2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

[Cubicle No More ...]

Cruise control

Shoji slides Kastl to the left side[/size]

By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 09, 2012
LAST UPDATED: 02:15 a.m. HST, Sep 09, 2012

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BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]
Hawaii's Jade Vorster hit over Idaho's Alex Sele in the first set Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.


BRUCE ASATO / [e-mail]
Hawaii's Ashley Kastl came up with a dig during the third set of Saturday night's match against Idaho.



All Hawaii had to do Saturday against a slumping Idaho team was keep the volleyball in. The ninth-ranked Rainbow Wahine did that remarkably well in a 25-11, 25-14, 25-16 win.

Hawaii will have to do much, much more against third-ranked UCLA in today's 5 p.m. championship match of the Verizon Challenge.

The Wahine (6-1) scored 12 of the first 13 points against the Vandals (2-7), who were picked to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference again but are currently on a six-match slide.

From there, a Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,912 was forced to find its own excitement. The Vandals were not coming back. The Wahine won their 17th consecutive Challenge match and bumped their record against Idaho to 19-0.

"We're definitely not playing up to our ability, that's for sure," said Vandals coach Debbie Buchanan. "We have played some good teams in the last two weekends, but it took us until Game 3 to come out and even compete. I look back and wonder, ‘Did I schedule too tough?' But of any year, this is the year to play some bigger teams. We've got five seniors.

"This was a missed opportunity. We have the potential. We just have to come out and start acting like it."

UH got 10 kills from Arizona State transfer Ashley Kastl, who started on the left for the first time in her UH career. Second-team All-American Emily Hartong moved to the right — her third position — and buried 15 kills.

"I've been trained on the left my entire life. I love the left," Kastl said. "But I love the right. I'm very open to learning positions and getting in there and just grinding day in and day out."

UH coach Dave Shoji has pondered the move for a while but pulled the trigger just before what could be his team's most critical match until the postseason.

"Ashley is more comfortable on the left, as you can see," he said. "I wanted to see Hartong on the right and Ashley play some left sometime this weekend. Why not start that way? Because if it's not looking good, we can always go back.

"It's a work in progress, not something we're going to do permanently any time soon."

Shoji denied the change-up was solely for UCLA's scouts to see, kind of.

"(UCLA coach) Mike (Sealy) is playing with me, using two setters and two right sides," Shoji said. "He's messing with me, too."

Saturday, it might not have mattered who was out there. Kastl and Hartong both hit more than .500, but who didn't? Jane Croson and middles Stephanie Hagins, Kalei Adolpho and Jade Vorster all hit .500 or better.

The Wahine attackers did not have a hitting error the first two sets. They hit .593 in Set 2 and .489 for the night, even after coming back to earth with four hitting errors in the final set.

No one had seen numbers that high since the Bruins hit .581 against Idaho on Friday. The Vandals could do nothing to stop them or Hawaii.

UCLA, whose front row averages 6-foot-2, can do plenty. How do the Wahine make the transition tonight?

"It's discipline and teamwork," Kastl said. "It doesn't matter who you are playing; it's about how we're coming in there together and how disciplined we are. We have to come in humble, hungry and ready to play every single time."

The Vandals hit negative .031 in the opening set, with eight kills and nine errors. UH libero Ali Longo, the smallest on the floor, played a big part.

On one play she dove in the middle of the floor to bring a ball up. When it came back while she was still prone, she threw her body farther forward and made the pancake dig.

The only thing that stopped her all night was a TV cameraman, who prevented Longo from heading into the stands only because she didn't want to run him over. Instead, she hit the brakes and landed in his lap.

Junior Allison (Walker) Baker took most of the Vandals' swings and led them with 10 kills, but had nine errors.

What Buchanan likes best about this Hawaii team, which is returning to the Big West after 16 seasons in the WAC, is that it no longer relies on one player.

"They don't have a Kanani (Danielson) that's getting every ball," she said. "They're a bit more balanced across the board. The setter is doing a nice job and running a good offense. They passed better tonight than last night. They're still trying to get that flow too."



UCLA 3, San Diego State 0

Rachael Kidder put down 13 kills and Karsta Lowe added 10 to lead the Bruins (5-1) to a 25-11, 25-20, 25-18 win over the Aztecs (5-2) in 72 minutes.

Summer Nash had a team-high seven kills for San Diego State, which has now lost two in a row after opening the season 5-0. Former Rainbow Wahine Michelle Waber added five kills and a team-high seven digs.

[Barefoot In Kailua]

The present meets the past

By Cindy Luis


Olympian Heather Bown


This is one time not to put the past behind.

No. 8 Hawaii is not dwelling on last Sunday's loss to then-No. 3 UCLA. However, the Rainbow Wahine are looking back — sometimes way back — when taking on their storied history and tradition in Friday's alumnae match.

Players from the past five decades, including members of coach Dave Shoji's first team in 1975, will take to the Stan Sheriff Center court for two matches. The 5 p.m. contest has two alumnae teams meeting while the current Wahine expect to face a tough challenge in the 7 p.m. match against alumnae of a more recent vintage.

There will be All-Americans galore with a sprinkling of Olympians. Current Wahine assistant and former UH setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos expects to reunite with middle Heather Bown, her teammate on three Olympics teams, in the nightcap.

That Ah Mow-Santos is part of the present as well as the program's past has current players in awe.

"She has lots to offer, so much experience," Wahine junior setter Mita Uiato said. "She is big on discipline and hard work. She tells us that if the setters work hard, then everyone else will work hard.

"She's out there with us in practice and it's not a surprise that she can still play. When you watch her, you say, ‘Wow.' She makes it look so easy."

"I was really excited when I heard she'd be on staff," added sophomore setter Monica Stauber. "Having her as a coach is really cool.

"She's always giving us tips on technique and mentality. It's cool to watch her (in practice) and get the advice from her to help us get better."


Monica Stauber, left, took instruction from assistant coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos during an early season practice.

One thing both agreed needs work is not letting down. The Wahine had a 17-8 lead in Set 1 against UCLA Sunday only to have the Bruins close to 17-16, an 8-0 run that included Shoji using both of his timeouts.

Hawaii eventually pulled it out 30-28 but expended a lot of energy in doing so. UCLA won the next three sets, 25-16, 25-17, 25-21, handing the Wahine their second straight Sunday loss to a ranked Pac-12 team.

"If we had closed it out earlier, it might have been a different match," Shoji said. "We let them get some confidence at the end of the first game. I would have liked to have seen us close it out earlier and see what would have happened.

"I think we were relieved to win that first game and mentally didn't come back out for the second. The crowd was into it and the right mentality wasn't there."

Neither was Hawaii's middle attack. Stauber replaced Uiato permanently in Set 4 with the Wahine trailing 8-2 and connected almost immediately with sophomore middle Kalei Adolpho.

"I felt confident," Stauber said. "I was trying to give the team a boost. At that point, we had nowhere to go but up and get some points."

"I thought she did great," Uiato said of Stauber. "She went to the middles and sometimes I'm not as confident to do that. She was fearless."

Shoji liked what he saw and might use the 6-2 offense more. The two-setter system allows for a taller front-row alignment with the setter running the offense while in the back row.

"We don't ‘need' it," Shoji said. "But in the postseason we might be too small, and we would get more size in there up front. It's something we might need to develop during the Big West (season).

"We were searching for some kind of spark when I put (Stauber) in and she picked us up."

After two days off, the Wahine were back in the practice gym Wednesday morning. It was mostly skill drills as they have one eye on Friday's alumnae match and another on their first road trip of the season.

Hawaii makes its Big West return with matches at Cal State Northridge Wednesday, UC Riverside Friday and Cal State Fullerton Saturday.*


ALUMNAE EXPECTED TO ATTEND
Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Tita Ahuna, Joselyn Robins Akana, Joey Akeo Miyashiro, Kari Anderson Ambrozich, Kristal Attwood Lopez, Heather Bown, Aneli Cubi-Otineru, Kanani Danielson, Linda Fernandez, Maja Gustin, Mahina Eleneki Hugo, Elizabeth Ka‘aihue Stolzman, Kanoe Kamana‘o Ka‘aihue;
Chastity Kano Cox, Amber Kaufman, Shelly Kim, Jayme Lee, Veronica Lima, Angelica Ljungquist, Lisa Strand Ma‘a, Dani Mafua, Sarah Mason, Diana McInerny McKibbin, Beth McLachlin, Waynette Mitchell, Marilyn Moniz-Kaho‘ohanohano;
Tanja Nikolic, Chastity Nobriga, Marcie Wurts Nowack, Bobbie Perry, Diane Sebastian Pestolesi, Victoria Prince, Juliana Sanders, Chanteal Satele, Lee Ann Pestana Satele, Cayley Thurlby, Melissa Villaroman, Ashley Watanabe, Jenny Wilton Cabbab, Raceen Woolford.

[EP]

wow that's quite a list of alumnae to choose from, which 6 will play the current wahine?

[Cubicle No More ...]

Sept 13, 2012 21:39:11 GMT -5 EP said:

wow that's quite a list of alumnae to choose from, which 6 will play the current wahine?

they should let all the setters be hitters !!

[Deleted]

I'd go with Robyn, Kanani, Heather, Liz, Lily, and Amber but of course that's just one possibility.

[Psychopotamus]

Sept 14, 2012 2:03:39 GMT -5 @kupihea said:

I'd go with Robyn, Kanani, Heather, Liz, Lily, and Amber but of course that's just one possibility.

That's some kind of lineup having two four-time AAs sitting on the bench.

[Deleted]

2 Olympians, 2 multiple AA outside hitters, Liz playing defense, and why not NCAA high jump champion blocking on the right side. This is just a starting line-up btw and would sub All-Americans in.

[Psychopotamus]

Sept 14, 2012 2:50:24 GMT -5 @kupihea said:

2 Olympians, 2 multiple AA outside hitters, Liz playing defense, and why not NCAA high jump champion blocking on the right side. This is just a starting line-up btw and would sub All-Americans in.

Not bashing the lineup choice by any means, just marveling at the quality of players Hawaii manages to pull back for the alumnae game. I'm more curious just to see how they all play together. Not many school can put together an alumnae team like this. If nothing else, OC16 should air this match as something Hawaii can show their new recruits. It goes volumes to speak of Hawaii's history and community support. The last alumnae match I went to had something like 6,000 fans attending the match. I don't think any other program pulls that kind of support for a match that doesn't even count.

[Deleted]

Oh sorry, I thought you were being sarcastic.

[Psychopotamus]

My lineup would probably be the same, except maybe put in Ljunquist for Kaufman. Assuming she is still in game shape (she still plays on the beach, right?), I see it hard benching your former POY. Ah Mow and Kamanao would be a tossup. Ah Mow has to face these girls every day so I would guess she gets the nod over Kamanao. She must want a chance to show them what she can do. Plus getting a chance to set Anjelica again wouldn't hurt, either.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Proud to be part of the sisterhood

By Cindy Luis, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 14, 2012


FL MORRIS / [e-mail]
Aneli Cubi-Otineru, left, hit past the block of Juliana Sanders during practice for tonight's alumnae volleyball match.



They ran the gamut when getting ready for practice Wednesday night, from putting on old-school knee pads to the new-school day-glo KT (Kinesiology Therapeutic) tape. But there was­­­ no generation gap when five decades of Hawaii women's volleyball took to the Klum Gym court in preparation of today's alumnae matches.

The sport itself bridges that gap, but something more special binds players from that first team in 1974 to the ones who finished their careers last December, and all in between: wearing that Rainbow Wahine uniform.

"It totally crosses all generational lines," said Beth McLachlin, captain of the first team in 1974. "They (the younger players) all know what we've done and we know what they've done. It's that common experience that is the glue that holds us all together."

Some of that stickiness was earned in Klum Gym, where standing-room only crowds of 1,800-plus sweated along with the players from 1974 through mid-1994, when the Stan Sheriff Center opened. There were oppressive nights with termite swarms and the morning of a rolling blackout when Hurricane Iwa knocked out the power in 1982.

"It was miserable in there," McLachlin said. "But the fans came anyway. The great support started back then and has continued ever since.

"It's all about the memories and my best memory is of beating UCLA at Blaisdell (Arena) in 1977. Full house. Donnis (the late UH women's athletic director Thompson) sold it out, 8,000. It was the largest crowd to watch any sport with women playing for years."

Ever since the 1994 season, Hawaii has led the country in attendance, including an NCAA-record average 8,378 in 1996.

The Sheriff Center sold out (10,300) for what would be Kanani Danielson's final career match last December. The three-time first-team All-American had 21 kills and 23 digs in Hawaii's five-set loss to USC in the regional semifinal.

Danielson will be playing in her first alumnae match and "I'm really excited," said Danielson, who leaves for Japan later this month to play professionally. "Not only am I playing with girls that I know, but the amazing ones I watched when growing up.

"We have a great tradition and you can't even tell anyone's age because of their ability."

Chanteal Satele (2010-11) also will be playing in her first alumnae match, with mother Lee Ann Pestana Satele (1981-84) to play in the opening alumnae vs. alumnae contest.

"I'm excited to see her play again," Lee Ann said. "She hasn't played since the SC loss. She's been finishing school, doing an internship. Yes, there is life after volleyball."

The Sateles are the second mother-daughter duo on the alumnae roster. The first was Joey Akeo Miyashiro (1974-77) and Tehani Miyashiro (1997-98).


RAINBOW WAHINE VOLLEYBALL
At Stan Sheriff Center

» Today: Alumnae vs. alumnae, 5 p.m.

» Today: Varsity vs. alumnae, 7 p.m.

» Radio/TV: None.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Wahine's road less traveled

Hawaii won't have quite as much ground to cover in the Big West Conference


By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 19, 2012


MARTHA HERNANDEZ / [e-mail]




Before the Rainbow Wahine departed Monday on their first Big West volleyball road trip in 17 years, Hawaii coach Dave Shoji left them with this thought:

"Typically all UH teams suck on the road," he said. "We've got to play better. … There are no excuses."

There really are none now. Altitude is out the window and, as Shoji put it, "our drive will be 45 minutes rather than four hours."

There is no Big West tournament, but because there are more teams in the conference Hawaii will again make four trips over the ocean. Still, it will travel 5,431 fewer miles than last season in the Western Athletic Conference, which stretched to Louisiana Tech.

That could be critical for a team that averaged more than 40,000 miles a year from 2003 to 2010. (Last year, Hawaii hosted a subregional and regional and cut its mileage by almost half.)

The seventh-ranked Wahine take the country's longest active regular-season conference winning streak (55) into tonight's Big West opener at Cal State Northridge. The trip concludes at UC Riverside on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Hawaii is 50-0 against that trio.

All three matches begin at 4 p.m. Hawaii time. The conference will stream all matches free at BigWest.TV, with 1420-AM also carrying all matches live on radio.

While travel might take less time, Big West matches could take more.

The Wahine rocked the WAC, winning 13 of 16 titles and going 270-7. They set the NCAA record of 132 consecutive matches won against conference opponents in a remarkable run that started Oct. 17, 1998, and ended at Las Cruces, N.M., on Oct. 11, 2006.

The Big West is not what it used to be. From 1985 to 1998, the Wahine, Pacific and Long Beach State won six NCAA titles. The conference sent eight teams to the NCAA tournament in 1988, when Hawaii fell to Texas in the national championship.

It has sent only one or two the past four years and hasn't won an NCAA match since 2008. Pacific is the only Big West team aside from Hawaii receiving votes in the poll and isn't close to the Top 25.

But last year the Big West ranked seventh to the WAC's 13th at the richkern.com volleyball website, with Long Beach, Santa Barbara, Pacific and Davis all in the Top 100. From Shoji down, the Wahine are sure this will be better postseason preparation than the WAC ever was.

"We'll see more ball control and better ball control," Shoji said. "The hitters are about the same, but there will be more rallies because the bulk of them have California-type ball-control players."

The two backrow players Shoji took on the travel team of 13 are from Honolulu (Emily Maeda) and Colorado (Ali Longo), but he also has ball control from the Golden State. UH will take seven California players on this trip.

That could be cause for distraction with all the family and friends, but it saves on scouting.

"We know a lot of them," said backup setter Monica Stauber, from volleyball mecca Newport Beach. "We played with a lot of them and played against most of them, especially the SoCal schools in the conference."

Hawaii will also have to make itself at home in nine new gyms, in front of an average of 600 people — some 6,000 fewer than at home.

"The environment will be different and we've never been to most of the gyms," Maeda said. "We saw Fullerton last year and UC Davis is really small. I went there when I was little. We don't know how rowdy the crowd will be. But you know it will be a gym and a net. We've just got to focus."

Shoji is planning new wrinkles to keep their concentration. Second-team All-American Emily Hartong could play lots of right side — her third position — this trip.

"We need to get production out of the right," he said. "I know we can get production out of Hartong. (Ashley) Kastl needs to step up and give us production on the left. That's the way I'm leaning."

He also plans to use two setters more — rotating Stauber and Mita Uiato out of the front row — and is looking at two-person serve-receive with Longo and Maeda or Jane Croson.

Tonight could be the best look he will get.

"Northridge might be the best team in the conference other than us," he told his team.

Hawaii won its last 19 in the Big West along with the 1995 championship. Shoji, who still holds the conference's highest winning percentage (.842), wants to pick up where he left off.

———

BIG WEST CONFERENCE CAPSULES
In order of preseason coaches poll (Hawaii is No. 1):

2. Long Beach State (5-6)

Has won three of past four Big West titles and 12 overall …came into season with Haleigh Hampton, a 6-foot-6 middle who was third nationally in blocking last year, and setter Erin Juley "likely out for the year" with injuries … Delainey Aigner-Swesey (3.21 kills per set) and Janisa Johnson (3.1) both earned all-tournament honors in nonconference play …without Hampton, LBSU is being outblocked 3.08-2.05.

3. Cal State Northridge (9-3)

Captured Rice Invitational last weekend and has won seven of its past eight with only loss to San Francisco … picked to finish eighth last year and was third at 9-7 — most conference wins since 2004 … all seven starters back, including 2012 Big West Freshman of the Year Casey Hinger and first-team all-conference selections Natalie Allen and Sydney Gedryn, who earned three all-tournament honors in nonconference …lead conference in blocking with Hinger, Cieana Stinson and Gedryn ranked 5-6-7 … ‘Iolani graduate Mahina Haina is only non-Californian on roster and was all-tournament at USF after career-high 19 kills against Idaho.

T4. UC Santa Barbara (7-7)

Coming off losses to Fresno State and San Diego …Leah Sully earned three all-tournament honors in nonconference, has 10 double-doubles and is fifth in conference kills at 3.95 … freshman libero Taylor Formico also collected three all-tournament honors and leads Big West in digs at 5.41 … Punahou graduate Ali Santi starting at setter after transferring from Georgia Tech … Santi is only non-Californian on roster and there is only one senior.

T4. Pacific (11-1)

In final Big West season, Tigers are hottest team in conference with three tournament titles and best start since 1999 … only loss came against Stanford, UOP's only ranked opponent … lead Big West in opponent hitting percentage (.151) and digs (18.52), where UOP is fourth nationally … Kamehameha graduate Koala Matsuoka is fifth in conference digs (4.35) … Megan Birch is current conference Player of the Week and averages 3.96 kps — fourth in Big West … all-conference selection Jennifer Sanders averages 2.74 kps … assistant coaches are both from Hawaii — Ray Batalon and Aven Lee, a former Wahine.

6. Cal State Fullerton (6-7)

Hawaii's win at Titan Gym last season came in front of a record crowd of 1,026 … Fullerton has four starters back, including three-time all-conference pick Kayla Neto, who is fourth in Big West kills at 3.94 …that's just ahead of teammate Bre Moreland (3.76), who leads conference in aces (0.48) … only one CSUF attacker is hitting over .200 and team is at .156.

7. Cal Poly (1-10)

Come into conference play with a seven-match losing streak … new coach Sam Crosson lost 2011 Big West Player of the Year Jennifer Keddy to shoulder injury … ‘Iolani graduate Chelsea Hardin is starting … last postseason appearance was in 2007 … getting outhit .260-.137 … last in every Big West statistic except digs … Holly Franks is only Mustang averaging better than three kills … won only home match, in five over Idaho, and has four losses to ranked teams.

8. UC Davis (6-7)

Has not played a ranked team and lost to San Francisco and Fresno State … Devon Damelio earned all-tournament honors four times this season and is averaging 3.27 kps …Allison Whitson is eighth in Big West kills at 3.65 and was all-tournament last week at Butler Invitational and MVP the week before at FSU Classic … Victoria Lee leads conference in blocking at 1.30.

9. UC Irvine (5-8)

Senior libero Kristin Winkler is 376 digs short of the Big West record (2,194) and second in conference at 5.09 dps … Aly Squires is second to Hawaii's Emily Hartong in kills at 4.13 and teammate Marisa Bubica is averaging 3.09 kps … lost to 11th-ranked Kansas State to open season and also fell to third-ranked Nebraska.

10. UC Riverside (5-8)

Won three NCAA Division II titles before joining Big West in 2001 … has never won more than four conference matches since … best finish is sixth … home opener is Friday against Hawaii … senior Amanda Vialpando earned three all-tournament honors in nonconference and leads team at 3.24 kps … leads conference and is ranked eighth nationally in aces (1.77) … being outhit .214-.169 and outblocked 2.48-1.40.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Only 2 of 9 Big West opponents have winning records heading into conference play ... not quite what I thought Big West play would be like in this first year. I think the Big West teams will still give Hawaii a test. But what will this do to the RPI ... ?

[jttaberu]

i wonder if there will be a decent pro-hawaii crowd at each gym. fans are scattered all across california, right?

[Psychopotamus]

Is it just me or does Shoji seem more critical of this team than in past years? So far he has mentioned this team being weak in passing as well as saying Hawaii is usually a bad road team. That's not to say it is't true, but I've always thought he was a pretty optimistic guy. I guess it could just be more aggressive journalism, but I did find it strange as we have yet to see this team travel and I didn't think the passing has been all that bad (certainly not as bad as last year).