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Post by hapaguy on Nov 8, 2012 21:20:44 GMT -5
The article says she is planning on redshirting in 2013-2014 so if you look at the current roster we will only have Ginger, Tai, & Jane for the start of 2014 and of course Nikki Taylor. Not sure who the other hitters are that Dave is recruiting.... And not to leave out the possibility of transfers that are Outside Hitters as well too.  But as of now, I can see her being recruited as a Libero. lol....she is most definately NOT being recruited as a libero.... |
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Post by madonna on Nov 8, 2012 21:25:21 GMT -5
And not to leave out the possibility of transfers that are Outside Hitters as well too. But as of now, I can see her being recruited as a Libero. lol....she is most definately NOT being recruited as a libero.... Was she offered a scholarship by Dave prior to her graduating from high school? |
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Post by hapaguy on Nov 8, 2012 21:32:10 GMT -5
lol....she is most definately NOT being recruited as a libero.... Was she offered a scholarship by Dave prior to her graduating from high school? Nope. My daughter played club with Ani and 3 years HS volleyball so I am pretty familiar. She is NOT lib material...She is very physical at the net though. Jumps high and is long as I stated before. Hits a VERY heavy ball.... |
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Post by sasa on Nov 8, 2012 21:44:33 GMT -5
Was she offered a scholarship by Dave prior to her graduating from high school? Nope. My daughter played club with Ani and 3 years HS volleyball so I am pretty familiar. She is NOT lib material...She is very physical at the net though. Jumps high and is long as I stated before. Hits a VERY heavy ball.... Can this girl hit over the 6'2, 6'3, and sometimes 6'4 blocks? Even Kanani had a hard time getting through those blocks, and she can jump out of the gym. I'm not doubting that she's good, but is she D1 good? |
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Post by hapaguy on Nov 8, 2012 22:12:08 GMT -5
Nope. My daughter played club with Ani and 3 years HS volleyball so I am pretty familiar. She is NOT lib material...She is very physical at the net though. Jumps high and is long as I stated before. Hits a VERY heavy ball.... Can this girl hit over the 6'2, 6'3, and sometimes 6'4 blocks? Even Kanani had a hard time getting through those blocks, and she can jump out of the gym. I'm not doubting that she's good, but is she D1 good? I don't know if she can hit over blockers that are that tall. But I do know one thing: I've seen her play for over 4 years and unless her back row play has improved tremendously the past two years she has been in JC, Dave is not going to offer a scholie to her as a lib..... |
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Post by kaBOOOOM on Nov 9, 2012 14:00:59 GMT -5
Talented duo from Hawaii to sign with WahineBy Ann Miller, The Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 08, 2012 After seventh-ranked Hawaii takes on North Shore volleyball neighbor Brigham Young-Hawaii — ranked eighth in NCAA Division II — tonight, and before it resumes its quest to remain unbeaten in the Big West next week, there is some paperwork to finish. Tayler Higgins, who just set Punahou to its second straight state championship, and Kaiser High senior Nikki Taylor, who just added another inch and is now 6 foot 4, will sign national letters of intent. Both orally committed to the Rainbow Wahine months ago and plan to finalize the process in the early signing period, which begins Wednesday. They have led anything but parallel lives since committing, but can't wait to come together in Manoa. "It's going to be different, but I'm going to be excited, especially with Nikki kind of in the same position being local," said Higgins, whose brother, Jeremy, is a UH quarterback. "She is very powerful up at the net, she's improved a lot on her passing and back row since last year. She didn't play the high school season this year and she's been playing a lot of beach. That's helped her with shots and control. I'm excited to come in with her." Higgins earned MVP honors at last year's state tournament and this year's Ann Kang Invitational. The 2011 State Player of the Year is the only Hawaii player in prepvolleyball.com's Top 100 Senior Aces, at 19th.Her entire Ku‘ikahi club team will play in college next fall, including Taylor Dayton at Santa Clara and 2012 state high school tournament MVP Carly Kan at Missouri. Nikki Taylor did not play her final high school season "for personal reasons." She has spent much of her time working out on the beach with new neighbor Hannah Rooks, who moved here from Atlanta and will probably be on the UH sand team next school year. Club season started Saturday. It was Taylor's first taste of the indoor game since July, when she trained with the USA A2 team. "My coach allowed me to be a six-rotation player," Taylor said. "I've never come out of a volleyball situation like that, having as much knowledge of the game as I did. I needed that experience of hardly coming out in order to make it click that I can be that player. "Mostly I need to work on my back-row defense. I need to be quicker, make quicker judgments. That's also a reason I'm playing beach." Higgins is just 5-9, but can touch 9-8, same as current UH setter Mita Uiato. Higgins' focus between now and August will be on consistency and blocking. ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey, Higgins' club coach, believes she has talents that can't be taught and compares her to former UH All-American Kanoe Kamana‘o. "She is very intelligent, has a high volleyball IQ," Obrey said. "She can take control of a team. She comes from a family of quarterbacks, they are all natural leaders. … Her biggest thing is leadership. She's athletic, not big, but she plays lot bigger than she is. She gets to a lot of balls. She makes ordinary passing look spectacular." Obrey also has seen more than enough of Nikki Taylor during club season. He watched her hit a ball straight down without jumping and envisions her on Hawaii's right side. He wants to see what is possible when she hooks up with someone used to setting the ball to a 6-4 hitter. "Once she gets in a rhythm with a setter she's comfortable with," Obrey said, "she can be very scary." Obrey's brother Teoni is club director of Ku‘ikahi, the state's largest boys club program. Taylor Dayton is their half-sister and convinced them to start a girls team two years ago. Last summer in 17s, Ku‘ikahi was 13th among 1,800 teams. Kamehameha's Pomai Recca and Joana Christenson are on the team, and probably headed to Hawaii Pacific and Southern Utah. Punahou's Brittney Markwith will play for Army and Julia Lau and Claire Feeley are going Ivy League. Lau will be in Dartmouth's back row and Feeley will play for Punahou graduate Erin Berg at Yale. Others outside of Ku‘ikahi who could commit next week include Kahuku's Penina Snuka (Penn State, according to Kahuku coach Camilla Ah-Hoy), ‘Iolani's Loxley Keala (Missouri) and Asics Rainbows' Tyler Marie Mau (Minnesota). Among the boys, Hawaii Baptist and Ku‘ikahi senior Michael Fisher has orally committed to UCLA. I thought Taylor was #26? They must've forgotten lol cuz I know for a fact that Tayler Higgins was #19 and Nikki Taylor was #26 |
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Post by LanaiBoy on Nov 9, 2012 16:59:53 GMT -5
I thought Taylor was #26? They must've forgotten lol cuz I know for a fact that Tayler Higgins was #19 and Nikki Taylor was #26 Don't forget Penina Snuka of Kahuku who is #34 on the Senior Aces list. Granted she is associated with Arizona since she attended Gilbert High School there for her first three years, but transferred to Kahuku during her senior year. However, she was born in Kahuku and has deep roots in Hawaii. |
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Post by hwnstunner on Nov 9, 2012 22:32:22 GMT -5
They must've forgotten lol cuz I know for a fact that Tayler Higgins was #19 and Nikki Taylor was #26 Don't forget Penina Snuka of Kahuku who is #34 on the Senior Aces list. Granted she is associated with Arizona since she attended Gilbert High School there for her first three years, but transferred to Kahuku during her senior year. However, she was born in Kahuku and has deep roots in Hawaii. I thoroughly respect and appreciate the SA's volleyball beat writers, but there have been so many errors in their articles over the past few years. I know journalism is going downhill, but the writers, sports editors and copy editors need to do a better job in making sure their facts are correct. Speaking from a journalist's standpoint. |
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 10, 2012 14:49:45 GMT -5
Wahine sweep BYU-HawaiiBy Cindy Luis POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 09, 2012 LAST UPDATED: 01:40 p.m. HST, Nov 09, 2012  CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii's Ali Longo came up with a dig during Thursday night's match against Brigham Young-Hawaii at the Stan Sheriff Center.With both teams riding lengthy winning streaks into Thursday's volleyball match, something had to give. It wouldn't be Hawaii's victory skein. It wouldn't be Brigham Young-Hawaii's pride. And it wouldn't be the travel plans of Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji. Shoji had plenty of time to catch his red-eye flight to New Mexico to see his newborn grandson after Hawaii swept Brigham Young-Hawaii, 25-16, 25-15, 25-17 in front of 3,695 at the Stan Sheriff Center. It was the 15th consecutive victory for the Rainbow Wahine (22-2), ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division I, and the first loss in 19 matches for the Seasiders (20-3), No. 8 in Division II. Sophomore hitter Jane Croson had a match-high 13 kills and had two of Hawaii's season-high 12 aces in the 79-minute win. Senior hitter Lauren Hagemeyer led BYUH with 10 kills, while Stella Chen and Melanie Manutai each had 12 digs. "I think we got what we wanted out of tonight's match," UH associate head coach Scott Wong said. "We got everyone in and we played at a pretty decent level throughout. It's always nice to play your team, the players who work hard every day in practice but don't get to play much. It was nice for our first team to play well that we were able to do it. "I think (the Seasiders) were caught a little off guard with our serves. They're not used to seeing those kinds of serves in their league. Jane (Croson) has the heat, Emily (Hartong) has the range and Ali (Longo) got us off to a nice start." The Wahine started off Set 1 nearly perfect, with Longo's tough serving helping Hawaii to a 5-0 lead. By the time Longo was done with her second serving rotation, she had four aces, including three in a row, and UH had pulled away at 18-6. The Seasiders finally got a read on the Wahine offense, which had put down 10 kills in 19 attempts. When Hagemeyer and Ariel Hsu stuffed Hartong to make it 18-8, it was Hawaii's first hitting error of the night. At 20-10, BYUH made it interesting with Joyceann Feletoa's ace highlighting a 5-0 spurt that brought the Seasiders to within 20-14. But that would be as close as BYUH would get as the Wahine closed it out on two kills from Hartong and an ace by Emily Maeda, the sixth ace of the set. Hawaii went to its bench early and often the rest of the night, using all 17 on the roster. It led to some ragged play, particularly in Set 3 when the Wahine fell behind 12-6 and the Seasiders took advantage of UH reserve setter Monica Stauber (5 feet 8) being in the front row. With starting setter Mita Uiato back in, the Wahine steadied out, tying it at 12. BYUH regained the lead briefly at 14-12 only to have Hawaii go on a 4-0 run to take the lead for good. The Seasiders closed to 17-16 but the Wahine answered with a 8-1 closing run that included two kills by junior middle Kristiana Tuaniga and Croson's second ace. Coming into the match, BYUH had given up just 60 aces in 22 matches and "we knew that if we were going to stay in the match we had to do well with our serve-receive," Seasider coach Wilfred Navalta said. "And we didn't do that enough. They have some great servers. "At 14-14 (in Set 3) I was just thinking ‘keep it going' but we couldn't. But now my team knows the value of good serving and good serve-receive. I hope this helps us the rest of the way." BYUH, which has already clinched a spot in the NCAA Division II national tournament, finishes the regular season at Hawaii-Hilo on Saturday. The Seasiders, tops in their region, are hoping to host the West Regional beginning Nov. 29. The Wahine, who have also clinched a spot in the postseason, continue Big West play next week at Pacific on Friday and UC Davis Saturday. "I think this was good for us, for everyone to get reps to get better," said defensive specialist Maeda, UH's lone senior. "(BYUH) was very good defensively and it was a little frustrating for us. "They had their big right-side (6-1 Hagemeyer) who was a lefty. We're going to see teams like that later on with a player like that so it was good for us. We had a good serving night and it helped us get back in the game (in Set 3). It just shows that you have to show up every night to play."   CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL/crussell@staradvertiser.com
UH Wahine Emily Hartong slapped down the ball against the BYUH Seasiders during Thursday evening's match at the Stan Sheriff Center. CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL/crussell@staradvertiser.com
UH Wahine Jade Vorster scored a point as BYUH Seasiders Erh "Ariel" Fang Hsu and Lauren Hagemeyer during Thursday evening's match at the Stan Sheriff Center. CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL/CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
UH Wahine Tai Manu-Olevao scored a point as BYUH Seasiders Michelle Peters Tevaga and Courtney Skaggs defended during Thursday evening's match at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL/CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
UH Wahine Jane Croson rallied against the BYUH Seasiders during Thursday evening's match.
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Post by Wolfgang on Nov 10, 2012 14:53:19 GMT -5
Poor Monica. She got called out in the article. I still like her.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 16, 2012 11:24:12 GMT -5
Shoji closing in on 1,100By Ann Miller, The Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 16, 2012  Dave Shoji will hit 1,100 career victories if the Wahine win at Pacific and UC Davis this week.STOCKTON, Calif. >> If all goes well for seventh-ranked Hawaii on this Big West Conference road trip, Dave Shoji will come home with 1,100 volleyball wins. A victory tonight at Pacific (20-8, 8-7 BWC) would make Shoji’s record 1,099-183 in his 38th season. The Rainbow Wahine (22-2, 14-0) had to dig out of an 0-2 hole to beat UOP at the Stan Sheriff Center last month. Another win Saturday at UC Davis (15-13, 9-6) would give Shoji his huge, round number. It means little if not put into context. It is no longer about the number, as Davis coach Jamie Holmes took great pains to explain after her team went down in four at UH a month ago. “I just want to say thank you to Hawaii for doing such a nice job with women’s volleyball,” Holmes said, in a statement she clearly had prepared. “The fans are just so great and so appreciative of good volleyball and so knowledgeable about the sport. And the community supports the program. “I’ve been in this profession 18 years and you guys should be very proud to be a Wahine. If you’re going to play, you want to play against the best and that includes being in some of the best venues in the country. I just really appreciate this and want to give a shout-out to Hawaii for doing such a good job for our sport.” No other place comes close in college volleyball. The Wahine have led the country in attendance — by thousands — since moving into the SSC in 1994. It was a huge, historic step up from steamy, dreamy Klum Gym, “where the state of Hawaii fell in love with volleyball,” according to Shoji. There have been 13 sellouts of 10,000-plus at the Stan Sheriff, for a team that televises all its home matches. Since moving to the arena full-time in 1995, Shoji has run the country’s only revenue-producing collegiate volleyball program, making more than $1 million for the athletic department some years. It begins with the wins, and Shoji’s winning percentage is .857. “Winning is probably 80 percent of our following,” he says. “No one’s gonna follow a program that’s not winning. You’re going to get your volleyball fanatics and people who love UH, but the other 80 percent just loves to see winning teams.” This team has won its last 14 and has not dropped a regular-season conference match since 2008 — an NCAA-best streak that could hit 70 tonight. UH clinched its 19th conference championship two weeks ago. But, since the Wahine won four national titles between 1979-87, it is always about winning the final match. Hawaii has had its chances most seasons, finishing in the Top 10 of the final rankings all but six years since the poll started in 1982. Shoji was hired in Hawaii’s second season (1975). His part-time contract was for $2,000 and he needed two other jobs to get by. That was more than 40 All-Americans and five Olympians ago. He was named coach of the NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Team and is included in the Hawaii Sports and AVCA halls of fame, and among USA Volleyball’s all-time greatest coaches. His teams, usually under-sized, have always been known for ball control and defense. Shoji’s reputation has been built on his ability to turn athletes into volleyball players and make radical mid-match changes that never faze his players but drive opponents crazy. While he hasn’t won a national championship in 25 years, the fact that Hawaii still contends with its small budget, huge travel costs and isolation is unique. “His team is good when it has good chemistry and not the best players,” says former Wahine and Olympian Deitre Collins. “It’s the same when he has good players and not so great chemistry. He still has good players and he’s a good coach and it’s still Hawaii. “There is a lot to be said for expectations.” And winning many, many matches, most in front of an adoring following that Shoji knows is special. “Hawaii is simply a very knowledgeable volleyball state and people enjoy high-level volleyball,” he says. “It’s part of people’s lives here. “I think other coaches know the culture here. When they come here they can feel it. They understand us. … No one seeks us out to ask why. I think they know it’s just different here. They know they can’t create the same thing unless they establish winning all the time.” Try nearly 1,100 times. 
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 17, 2012 20:07:45 GMT -5
UH battles back at PacificBy Ann Miller, The Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 17, 2012 LAST UPDATED: 02:22 a.m. HST, Nov 17, 2012  TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii's Emily Hartong spiked the ball past Pacific's defense during the second set Friday night in Stockton, Calif. TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii's Jane Croson tipped a ball over the hands of Pacific's Hannah Clancy in the second set.STOCKTON, Calif. » If all Dave Shoji's previous volleyball victories were like Friday's, no way he would still be around searching for No. 1,100 tonight. Seventh-ranked Hawaii wasted a rare hot start, but rediscovered its mojo in the final two sets of a 25-16, 25-27, 22-25, 25-16, 15-7 Big West win over Pacific at the Spanos Center. It was the Rainbow Wahine's 70th consecutive regular-season conference win and it came at the site of their first NCAA title. UH (23-2 overall, 15-0 BWC) clinched the Big West title and a place in the postseason two weeks ago. It is now playing for a top-16 seed, which is the only number Shoji, in his 38th season as coach, is thinking about tonight at UC Davis. "I couldn't care less about the (1,100-win) number," Shoji said. "I just want to win for our sake, to protect our RPI (19) and protect our possible seed. That's our only motivation. That's the only thing on my mind now." Pacific (20-9, 8-8) came close to ending those hopes Friday, again. One of six teams with a shot at second place going into this week, it is now 9-5 when it goes five sets, which has happened in both UH matches. "I kept thinking tonight may be the night we end that streak," Shoji admitted. "When you're down 2-1 it's not the most positive feeling. But the kids hung in there and worked hard and turned things around. They were playing pretty well at the end." It was the fifth five-set victory for Hawaii in its return to the Big West, where, as Shoji said, "there are no walkovers." The Tigers tried a "brand-new alignment" in the opening set and went down to a barrage of Emily Hartong and Jane Croson kills. They seized control mid-match. The only time Hawaii was close in Sets 2 and 3 was at the end, when it fought off seven set points. Its extremely unbalanced offense had 18 hitting errors in those sets. Hartong, who had a match-high 25 kills on .346 hitting, and Croson (18) would pound UOP again late. The Tigers also had trouble with some tough serving by UH — Mita Uiato pitched four aces and Croson and Hartong each had three — and a revived block. "I think it was mind over matter," said UH middle blocker Jade Vorster, who finished with 13 kills and five stuffs. "We knew what to do, and (assistant coach) Scott (Wong) talked to us a lot." Hawaii ended an impressive fourth set with stuffs for two of its final four points — after a 42-serve blocking drought that included long periods of UOP hitters going untouched. UOP was millimeters from going up 3-0 in the fifth, but Uiato came out of nowhere for a dig and the Tigers made one of their 24 hitting errors. Hawaii scored nine of the next 11 points and cruised home. "I think we do best when we face adversity," Vorster said. "We never just give up. There's something about us, we're always trying to get after it, fight and figure out what's wrong and no one gives up on it." The Wahine held UOP freshman Anne-Sophie Bauer to two kills in the final two sets, when the Tigers hit a combined .098. UH won the ballhandling battle, out-digging UOP 79-67 — libero Ali Longo collected 25 — and out-acing the Tigers 13-6. UOP coach Greg Gibbons took the blame for this one. "We did a great job of matchups when we won," he said, "but Dave is one of the best coaches out there. He flipped his lineup and then … Emily Hartong is, I think, the best player in the conference. She started hitting balls all over the place." Friday's final home match against UC Riverside — senior night for Wahine Emily Maeda — will begin an hour later, at 8 p.m. Wahine basketball plays earlier in the day.
3 Hawaii
2 Pacific
Next: UH vs. UC Davis, 5 p.m. today in Davis, Calif. Radio: 1420-AM.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 18, 2012 13:25:18 GMT -5
1,100 and countingThe Rainbow Wahine sweep UC Davis to give coach Dave Shoji another milestone victoryBy Ann Miller POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 18, 2012 LAST UPDATED: 01:32 a.m. HST, Nov 18, 2012  TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
UH coach Dave Shoji posed with his players after the Rainbow Wahine defeated UC Davis on Saturday. TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii coach Dave Shoji smiled after he was given the game ball Saturday following the Rainbow Wahine's win in Davis, Calif.DAVIS, Calif. » It took Dave Shoji 38 years to coach a volleyball match at UC Davis. When it finally happened Saturday, his Hawaii team made it memorable and mercifully quick. Shoji became the second in his sport to reach 1,100 wins when the seventh-ranked Rainbow Wahine swept the Aggies 25-17, 25-23, 25-17 before 1,005 at The Pavilion. The aftermath was low-key in comparison to the stringing, tossing and general craziness of Shoji's 1,000th win in 2009. There was a team picture with a very large "1,100" sign and a very calm Shoji. But it is hardly an achievement that can go under the radar. "That's a lot of wins," UH freshman Jade Vorster said. "It's really cool playing for a coach who … he's lost some games, too (183), so he's coached over 1,100 games, won a lot of them. It's just crazy to think he's been on the court, on the bench for that long. "Sometimes I forget he's been doing this for so long and I haven't. I think, why's he telling me to do this and blah, blah, blah and then I remember … oh yeah, he knows what he's doing. He's still feisty. Feisty is the word." Shoji was as involved as ever in the 71st consecutive conference win for Hawaii (24-2, 16-0 Big West), which clinched the conference title two weeks ago. He started transfer Stephanie Hagins, from nearby Elverta, Calif., for the first time this season, looking to bolster a block that has been MIA lately. She produced two of the Wahine's 10 stuffs and was a force offensively, going 6-for-7. Kristiana Tuaniga took over in the final set and stuffed three balls, while Vorster had four blocks and an 8-for-13 kill line. "I just wanted to see Stephanie in a match that wasn't a mop-up situation," Shoji said. "Kalei (Adolpho) has been OK, but we need more out of that position, so I was just looking to see if we can get more." They also helped Shoji find a balance that has been missing, partly by design. Hawaii had five hitters with at least four kills against the Aggies. That allowed Emily Hartong and Jane Croson a little breather, but they still led the attack with 12 kills apiece. The 1,100 wins allowed Shoji and his team to celebrate. It was a necessary release as they head into their final two regular-season matches. They are trying to become the first BWC team since 2002 to go unbeaten in league play, but more importantly, they are attempting to earn one of the 16 NCAA tournament seeds and host a subregional. UC Davis (16-14, 10-7) came into the match in third place after outlasting Cal State Northridge on Friday. They were led by Devon Damelio with 13 kills. Reigning Big West Player of the Week Allison Whitson, who celebrated senior night after the match, had 10 kills but hit just .056. The Aggies' best shot at beating Hawaii came in the second after they erased a 9-2 deficit, tying it at 23. UH libero Ali Longo came up with a pancake dig to stop the run and Hartong buried that point and the last. She and Croson hit just .226, but the Wahine finished at .324 for the match. "For us, we always need to serve a little tougher," UCD coach Jamie Holmes said. "We are a very easy serving team, so it allows them to run all their options. … The problems started on the defensive side, then I saw our offense taper off more and more." The match lasted just 84 minutes — almost an hour less than Friday's five-set win at Pacific. That gave Shoji time and energy to celebrate. "I don't think the girls knew much about this," he said. "I told them it's not about me, it's always about the team. But they know the numbers are pretty large." Large enough that Holmes could not quite comprehend the achievement. "I couldn't get that many wins in my grave … ," said the sixth-year coach, who just got her 100th win. "I tried to add it up and, oh my gosh. "I always had the opportunity to play for legend coaches. I was always in awe of their longevity and patience and ability to adapt to new generations of kids. I played for Debby Colberg (at Sacramento State), who was old school, and (coached under Ohio State's) Jim Stone, who coached 30 years, so he was old school, too. I think to myself if I went old school on my kids they just wouldn't respond to me. So I look at him and wonder how many times Dave has had to recreate his coaching style." The Wahine finish the Big West season by hosting Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday and UC Riverside on Friday, in a match that has been moved back to 8 p.m. Emily Maeda, the lone UH senior, will be honored that night. 3 Hawaii
0 UC Davis
Next: Hawaii vs. Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stan Sheriff Center. TV: OC Sports, Ch. 16. Radio: 1420-AM.
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Post by madonna on Nov 18, 2012 13:38:41 GMT -5
Congrats to Dave Shoji! |
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Nov 21, 2012 15:17:39 GMT -5
Wahine focused on strong finish
By Cindy Luis, The Star-Advertiser
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 21, 2012
The past few Thanksgivings, Ashley Kastl didn't have much to look forward to until Christmas. During her three seasons at Arizona State — including a redshirt year — Kastl and the Sun Devils never made the NCAA volleyball tournament.
That isn't the case for the junior hitter this week, as No. 8 Hawaii has already clinched a berth into the NCAA tournament that begins next week. However, the Rainbow Wahine are trying to solidify a top-16 seed and hosting duties for the first and second rounds when they sandwich Thanksgiving Day between their final two Big West Conference matches.
"It's a great feeling to be in this spot," said Kastl, who has played both right- and left-side hitter this season. "At (ASU), we were usually done after Thanksgiving.
"It feels good that all the hard work is paying off and we have a shot at a national championship."
This week, "NCAA" translated to "No Cruising At All."
Tuesday morning's practice was all about focus, and finishing the conference unbeaten and with a 19-match winning streak.
Hawaii (24-2, 16-0) is not taking either match lightly. Tonight's opponent is Cal State Fullerton (15-14, 9-7), which pushed the Wahine to five sets on Sept. 22 in Titan Gym. Of concern is Titan senior hitter Kayla Neto, second to UH's Emily Hartong in the conference in kill average (4.34 to 4.53).
Friday's regular-season finale is an 8 p.m. contest with UC Riverside (8-22, 2-14) on senior night for defensive specialist Emily Maeda.
Although nothing is a given when it comes to the NCAA selection committee and Hawaii, "I feel we're in really good shape to be seeded and host next week," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "We're 16 (RPI) now and two wins should keep us in the top 16. And given our AVCA (coaches poll) position (No. 8) …
"Still, you never know."
This is the first year that the NCAA selection committee will take the coaches' poll into consideration when seeding teams instead of going strictly with the computer-generated Ratings Percentage Index. A loss to either the Titans (160 RPI) or Highlanders (266) could adversely affect the Wahine's chances to host the subregional when the bracket is announced Sunday.
"We know how important this week is," Kastl said. "Just because we already won the conference and are eighth, it means nothing. It just makes us want to go work harder, be the best we can be and go in (tonight) and Friday and get the job done."
Kastl has been part of the depth Shoji has enjoyed during this, his 38th season. The only given on the outside has been Hartong, the junior also used on the right and the left, and left-side Jane Croson, although the sophomore was suspended for a month.
"If there are better people out there (on the court) ahead of me then it just makes me work harder," Kastl said. "It's a very competitive atmosphere here and playing with Hartong — she's amazing — and other other players … I feel like I've gotten better.
"I was born to compete and I'm excited for every opportunity to get better."
For the first time that will include the postseason tournament.
Notes
Shoji, who won his 1,100th match on Saturday at UC Davis, will be honored after tonight's contest.
BIG WEST VOLLEYBALL
Stan Sheriff Center
>> Today: Cal State Fullerton (15-14, 9-7) at No. 8 Hawaii (24-2, 16-0), 7 p.m.
>> Friday: UC Riverside (8-22, 2-14) at Hawaii, 8 p.m.
>> TV: OC Sports (Ch. 16)
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
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But as of now, I can see her being recruited as a Libero.
