Hawaii's Sammie Brown, right, made a pass to Brittany Tiegs in the first set against Grand Canyon on Sunday.



As Hawaii volleyball fans have come to know, never leave postseason tournament decisions to a selection committee. This season's success by the SandBows left nothing open to discussion.

Hawaii (15-1) matched its No. 2 ranking in the national poll with a No. 2 seed in next week's AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Rainbow Wahine are seeded behind top-ranked USC (24-0), the only team to defeat Hawaii this season.

Hawaii will open double-elimination bracket play May 1 with seventh-seeded Long Beach State (13-4). The sixth-ranked 49ers led the SandBows 2-0 in an April 11 dual in Hermosa Beach, Calif.; Hawaii rallied for a 3-2 victory.

"We're very happy with our seed, we're right where we thought we'd be and our body of work has proven that," first-year coach Jeff Hall said. "It's a tough opener. Long Beach State has been a natural rival and we're looking forward to it.

"Our last match was a really tight dual and we get an opportunity to see them again this week (Saturday in the Aloha Invitational at Queen's Beach)."

There were few surprises as to the rest of the field. No. 3 Florida International earned the third seed, followed by No. 4 Pepperdine at four. The Waves open with fifth-seeded Georgia State, with FIU taking on sixth-seeded Florida State. USC faces eighth-seeded Stetson, the automatic qualifier from the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The field expanded from six to eight teams in this, the final year of AVCA sponsorship with three teams each from the west and east regions, the AQ from the Atlantic Sun and one at-large (Long Beach State). Next season, the NCAA will make sand volleyball its 90th championship sport.

"It went pretty much true to form as to who we expected to be in," Hall said. "The only question we had was to how it would be seeded with the bottom four teams."

The team competition opens May 1 and continues May 2. The top eight pairs from the team competition and the top two pairs from the team finalists advance to the pairs tournament that runs May 1-3. Joining those 12 pairs will be the top two duos from the 10-pairs "Best of the Rest" play, as well as two play-in teams to create a 16-pair bracket.

Last season, Hawaii finished tied for third in team play. The SandBows' top two pairs — Brittany Tiegs-Karissa Cook and Nikki Taylor-Katie Spieler — earned All-America honors by advancing to the quarterfinals for the pairs bracket; Taylor-Spieler was eliminated in the quarterfinals, while Tiegs-Cook finished second.

Because of the NCAA limit on competition days, Hawaii will only participate in Saturday's team duals with No. 6 Long Beach State, No. 8 UCLA and Saint Mary's. The Invitational opens Friday with a pairs tournament. Play both days starts at 8 a.m.


AVCA COLLEGIATE SAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

May 1-3, Gulf Shores, Ala.

Team championship double-elimination bracket
(Seeding in parentheses)

» USC (1) vs. Stetson (8)

» Hawaii (2) vs. Long Beach State (7)

» Florida International (3) vs. Florida State (6)

» Pepperdine (4) vs. Georgia State (5)

[Cubicle No More ...]

Sand tourney is celebration of sport’s Hawaii roots

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 23, 2015



There is more to the inaugural Aloha Invitational than the use of the word “aloha” in the name of this week’s collegiate sand tournament at Queen’s Beach.

The event is meant to celebrate the rich history of the sport in Hawaii — the documented birthplace of beach volleyball — as well as the island tradition of giving back.

“We didn’t name it what we did was just give it a Hawaiian name,” Laie-born tournament director Frank Tusieseina. said. “We want to share the aloha spirit through this event, from the actual tournament to the players doing a service project, having a youth clinic and proceeds of T-shirt sales going to ‘Feeding Hawaii Together.’

“Sand volleyball is the fastest growing sport at the collegiate level and the schools in our very first event will show fans watching in person and on TV across the country just how dynamic and exciting the sport is.”

The field includes No. 2 Hawaii, No. 6 Long Beach State, No. 8 UCLA and Saint Mary’s, all four of which were ranked in the AVCA preseason poll when they were selected. The two-day event at Queen’s Beach has a pairs component on Friday and team duals on Saturday.

Hawaii will only participate on Saturday due to the limit on regular-season competition dates (16). Both the SandBows and the 49ers will be competing in next week’s AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships at Gulf Shores, Ala., and open up against each other next Friday in team bracket play.

CBS Sports is taping the Aloha Invitational for a delayed telecast on May 16. Olympic beach volleyball medalists Dain Blanton (gold 2000) and Mike Dodd (silver 1996) are the broadcasters.

“When I first heard that sand volleyball was going to become a collegiate sport, I thought what a wonderful opportunity it will be for young women,” said Dodd, whose daughter, Dalas, is a junior on the Saint Mary’s team. “It seems that indoor volleyball has gotten so specialized but on the beach you have to use all-around skills.

“As for coming to Hawaii, it goes without saying that Hawaii has always been the epicenter of volleyball. The Wahine have been the standard that other programs have aspired to get to. I played here on the AVP Tour, had a chance to enjoy the courts at the Outrigger (Canoe Club). Having this here will be a wonderful showcase.”

Tusieseina said the tournament has a two-year deal with CBS Sports with an option for a third.

“We saw what the Maui Invitational does for men’s collegiate basketball and SSwe said, ‘Let’s do the same thing for sand volleyball,’” Tusieseina said. “Beach volleyball is the third-most watched sport in the Olympics. It wasn’t a hard sell to CBS.

“Our plan is long-term. We hope to expand to eight teams next year and maybe ad a pro-am. We want to include foreign teams and make this a global event.”


ALOHA INVITATIONAL
At Queen's Beach

With No. 2 Hawaii (15-1), No. 6 Long Beach State (13-4), No. 8 UCLA (9-4) and Saint Mary's (4-13)

Friday
>> 8 a.m.: Pairs tournament
>> 4-6:30 p.m.: Free youth clinic open to all ages.

Saturday
>> 8 a.m.: Team duals
>> TV: Delayed broadcast, 7 a.m. May 16, CBS Sports Network

[lbsandfan]

will the matches this weekend be available for viewing on any streaming site or other options??

[Cubicle No More ...]

Sand game requires a complete set of skills

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 24, 2015


There is no hiding in sand volleyball.

The indoor game has become so specialized that some front-row players never see the back row and hold their breaths if they need to set an off-ball. The same goes for the defensive specialists/liberos who would pay to get more than a very rare swing from behind the 3-meter line.

The beauty of sand is in its equality, it's AYSO-like quality where — with just two players to a side — everyone sets, plays defense, hits, serves and usually gets at least one touch every play. Those all-around skills are a requirement for success and a number of indoor players are seeing the value of being on the beach to develop their overall game.

"It's really good cross-training," UCLA junior Rachel Inouye said prior to Friday's pairs portion of the inaugural Aloha Invitational. "And it's good to mix it up. I've been playing indoors since I was 10.

"It's funny because people expect me to be really good at sand because I'm from Hawaii. I played a little when growing up but no one had a hunch then that you'd be going to college to play it. It wasn't even a thing. But I love it and I'm really excited to be at home playing."

Inouye, a Punahou graduate, has teamed at No. 4 with senior Karly Drolson, another defensive specialist/libero on the UCLA indoor team, for a 14-2 record. Inouye had 13 kills and 17 digs in last Saturday's match against Arizona State's Sydney Palmer-McKenzie Willey, 21-15, 21-10, one of the two bright spots as the eighth-ranked Bruins were upset by the Sun Devils 3-2.

"That loss to ASU was disappointing but we learned a lot from it," Inouye said. "What we're trying to do this week is finish off the season on a good note."

While UCLA will not be at next week's AVCA Collegiate Sand Nationals as a team, the Bruins had their No. 1 pair of Zoe Nightingale and Kamila Tan selected for the 10-team Best of the Rest tournament that feeds into the pairs championship portion of the event at Gulf Shores, Ala.

UCLA coach Stein Metzger, also a Punahou graduate, knows first hand the benefits of playing and training both indoor and sand. What he has seen in Inouye is her increased reading awareness (where the opponent will hit the ball) and her overall defense.

"All positions benefit from being on the beach but with liberos it really helps the underhand ball control," Metzger said. "That's where Rachel has improved because she gets so many more opportunities to touch the ball when you have so much more area to cover. It's just two of you out there."



ALOHA INVITATIONAL
At Queen’s Beach

FRIDAY / PAIRS

>> 8 a.m.: With No. 6 Long Beach State (13-4), Saint Mary’s (4-13) and No. 8 UCLA (9-4).


SATURDAY / TEAM DUALS

>> 10 a.m.: No. 2 Hawaii (15-1) 2, 3, 5 vs. UCLA 2, 3, 5 and Long Beach State 2, 3 vs. Saint Mary’s 2, 3

>> 11:30 a.m.: Hawaii 1, 4 vs. UCLA 1, 4 and Long Beach State 4, 5 vs. Saint Mary’s 4, 5

>> 2 p.m.: Winners 2, 3 and Losers 1, 3 5

>> 3:30 p.m.: Winners 1, 4, 5 and Losers 2, 4

>> TV: Delayed broadcast, 7 a.m. May 16, CBS Sports Network

[Cubicle No More ...]

Apr 24, 2015 12:56:40 GMT -5 lbsandfan said:

will the matches this weekend be available for viewing on any streaming site or other options??

i haven't seen anything about live stream for these matches ... just the delayed broadcast info that's been published with the articles in the local papers so far.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Long Beach edges SandBows, sort of

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 26, 2015
LAST UPDATED: 03:15 a.m. HST, Apr 26, 2015


JAMM AQUINO / [e-mail]
Hawaii’s Nikki Taylor celebrated with teammate Brittany Tiegs after a point during the championship match against Long Beach State.


Spoiler alert.

If you want to close your eyes for the next three weeks, stop reading.

Now.

Otherwise, know this. In the made-for-TV final of the inaugural Aloha Invitational, No. 6 Long Beach State edged No. 2 Hawaii for the gold medal 5-4, thanks to the 49ers' lone win -- that at the No. 1 flight -- being worth 5 points. The Beach's Chelsea Cabrajac and Delainey Aigner-Swesy held off Nikki Taylor-Brittany Tiegs 21-19, 22-20 in the finale of the afternoon bracket in front of a crowd of about 200 that lined the Queen's Beach main court.

(The official result will go down as a 4-1 victory for Hawaii. CBS Sports will broadcast portions on May 16).

It was the first time Taylor and Tiegs had played a match in nearly two weeks after Taylor retweaked her right elbow. That they were able to stay within reach of Cabrajac and Aigner-Swesy -- who won Friday's pairs event -- was encouraging for the Rainbow Wahine duo as they prepare for next week's AVCA Collegiate Sand Nationals in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Taylor-Tiegs held off three match points when rallying from 20-17 to tie at 20. They couldn't do it a fourth time as Cabrajac put down a kill and Aigner-Swesy blocked Taylor to end it.

"I thought we did a good job at scrambling back," Taylor said. "Today was more about us getting back into the groove of playing together and work on our consistency."

Saturday's unique format had two morning duals, with Hawaii beating No. 8 UCLA 4-1 and Long Beach State sweeping Saint Mary's 5-0. The SandBows and 49ers then advanced to the winners' bracket, and the Bruins and Gaels to the contenders' bracket; UCLA downed Saint Mary's 4-1 to earn the bronze medal.

"The bottom line is we didn't take care of business in that last match, but overall I feel good about the day," Hawaii coach Jeff Hall said. "We won all but two matches. It was a little unique that the last match was worth five points, but we understood that was for TV.

"I think (getting the silver medal) keeps our girls hungry. It's all about next week."

Coincidentally, Hawaii and Long Beach State open against each other Friday in the team portion of the national tournament. The SandBows rallied past the 49ers 3-2 in a dual meeting April 11 in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Cabrajac agreed the experience at Queen's Beach would be a good springboard into the nationals.

"It was a good win for us today and we'll use it to refocus when we see them next week," she said.

The 49ers nearly picked up another win at No. 2 when Tyler Jackson-Anete Brinke had two match points on UH's Katie Spieler-Olivia Urban, at 14-13 and 15-14 in Set 3. Two kills by Spieler gave Hawaii the only match point it would need at 16-15 and Jackson's attempt to bump it just inside the line rolled along the tape and out to give Hawaii the 21-13, 19-21, 17-15 victory.


ALOHA INVITATIONAL
Saturday At Queens Beach

First round

No. 1 Pairings

Delainey Aigner-Swesy/Chelsea Cabrajac (LBSU) def. Dalas Dodd/Alexis Salmons (SMC), 21-16, 21-17.

Brittany Tiegs/Nikki Taylor (UH) def. Kamila Tan/Zoe Nightingale (UCLA), 15-21, 21-16, 15-13.

No. 2 Pairings

Tyler Jackson/Anete Brinke (LBSU) def. Mary Hernandez/Mileva Popovic (SMC), 21-15, 21-19.

Madie Smith/Elsie Zappia (UCLA) def. Katie Spieler/Olivia Urban (UH), 15-21, 21-19, 15-12.

No. 3 Pairings

Sammie Brown/Hannah Rooks (UH) def. Laurel Weaver/Julie Consani (UCLA), 21-16, 21-17.

Bre Mackie/Jenelle Hudson (LBSU) def. Madi Wilkerson/Clare Powers (SMC), 21-14, 21-12.

No. 4 Pairings

Mikayla Tucker/Ka'iwi Schuct (UH) def. Karly Droisan/Rachel Inouye (UCLA), 16-21, 21-16, 15-10.

Andrea McHugh/Ciana Wagner (LBSU) def. Hannah Liserra/Maegan Conroy (SMC), 21-8, 21-11.

No. 5 Pairings

Lara Schreiber/Heather Boyan (UH) def. Ivey Schmitt/Lexi Jasper-Balen (UCLA), 21-15, 21-12.

Rachel Nieto/Sammee Thomas (LBSU) def. Nicole Trenka/Nicole Singh (SMC), 21-8, 21-12.

Contenders' round

Kamila Tan/Zoe Nightingale (UCLA) def. Dalas Dodd/Alexis Salmons (SMC), 21-15, 18-21, 16-14.

Madie Smith/Elsie Zappia (UCLA) def. Mary Hernandez/Mileva Popovic (SMC), 21-10, 21-16.

Madi Wilkerson/Clare Powers (SMC) def. Madi Wilkerson/Clare Powers (UCLA), 21-19, 21-16.

Karly Droisan/Rachel Inouye (UCLA) def. Hannah Liserra/Maegan Conroy (SMC), 21-8, 21-14.

Ivey Schmitt/Lexi Jasper-Balen (UCLA) def. Nicole Trenka/Nicole Singh (SMC), 21-9, 21-11.

Winners' round

Delainey Aigner-Swesy/Chelsea Cabrajac (LBSU) def. Brittany Tiegs/Nikki Taylor (UH), 21-18, 22-20.

Katie Spieler/Olivia Urban (UH) def. Tyler Jackson/Anete Brinke (LBSU), 21-13, 19-21, 17-15.

Sammie Brown/Hannah Rooks (UH) def. Bre Mackie/Jenelle Hudson (LBSU), 21-18, 21-19.

Mikayla Tucker/Ka'iwi Schuct (UH) def. Andrea McHugh/Ciana Wagner (LBSU), 31-29, 21-16.

Lara Schreiber/Heather Boyan (UH) def. Rachel Nieto/Sammee Thomas (LBSU), 21-18, 21-19.


Full Photo Gallery here, for Sand Volleyball: UH vs. LBSU, April 25. Photos by JAMM AQUINO / [e-mail]

[Cubicle No More ...]

SandBows hope journey ends with a title

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 29, 2015



It is not easy to get to Gulf Shores, Ala. But neither is winning a national championship.

The two journeys become one for second-seeded Hawaii at this week's AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championships. The Rainbow Wahine (17-1) left Tuesday, hoping travel will be better than last year as well as their overall results.

Last season, Hawaii's flight out of Houston was canceled, putting the SandBows in vans to drive east for some 500 miles. Fourth-seeded Hawaii upset top-ranked USC 3-2 but fell to No. 3 Florida State 4-1 to share third in the team competition.

In pairs play, the All-American duo of Katie Spieler-Nikki Taylor lost in the quarterfinals while All-Americans Brittany Tiegs-Karissa Cook finished second, losing 21-15, 21-13 in the final to USC's Kirby Turnham-Sarah Hughes.

Some things have changed for Hawaii since last year, including some changes in partner pairings. The biggest, perhaps, is the SandBows' seeding: once-beaten Hawaii (17-1) has matched its ranking with its seed at No. 2.

"I think our chance of winning the team title is legitimate," said Spieler, who is 29-8 with Olivia Urban at the No. 2 flight. "When it comes to playing in Alabama, anything can happen.

"Being a veteran and having played there, what I've told the new players is if they aren't motived now, nothing will motivate them. This is the biggest thing of your career, this is what we've worked for day in and day out."

Out of the 14 UH players traveling, only six competed in Alabama last season and none of those six has the same partner as last May. Back are Tiegs, now with Taylor at No. 1; Urban, who was at No. 4, now with Spieler at 2; Mikayla Tucker, 15-1 with new partner Ka‘iwi Schucht mostly at No. 4; and London Chow, having the most success at 4-1 with Hannah Rooks at 4 or 5.

Hawaii opens Friday's double-elimination team play against the last team it played — and beat — seventh-seeded Long Beach State. The SandBows downed the 49ers (14-5) Saturday at Queen's Beach 4-1 and also have a 3-2 victory from April 11 at Hermosa Beach, Calif.

"Long Beach is a very good team," said Danny Alvarez, a fourth-year volunteer assistant coach. "Looking at the one loss Saturday (Delainey Aigner-Swesy and Chelsea Cabrajac defeated Tiegs-Taylor 21-18, 22-20) it was very close and we have to consider that Nikki hadn't played a match for over two weeks (elbow strain). We're expecting to be in another battle with them.

"Where I think we've improved from last year is overall but especially at our lower flights, at 3, 4, 5. They've developed, had some struggles but also have had some really big wins for us. Realistically, we have a shot (to win the title)."

Depending on the outcome in the opener of the double-elimination bracket, the SandBows will face either the winner of No. 3 Florida International (18-1) and No. 6 Florida State (13-4), or the loser. The top seeds in the other half of the bracket are No. 1 USC (24-0) and defending champion Pepperdine (10-4) at No. 4.

Play runs through Saturday's final. The top eight pairs from the team championship advance to Sunday's pairs portion along with eight others that move on through various processes.

It's going to be a new experience for first-year coach Jeff Hall and "I don't know what Gulf Shores is yet," he said. "I've heard it's a great place, beautiful but hard to get to. But when you're traveling from Hawaii, you're used to road trips. It's part of the experience.

"Winning has been our goal from the very beginning and we're very close to realizing it. When you look at our record, our body of work, this is our best opportunity right now. We still need to work on some things but I think it's very realistic."


AVCA COLLEGIATE SAND VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Gulf Shores, Ala.

Team championship (double elimination)

Friday (Seed, record in parenthesis)

» USC (1, 24-0) vs. Stetson (8, 24-1), 3 a.m.

» Hawaii (2, 17-1) vs. Long Beach State (7, 14-5) 4 a.m.

» Pepperdine (4, 10-4) vs. Georgia State (5, 18-1), 5 a.m.

» Florida International (3, 18-1) vs. Florida State (6, 13-4), 6 a.m.

» Bracket play, 7 a.m.-noon

Saturday 5 a.m.-11 a.m. (final)

PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP

Friday-Saturday » Best of the Rest pool play

Sunday » Main bracket, 16 teams » 3 a.m.-9 a.m. (final)

[Cubicle No More ...]

Volleyball, water polo teams provide much-needed boost

By Dave Reardon, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 29, 2015



Jeff Hall agreed. A previously unplanned little side trip on getaway day might be in order.

"That's a great idea. I'll go down and grab a little sand and bring a little Hawaii with us," the first-year Rainbow Wahine coach said, as UH made final arrangements for its trip to the AVCA national championship sand volleyball tournament in Alabama. "Hopefully we will win and have reason to bring back some of the sand from there."

The SandBows left Tuesday night, ranked No. 2 in the country with a 17-1 record and 13-match winning streak. But if it is to return with the title, Hall knows UH needs every little bit of magic it can get ... maybe sprinkling a few grains from home on the courts at Gulf Shores, Ala., will help the Wahine get over the hump after placing third last year.

Even that might not be enough if and when the Wahine find themselves up against USC -- that's the team that put the only blemish on Hawaii's 2015 record, is ranked No. 1 and hasn't lost all season.

Despite admitting USC is "in a class of its own" and being on the wrong end of a 5-0 sweep to it, Hall remains confident should the two top-seeded schools meet. There's a strong possibility of that in the double-elimination format.

While the Wahine were schooled by the Trojans, he hopes they learned some lessons.

"We match up well with them," he said. "We learned that we have to be more physical and put them on their heels. Serve more aggressive and we have to absolutely block them. We weren't as aggressive blocking them as we should have been; you have to go for the stuff. You cannot play passively and expect to win."

Before USC, though, Hawaii must focus on its first match Friday morning against Long Beach State. The Wahine have beaten the 49ers twice -- 3-2 last month in California, and 4-1 on Saturday in Waikiki.

Their first match on Friday will be at 9 a.m. Central Time -- 7 a.m. in California and 4 a.m. in Hawaii. Hall said he doesn't see it as a problem.

"The travel is good because we're going really early. We'll make them get up early the first two mornings," the former UH men's assistant said. "One thing coaching in Hawaii five years taught me is don't draw attention to it and just power through it. We'll get up early, have breakfast, study hall ... that's our usual thing. I got that from (men's coach) Charlie Wade."

The Warriors are on the road now for postseason, too, at Irvine, Calif., for an MPSF semifinal match Thursday against Pepperdine. And next week the UH women's water polo team plays in the national tournament, starting May 8 against USC in Stanford, Calif., after Hawaii won the Big West title here Saturday.

The so-called Olympic sports catch the attention of many fans just once every four years. But Hawaii has teams in three of them to follow from afar this week and next as they strive for national championships.

"There's been a buzz on campus the past couple of days," Hall said. "Things tended to be on the negative side (in UH sports) the past year, but we've got some positive things going now."

Reach Dave Reardon at [e-mail] or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.

[Wolfgang]

Has there ever been a bigger year for UH sports than this past year?

[Cubicle No More ...]

Wahine's Tiegs a fierce competitor

Brittany Tiegs shoots for her third All-American nod this week in Gulf Shores, Ala.

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 30, 2015


JAMM AQUINO / [e-mail]
Brittany Tiegs, who is studying food science and nutrition, is known for her humorous impressions.



The face of Hawaii sand volleyball is freckled, framed by flaming red hair that matches the fiery intensity of her game on the beach. Those who know Brittany Tiegs know this to be true: Her passion for the sport might only be exceeded by her passion to win.

The Florida native has done it collegiately on opposite sides of the country, with All-America honors at Florida State as a freshman and, after having to sit out a transfer year, at Hawaii as a junior last May. Tiegs is seeking to become just the second player in the four-year history of the sport to three-peat as an All-American this week as she and the No. 2 Rainbow Wahine compete at the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala.

"She's a world-class server, a world-class setter and world class at siding out," SandBows volunteer assistant Danny Alvarez said of Tiegs. "She never thinks she's going to lose. She has lost but I've never seen her panic.

"She was better than advertised when she got here and has been our anchor ever since. She's won so many big games for us and we're hoping for one more big tournament from her this week."

What may be more impressive than her 114-22-1 record over three seasons is Tiegs has done it at the No. 1 flight — acknowledged as the best pair a school has — and with four different partners. The senior has teamed with sophomore Nikki Taylor to go 22-7 and, when Taylor sat out with an injury, was 4-2 with Sammie Brown without ever practicing together.

"Beach volleyball is all about adapting to different partners, the other team, the (weather) conditions," the 5-foot-9 Tiegs said. "Nikki and Sammie are different types of players and that means I have to bring something different, maybe block a little more (when paired with the 5-10 Brown instead of the 6-3 Taylor). I've learned from everyone."

Her teammates say the same about Tiegs.

"She is so good at what she does," said junior Katie Spieler, who earned All-America honors with Taylor last season at No. 2. I'm going to miss her demeanor on the court and I'm going to miss playing against her. She is such a fierce competitor.

"When you play against people who are really high-level, it brings your level up. Having her on our team has brought everyone's level up."

But Tiegs, who'll graduate May 16 with a degree in food science and human nutrition, also knows how to keep it light. She's known for her various impressions, including Chewbacca from the Star Wars movies.

"She's really funny," Taylor said. "And she's been really helpful. This is only my second year (playing sand) and she's helped me so much."

That Hawaii suited her personality so well helped ease the frustration of sitting out after transferring from Florida State. Originally, the Seminoles said they would release Tiegs from her scholarship agreement — which would allow her to play immediately; they later rescinded the release.

Since Tiegs had played one year of indoor volleyball at Palm Beach (Fla.) State College she didn't have a redshirt year, leaving her with just two years to play for the SandBows.

"Hawaii is just the chill-est place," Tiegs said. "I will miss the people and how everyone embraces the game here. It was the right decision."

Tiegs hopes to continue her career professionally as well as represent the U.S. internationally. She teamed with former FSU teammate Jace Pardon last summer to win gold at the World University Beach Volleyball Championships in Portugal.

It's too late to try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics but 2020 is a possibility. She's had sponsorship inquiries and is looking to play in the National Volleyball League, a pro beach circuit founded by former Rainbow Warrior Al-B Hannemann.

"It's a sad close to a chapter for UH sand volleyball," Hawaii head coach Jeff Hall said. "We'll miss her tremendously but we'll be proud of her accomplishments after this weekend as she represents Hawaii sand volleyball in the future.

"We'll be very happy to see her finish off her senior year possibly culminating in a big win in the team or pairs championships. And we'll be very proud to see her walk across the stage at graduation. That's what it's all about."

Note: Tiegs' former FSU partner Aurora Newgard Davis is the only three-time AVCA sand All-American. Joining Tiegs in a quest for a third are Pardon from FSU and Pepperdine's Lara Dykstra.


UPCLOSE / BRITTANY TIEGS

>> Class: Senior

>> Height: 5-9

>> Hometown: Stuart, Fla.

>> Awards: Gold medalist, 2014 World University Beach Volleyball Championship, with Jace Pardon; AVCA All-American, 2014 (Hawaii), 2012 (Florida State); Silver medalist, 2014 AVCA Collegiate Sand Pairs Championship 38-6 with Karissa Cook; Bronze medalist, 2012 AVCA Collegiate Sand Pairs Championship 50-7-1 with Aurora Newgard