2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

[vballfreak808]

2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

August 8, 2012:
Fresh-look Wahine subject to new tactics
Ah Mow-Santos, Shoji root for U.S. women

August 9, 2012
Wahine sweating to the oldies as Shoji goes back to basics

August 12, 2012
Wahine set at setter with Uiato

August 13, 2012
Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Setters [Hawaii Athletics]

August 14, 2012
Middles can make or break Hawaii
Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Outside Hitters [Hawaii Athletics]

August 15, 2012
Longo rises to top among 8 defenders

August 17, 2012
Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Middles [Hawaii Athletics]

August 18, 2012[/u]
Wahine hitters will diversify their attack

August 19, 2012
Wahine hit the court

August 20, 2012
Bringing the noise
Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Defensive Specialists [Hawaii Athletics]

August 21, 2012
Chevron Tourney Opens 2012 Volleyball Season [Hawaii Athletics]

August 22, 2012
Subject to change

August 23, 2012
Taste of defeat sticks with Wahine
Welcome Back Coach Shoji

August 24, 2012
Stanford tested before season starts
2012 Media Guide Released

August 25, 2012
Wahine win in blur
Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Victorious on Opening Night [Hawaii Athletics]
Hawaii vs. Albany [Youtube]

August 26, 2012
Wahine fight off Gaels
No. 8 Rainbow Wahine Top St. Mary's, Play Stanford For Tourney Title [Hawaii Athletics]
Shoji putting in work to get students in stands
Hawaii vs. Stanford [Youtube]

August 27, 2012
Guts and glory
Bringing the heat
UH victory over Stanford a nice surprise for fans
Emily Hartong Earns First Big West Weekly Honor [Hawaii Athletics]
Hartong Earns First Women's Volleyball Weekly Award

August 29, 2012
Wahine happy, but not satisfied

August 30, 2012
Former setter returns as coach

August 31, 2012
Vorster a 'pleasant surprise'
Wahine looking to stay grounded

September 1, 2012
Hartong, Vorster Guide Rainbow Wahine To Sweep [Hawaii Athletics]
Erratic Wahine win

September 2, 2012
No. 6 Rainbow Wahine Rough Up Unbeaten Baylor [Hawaii Athletics]
Wahine roll over Baylor
Hawaii vs. Saint Marys [Youtube]
Hawaii vs. San Francisco [Youtube]
Hawaii vs. Baylor [Youtube]

September 3, 2012
Wahine fall flat
Shoji doesn't go deep into rotation

September 6, 2012
Wahine might shuffle lineup
There's no place like home

September 7, 2012
Seeking the real Wahine

September 8, 2012
UH rediscovers itself

September 9, 2012
Cruise control

September 13, 2012
The present meets the past

September 14, 2012
Proud to be part of the sisterhood

September 19, 2012
Wahine's road less traveled

September 20, 2012
Wahine survive -- barely

September 22, 2012
Wahine dominate

September 23, 2012
Wahine hang on in 5 sets

September 25, 2012
Danielson returns with pro team

September 26, 2012
Wahine hold their own with Japanese pro team

September 27, 2012
For Wahine, the Big West will finally feel like home

September 28, 2012
Home sweet home

September 29, 2012
Long-ago rivals UH,Long Beach State start anew

September 30, 2012
Wahine handle The Beach

October 2, 2012
Big West secures deal with Fox

October 4, 2012
Croson suspended from Hawaii volleyball team

October 5, 2012
Evolving Wahine head out on road

October 6, 2012
Wahine take care of road business

October 7, 2012
Pass-happy Wahine sweep UCSB

October 8, 2012
Circle of Honor gets 3 more legends
Wahine outside hitter Hartong named Big West Player of the Week

October 11, 2012
Wahine just keep winning

October 12, 2012
Longo brings stability to UH

October 13, 2012
Wahine wear'em down

October 17, 2012
Rainbow Wahine have a need for more speed

October 18, 2012
A Real Gem

October 19, 2012
Wahine win in 4

October 21, 2012
Wahine rally pass gritty Pacific

October 25, 2012
Croson practices

October 26, 2012
Wahine reserves holding down the fort at home

October 27, 2012
Wahine 'struggle all night,' but win anyway

October 28, 2012
Hartong lifts up Wahine

October 30, 2012
Wahine volleyball's Hartong is national player of the week

[vballfreak808]

Fresh-look Wahine subject to new tactics

By Ann Miller



The Hawaii women's volleyball team was picked to win the Big West Conference in 2012 despite the loss of All-America outside hitter Kanani Danielson.

A third of the roster is new and All-American Kanani Danielson will take her remarkable volleyball gifts to Japan's professional league next month.

The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine open training camp this morning with sleep in their eyes, questions in their heads and a strange-but-true challenge from coach Dave Shoji, whose team was picked by the league's coaches Tuesday to win the Big West title.

"We've got to try and slow the game down, but still be quick," Shoji said.

Olympian Logan Tom, seemingly able to see the game in slow motion, brought him to this conclusion. Shoji spent last week in London watching volleyball at his first Olympics. For all the dynamic young guns Team USA has taken out of its holster, it is the all but unseen talents of the three-time Olympian that Shoji most wants his team to emulate.

"Logan Tom makes uncanny volleyball plays," Shoji says. "She's been doing it since college. She is just so experienced. She makes these off plays and we need to make these off plays. Everything looks so easy for them (the Olympians). They can make tough plays look easy. You really can't teach it, but I want to make the players aware they have got to start making those plays."

He has 20 on the roster and insists "every player needs to think she can start." Kahuku graduate Lizzie Blake decided not to return, but two more defensive specialists came in this summer — Moanalua graduate Katiana Ponce and Sarah Mendoza, who played two years for former Rainbow Tom Pestolesi at Irvine Valley Community College.

Hawaii now has eight defensive specialists, including Penn State transfer Alyssa Longo, returning libero Emily Maeda and Katie Spieler, whose aunt (Lisa Strand Ma‘a) played on two NCAA championship teams at UH. Shoji plans to pick a libero, defensive specialist and server from the mob.

Setters Mita Uiato and Monica Stauber anchor the most stable 2012 position, but Shoji believes even it will look different because both are "vastly improved."

The middle might be least stable. Brittany Hewitt did not return and second-team All-American Emily Hartong is moving outside so she can see more sets. Kristiana Tuaniga, Jade Vorster, Kalei Adolpho and Stephanie Hagins, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Washington State, have combined for very few starts.

"It is the most untested and unproven position, but I have confidence we'll be good in the middle," Shoji says. "It could take a while. Whoever is out there is not going to be great right off the bat, but the potential is there, so I'm not really concerned. It might turn out to be a concern, but now I'm not worried about it."

The other six on the roster are hitters and at least two will have to pass. All three positions are up for grabs, with freshman Tai Manu-Olevao and Arizona State transfer Ashley Kastl — eighth in kills in the Pac-12 last season — thrown into the mix. Sophomore Jane Croson — and her scary serve — has quickly become Hawaii's most familiar hitter.

"It's going to have a different look," Shoji admits. "They will have to find their own identity. Each player needs to find their own niche and how they can contribute. Kastl took a majority of the swings for Arizona State. She probably won't get as many attempts, but her role could be very, very important to us."

The Wahine went 31-2 last year and were ranked fifth in the final 2011 AVCA poll. They open this season Aug. 24 against Albany. Stanford, Cal and defending NCAA champion UCLA will be here the first three weeks. Then Hawaii returns to the Big West Conference after a 16-year absence — and 13 Western Athletic Conference championships.

[vballfreak808]

Ah Mow-Santos, Shoji root for U.S. women

By Ann Miller

Robyn Ah Mow-Santos told herself she would not watch Team USA's quest to win its first Olympic gold medal in women's volleyball.

"Worried I would go into depression mode," said Ah Mow-Santos, the Americans' starting setter at the last three Olympics.

Tuesday, she found herself pulled into the marathon quarterfinal between Brazil and Russia. She left the TV on to see the U.S. blitz the Dominican Republic. She admits she has watched every match she has found.

"I'm just excited, yelling at the TV," the former University of Hawaii All-American and current assistant coach says. "I'm excited for the team, that it's doing so well. They are all great girls."

Ah Mow-Santos hesitates. "I miss it though," she says.

Team USA goes into its Thursday semifinal against South Korea as the only unbeaten team. It is 29-1 this year and ranked No. 1 in the world. It means little if the gold medal remains elusive. The Americans fell in the final to Brazil four years ago. They also won silver in Los Angeles in 1984 and bronze in 1992.

This team is dramatically younger than the group Ah Mow-Santos and Punahou graduate Lindsey Berg captained in Beijing. Logan Tom and libero Nicole Davis are the only returning starters.

Berg is back, after backing up Ah Mow-Santos four years ago. She took herself out of the final pool-play match with an ankle injury. She didn't play Tuesday, saying only "ice, rest, massage and hope for the best." But coach Hugh McCutcheon and Ah Mow-Santos expect her back soon.

"On her Facebook page she's saying she's OK," Ah Mow-Santos said. "She's a fighter."

Berg's father, Dennis, is one of Dave Shoji's closest friends. He got the UH coach volleyball tickets when Shoji made a last-minute decision to go to his first Olympics. Shoji returned Friday, talking about crossing items off his bucket list and spending time with former players Jen Carey, Laura Phillips Alford, Aven Lee and Tehani Miyashiro — whose sister Tamari is a defensive specialist for the U.S. team.

He saw strategies he hopes to work into his offense, from watching the men and women. He also saw enough of Berg, Miyashiro, Tom and their teammates to know they have a shot at gold.

"They've got so much firepower," Shoji says. "They've got every option, don't have a weak position. What remains to be seen is how they play when it is really, really on the line. (Jordan) Larson and (Christa) Harmotto and (Destinee) Hooker too …they don't have hundreds of international games. But physically they've got what it takes."

[Barefoot In Kailua]

Wahine sweating to the oldies as Shoji goes back to basics

By Ann Miller


CRAIG T. KOJIMA / [e-mail]
UH associate coach Scott Wong worked on blocking with Tai Manu-Olevao.


Day 1 of Rainbow Wahine volleyball turned into Volleyball 101.

While the sun was still on its way up, 20 players were on their way out. They gathered at Stan Sheriff Center before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday for the first day of practice.

What they found was an introduction to Hawaii volleyball made necessary by seven new faces and coach Dave Shoji's Olympic-inspired desire to have his team focus on "making the tough plays look easy."

The opening hours of the 2012 season, which officially begins Aug. 24 against Albany, were a sweaty succession of drills run in silence, with agonizingly small corrections.

"No matter how old you are," said setter Mita Uiato, "you have to go back to technique."

Shoji started from the beginning, as in the first step. He went over the relative detriments of the split-step, a move tennis players practice religiously to return serve but Shoji believes takes too long. "Or," he told his players, "tennis players are just better at it than volleyball players."

He wants them in position, both feet on the ground, when the ball is hit. He wants their weight precisely balanced so they can play every ricochet. He warned them never to backpedal, always to turn their body.

Shoji altered the angle of blockers' bodies and fingers by fractions of an inch. He told his players to stay on their feet and "pursue" balls unless they absolutely had to dive on the floor.

Then the 65-year-old coach, in the opening hours of his 38th season, demonstrated the "collapse dig" — just what it sounds like — more than once.

Transfer Sarah Mendoza compared the demonstration favorably to what she saw a year ago from Irvine Valley coach Tom Pestolesi, who played for Shoji at UH in the 1980s. He helped Mendoza get into the program that was her first choice from the time she played ‘Iolani's Ann Kang Tournament in high school.

After talking up the Hawaii coaching staff and volleyball community, Pestolesi gave Mendoza, a 5-foot-5 defensive specialist, one final word of advice.

"He told me," said Mendoza, whose mother lived here, "to work my butt off."

That is what the first few weeks of double-day practices are all about. Combined with Shoji's energized emphasis on making irregular plays on a regular basis, there is no time to rest, mind or weary body.

"He wants us to make it more simple," Mendoza explains. "Minimalize all of our moves. Just get there, be set, not have a whole bunch of movement. And be smart about playing, definitely."

Hawaii lost three starters (Chanteal Satele, Brittany Hewitt and Kanani Danielson) from last season. This team will look drastically different. It might not look great through a preseason that includes Stanford the first week, Cal the second and defending NCAA champion UCLA the third.

All were in the top 16 in last year's final ranking, along with Hawaii, which finished fifth. That will be a stretch early on.

"I don't think we'll be very good early," Shoji said, "but we need to keep improving to be a factor later in the year. Last year we were really good early. There were no question marks. We were solid from the start. We were good already, we just had to maintain it. This year we could be very average early, but we have a lot of upside. We need to improve."

A fraction of an inch a day, a fraction of an inch a play.

"(Volunteer assistant) Kaleo (Baxter) likes to tell us to get 1 percent better every day," says Uiato, "so that's pretty much what we're working on — getting better every day."


Notes


» Freshman Katie Speiler, who suffered a fractured toe nearly three weeks ago, did not participate in the first practice.

» Tickets are available online for this year's NCAA championship. The final four will be Dec. 13 and 15 at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Two-day all-sessions passes begin at $50, plus a surcharge of more than $10, at ticketmaster.com.

» Dave Shoji's sons, Kawika and Erik, will both play professional volleyball this fall in Germany. Kawika, an ‘Iolani graduate, returns to his championship team in Berlin. Erik, a Punahou graduate, will play for a team in Leipzig, 2 hours south. Both were All-Americans at Stanford and started on the Cardinal's 2010 NCAA championship team.

[paloalto]

Nice articles. With all those players competing for libero, odds are someone will emerge as a star at that position.

I look forward to the Hawaii/Stanford match. It will be a good early indication for both teams where they stand. I have no idea what to expect.

[Barefoot In Kailua]

Aug 9, 2012 17:29:46 GMT -5 paloalto said:

Nice articles. With all those players competing for libero, odds are someone will emerge as a star at that position.

I look forward to the Hawaii/Stanford match. It will be a good early indication for both teams where they stand. I have no idea what to expect.

Shoji doesn't expect the Wahine to be very good early (mentioned in the article above.) It'll probably take the team a little while to gel and get comfortable with each other (and with their new positions) so Stanford should come into the SSC as the favorties to win the match on August 26th. It could be a bit sloppy on the Wahine side of the net but Longo should settle the passing and the Wahine (with Croson and Hartong on the outside) have enough to compete with the Cardinal.

[mikeyboi96792]

Nice article.....They may be the underdog right now because with stanford returning all there players, it will definitely be a game leaning toward stanford....but if UH Wahine just play with heart and just do their best you might not know.....they may come out with the win at the end....it happened before...why not believe in them now?

[leftout]

It would be nice if the Wahine could beat the three Pac-12 teams during the preseason but even if they lost them all it should not effect their RPI ranking as I was told how its calculated. It would affect the AVCA poll, but it not used to seed the top sixteen teams in post season. My hope is that the Wahine host the first/second rounds at seasons end.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Aug 9, 2012 22:08:36 GMT -5 leftout said:

It would be nice if the Wahine could beat the three Pac-12 teams during the preseason but even if they lost them all it should not effect their RPI ranking as I was told how its calculated. It would affect the AVCA poll, but it not used to seed the top sixteen teams in post season. My hope is that the Wahine host the first/second rounds at seasons end.

It'll be interesting to track Hawaii's RPI this year. Their RPI last year proved surprisingly resilient, based in large part on them playing strong RPI teams from teams in the midwest and east coast.

This year, Hawaii has the 3 PAC-10 schools in the preseason, but for the most part Hawaii's schedule this year is very West Coast-centric. That might hurt their RPI. It's what hurt some PAC-10 schools RPIs last year...

I know RPI talk isn't the most popular thing on here ... but it's the measuring stick that is being used ... and we'll just have to wait and see how Hawaii's RPI fares this year.

[leftout]

The high RPI conferences are the Big Ten, Pac Twelve and Big Twelve. Of those UH has no 2012 opponent form the Big ten. The final RPI rankings of 2011 lists two of the top 3 in the Big Twelve, Five of the top 13 from the Big Ten, two of the top 20 from the PAC Twelve. I my opinion the addition of Utah and Colorado really hurt them.
An example of how being a member in the Big Ten helps a teams RPI is Minnesota. They had a 2011 season record of 20-12, RPI of #12. Hawaii was 31-2, RPI of #10. So a mid major like Hawaii needs to schedule opponents from those conferences if they hope to be seeded in the post season.

[mikeyboi96792]

that is true, but not all those team can schedule UH because of the flight financial and the way their tournaments or things that are going on in their school.....it's easy to say it but shoji tries to get all those big school to play here, but they tend to play in bigger tournament like the nike one that I think stanford host or florida.....but the RPI this year would be much improvement then when they were playing in the WAC.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Aug 10, 2012 15:27:37 GMT -5 leftout said:

The high RPI conferences are the Big Ten, Pac Twelve and Big Twelve. Of those UH has no 2012 opponent form the Big ten. The final RPI rankings of 2011 lists two of the top 3 in the Big Twelve, Five of the top 13 from the Big Ten, two of the top 20 from the PAC Twelve. I my opinion the addition of Utah and Colorado really hurt them.
An example of how being a member in the Big Ten helps a teams RPI is Minnesota. They had a 2011 season record of 20-12, RPI of #12. Hawaii was 31-2, RPI of #10. So a mid major like Hawaii needs to schedule opponents from those conferences if they hope to be seeded in the post season.

I agree that the PAC-10 adding Utah/Colorado hurt them ... not just b/c they are low rated in RPI, but also because more conference matches limited the number of out-of-conference matches that PAC-10 teams could schedule. Scheduling a cross-section of teams from other conferences/regions can help boost an RPI rating.


Besides the big 3 conferences that you mentioned -- Big10, Pac10 and Big12 -- other schools and conferences can be a source of good RPI opponents as well. For some reason the RPI also looks favorably upon conferences like the MVC (where Wichita St is, and they've come to Hawaii a few times) and also the Big East (where Cincy and Notre Dame are, and who have also been past Hawaii opponents).

For 2012, the only non-conference teams on Hawaii's schedule that's not situated on the West coast are: Albany, Baylor and Idaho. Their RPIs respectively last year were Albany-84, Baylor-48, and Idaho-104. So Baylor will help. Albany's RPI is at least under 100, and they usually win their conference with a decent win-loss record. Idaho ... i don't know?

We'll see how this all shakes out.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Wahine set at setter with Uiato

By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 12, 2012



CRAIG T. KOJIMA / [e-mail]
UH's setter position is in good hands with Mita Uiato, above, and backup Monica Stauber.



FIRST IN A SERIES

There is one position on this year's Rainbow Wahine volleyball team not shrouded in mystery going into the Aug. 24 opener. Mita Uiato has removed all doubt about who will set for Hawaii.

The junior became the starting setter last year and never wavered. She earned all-conference honors, getting better every night.

Apparently, that has not changed since we last saw her in the regional semifinal in December. Coach Dave Shoji says she is stronger, jumping higher and pushing balls farther, even from awkward positions. His assistant, three-time Olympic setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, concurs.

"What's really improved is the footwork," says Ah Mow-Santos, who noticed a big change even before the end of spring practice. "It was horrible when I came in (last year) and it has gotten a whole lot better. She's getting to more balls. She's gotten a lot better."

Uiato is also more savvy and — shockingly — louder.

"I'm not a loud person," Uiato acknowledges. "I probably said that last year. I really do need to step out of my comfort zone and be more vocal so I can be one of the leaders and help the team. At the end of last year I was more motivated to take a part of that leadership. The team needed another person from another position to step up."

She has surprised Ah Mow-Santos, which isn't easy, and the surprises started at crunch time last season.

"I kept telling her, ‘You have to lead, pick the girls up when they're not doing well. That's what the setter does,'" Ah Mow-Santos recalls. "She was doing that toward the end. She had to work on it. And the chances she took … nobody would notice, but a setter would."

As an example, Ah Mow-Santos points out that Uiato is now comfortable backsetting while running forward. It is a risky, difficult play that nearly always fools the block because so few setters do it.

A year ago, Uiato set Hawaii to a .291 hitting percentage, second nationally. Remaining in that range will be a challenge for Uiato and backup Monica Stauber because only one starting attacker returns at the same position (Jane Croson).

Both setters are now making more sophisticated choices and their footwork progress can be gauged in fewer bump sets. Their biggest hurdle will be all the new faces — and arms and tempos and sizes — hitting balls in new places this season.

Uiato has a better delivery, plays bigger — she was third on the team in blocks last season — and is a more complete player than Stauber at this stage. The sophomore has the advantage on defense and offense; Stauber's dumps are "killer," according to Ah Mow-Santos.

In this Olympic year, Ah Mow-Santos wants Uiato and Stauber to emulate the "fighting spirit" of former Olympic teammate Lindsey Berg, the Punahou graduate who just set Team USA to a silver medal in London. Giving the hitters "hittable" sets as often as possible is a priority, but the intangibles are also critical.

"Lindsey is great at that stuff," Ah Mow-Santos says. "The first thing our players need to watch is her fight. Lindsey cheers every single point, pushes the girls. She is loud and vocal. That's the first thing those two need to learn. Mita was a lot better from her first year to last year and toward the end of the year she was a little better, but she's not at that point yet. The fighting spirit is just coming."




RAINBOW WAHINE VOLLEYBALL

Setters

Depth chart

» 1. Mita Uiato, junior, 5-foot-8

» 2. Monica Stauber, sophomore, 5-8

[Cubicle No More ...]

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

[mikeyboi96792]

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.