2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

[wang pu]

Aug 12, 2012 16:15:01 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

I'm absolutely loving the added dimension and perspective that Robyn is bringing to the coaching staff and the Wahine team.

Robyn tells it like it is!

[5100]

Aug 13, 2012 3:10:11 GMT -5 mikeyboi96792 said:

Nice article Cubicle......I knew mita would be bigger and better...she will be the next kamana'o but better and stronger as wat the article says.

Uiato is great but you have to be exaggerating. She is not better and stronger than Kamana'o. Kamana'o is a four-time All-American and had better stats than Uiato.

[po'okela]

you're slacking

[Barefoot In Kailua]

Middles can make or break Hawaii

By Ann Miller

SECOND IN A SERIES


Watching what happens in the middle, particularly at the start of this volleyball season, should be intriguing for Rainbow Wahine fans.

It might also be agonizing.

If the intrigue and unique gifts of the four relatively unknown middle blockers overcome the agony, there are serious postseason possibilities for Hawaii. Early expectations are not lofty.

"At this point, that position can't be a negative," UH head coach Dave Shoji says. "It doesn't have to be one of our strong points, but it can't be something hurting the team. Anything we get out of the middles will be a positive. Any block and any kill will be all good."

Associate coach Scott Wong is more optimistic, after admitting, "It ain't going to be pretty out there early.

"I hope by October the middles are going to be just like everybody else on the court, contributing in every way," he says. "Not only will we rely on them, but they will be awesome. They will help with kills and blocks and all the other stuff. You can't always say that with middles, but I think all four are competitive and make each other better."

Last season, the position was basically in flux and — surprisingly — not as effective as the previous year.

Brittany Hewitt, who led the nation in blocking in 2010, sat out huge chunks of practice and a few matches with constant ailments. Her game became erratic and her numbers, particularly on offense, dropped.

Emily Hartong's numbers rose, but she also played part-time on the outside as freshman Kalei Adolpho got a quick look.

Hartong earned second-team All-America honors as much for her versatility as her talent.

Now Hartong will go outside full-time. Hewitt, who graduated in May, chose not to return for her final year.

By the numbers, Hawaii's experience in the middle consists of a handful of starts by Adolpho and Washington State transfer Stephanie Hagins. Those two, redshirt junior Kristiana Tuaniga and redshirt freshman Jade Vorster have combined for 102 career kills and 87 blocks.

It is a starting point.

Vorster has yet to play, but has made remarkable progress. She arrived in Manoa in January 2011, anxious to get to work, and hasn't stopped grinding through three semesters of nonstop training.

She was the only middle to play on the beach, and it made a huge difference in her quickness and understanding of the game, according to Wong.

"She is by far our biggest blocker, so when she gets there she is solid," he says. "The toughest thing is for a blocker to read what's going on and decipher all the information. She's getting pretty good at it."

Adolpho is on a basketball scholarship. She is probably the player with the most potential, but she couldn't train in the offseason because she was playing basketball.

"She is our most athletic middle," Wong says. "She makes these unbelievable plays, then she also makes these plays that look like a basketball player.

"She could have the whole package, but she's not there yet."

Tuaniga is the most experienced and quickest. At this stage, she is the most compelling offensive threat of the four and her blocking has made a dramatic improvement.

Hagins, the same size as Vorster, "is about where Jade was last year," Wong says. She is also digesting all the new information well, and buys into what the coaches have in mind for her — whenever she makes her way onto the floor.

Middle might be the deal-breaker for Hawaii. If two prospects have a breakout year there is reason for optimism. For now, the coaches simply hope all four push each other to play to their potential …as quickly as possible.


MIDDLE BLOCKER DEPTH CHART
1. Jade Vorster, 6-4 freshman

2. Kalei Adolpho, 6-1 sophomore

3. Kristiana Tuaniga, 6-1 junior

4. Stephanie Hagins, 6-4 sophomore

[sunsuphornsup]

I'm really interested to see how Hawaii's middles develop and I think will probably be the determining factor for how they do post season. Croson and Hartong are expected to do well in the pin positions.

[po'okela]

i love their potential. it'll be exciting to see who makes the starting lineup..

my guess - vorster & adolpho; however, i'd love for them to try adolpho on the right and keep vorster/tuaniga/hagins in the middle.

[Barefoot In Kailua]

Aug 14, 2012 13:15:42 GMT -5 sunsuphornsup said:

I'm really interested to see how Hawaii's middles develop and I think will probably be the determining factor for how they do post season. Croson and Hartong are expected to do well in the pin positions.

It may be rough at the beginning because outside of Adolpho, there isn't much game experience there but I believe the Middles will be a strength for the Wahine by the end of the season. Vorster should develop into a very solid blocker for the Wahine, and I like Adolpho's potential. Despite being raw Adolpho played pretty well last year. Obviously, Hewitt is a big loss for the Bows but I am excited to see the progress that Vorster, Adolpho, Tuaniga and Haggins will make moving forward.

[Wiz]

Happy to hear good things about Jade Vorster. She is really tall, and very similar to Hewitt in stature at 6-4. We need a shotdown blocker, and I think she will be the one to pick-up right where Hewitt left off. Let's go Wahine!!!

[5100]

Reading the article, it seems Adolpho and Tuaniga have the edge, but then the depth chart has Vorster on top.

[HawaiiVB]

i think it's going to be tuaniga and vorster

[ACE]

All I hope that the middles end up Hewitt-like towards the end of her freshmen year where she started off very weak (even I questioned her ability), but right before that Stanford match back in 2009, Hewitt came into her own.

[vballfreak808]

Aug 15, 2012 2:40:02 GMT -5 ACE said:

All I hope that the middles end up Hewitt-like towards the end of her freshmen year where she started off very weak (even I questioned her ability), but right before that Stanford match back in 2009, Hewitt came into her own.

I think Vorster will be better than Hewitt was her freshman year. Vorster came in the spring and played with the sand team. She has been said to be one of the most improved on the team. I can see her going for a chance for Freshman of the Year for the Big West.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Longo rises to top among 8 defenders

By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 15, 2012




THIRD IN A SERIES

So many diggers, so few volleyballs.

A week ago, Hawaii volleyball coach Dave Shoji was searching for "a slam dunk" small person to seize the libero position from among the eight defensive specialists on his roster.

"We are at a point where we've got to be really, really critical," Shoji said when the Rainbow Wahine opened practice 16 days before their Aug. 24 opener. "We don't have the luxury of someone being OK. We've got eight OK players. I'm looking for a slam dunk kid to put out there and take care of that position."

Ali Longo has apparently risen over the rim, with Emily Maeda — Hawaii's lone senior — on her heels. What puts them above all the other 5-foot-7-and-under players is their passing. It is the catalyst for everything and, with one of the country's best passers (Kanani Danielson) gone, is extremely critical this season.

Maeda, the Roosevelt walk-on who anchored the libero position last season, remains Hawaii's quickest defensive player, yet Longo has sprinted ahead with a combination of passing consistency, confidence and a serve worth several points in scrimmages.

The Colorado native was the Penn State starter last year, leading the team that won the previous four NCAA titles in digs, and throwing in 32 aces with what Shoji calls "a really tough, low floater." She transferred for her final two years because the Wahine offered the scholarship PSU did not.

There was also the unique location and fan base. The more she looked at schools, the more Longo liked Hawaii. Even Danielson's All-America gifts, now headed to Japan's pro league, enticed her.

"She was fun to watch," Longo says. "Really fun."

Shoji believes Longo can re-create at least part of Danielson's entertainment value.

"She's got some toughness about her; that's what we need out of that position," he said. "She's pretty vocal and very aggressive."

Maeda still could grab the position. If she doesn't play libero, she will still play.

"She's super quick, probably the quickest of the whole group, and she can pursue the ball," Shoji said. "She can dig the hard-driven ball, and if she's not the libero she'll come in for somebody. We could use her as a passer or we could just use her as a defender.

"When she's on, she's really good in passing. When she gets a little shaky that's when she's not so good. If that's the case, then we can pull her out of the formation and put someone else in. Emily is a fifth-year senior, so she is good to have around."

Punahou graduate Courtney Lelepali and transfer Sarah Mendoza have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Both are solid passers. Lelepali has a serve capable of creating havoc and exudes confidence. In her first week here, Mendoza has shown good skills and intuition.

A year ago, outside hitters Danielson and Jane Croson were 1-2 in digs. Danielson, who covered a huge chunk of court, had just nine service-reception errors all year. This season, Shoji wants more from his "smalls" and won't hesitate to have a libero, DS and designated server in at any time.

That leaves space for new faces but, realistically, not eight. Punahou graduate Kristina Kam, a redshirt junior who used to play for Tita Ahuna, has happily returned to the grind to try to earn her shot. Freshman Katie Spieler has yet to practice because of a fractured toe, so Shoji is waiting to see if she possesses any of the defensive gifts of her aunt — former UH All-American Lisa Strand-Ma‘a.

But, Spieler's size limits her range, and that is also a case with Kayla Kawamura and Katiana Ponce. The two tiniest Wahine hit in high school, for Hawaii Baptist and Moanalua.


LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST DEPTH CHART
1. Alyssa Longo, 5-6, Jr.
2. Emily Maeda, 5-6, Sr.
T3. Courtney Lelepali, 5-7, Jr.
T3. Sarah Mendoza, 5-5, Jr.

Nos. 5-8 (no order):
» Kristina Kam, 5-7, Jr.
» Kayla Kawamura, 5-4, Fr.
» Katie Spieler, 5-5, Fr.
» Katiana Ponce, 5-3, Fr.

[Cubicle No More ...]

i said this over the summer ... among the huge haul of transfers for this season, one of the smallest players -- Longo -- may end up being the most critical.

[roy]

Aug 15, 2012 12:44:10 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

i said this over the summer ... among the huge haul of transfers for this season, one of the smallest players -- Longo -- may end up being the most critical.

I think Longo is interesting since she has so much experience but also provides Hawaii with some much needed elements given what Hawaii loses. Her serve hasn't been mentioned much, but Hawaii can use the free points given its weaknesses in the middle. A strong set of servers allow the middles more time to set up the block and get the back court defense in position to dig the ball.