2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

[Wiz]

Aug 15, 2012 12:39:39 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

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.

I think Longo and Maeda will do a great job this year. For Maeda, I think it has to do with her confidence. I've noticed it last year that when she shanks a ball, she loses focus, and then she tends to play poorly.

My biggest concern is with the middle blockers.

[hwnstunner]

I still think it's crazy we have a transfer from Penn State. Cool.

[leftout]

We have two, her boyfriend is on the mens team.

[vballfreak808]

I agree. Longo is probably the best of all the newcomers. I have watched some Penn State matches and her serve is awesome. Pretty tough to pass and she is very vocal. Glad she came to Hawaii!

[808]

Aug 16, 2012 3:40:10 GMT -5 vballfreak808 said:

I agree. Longo is probably the best of all the newcomers. I have watched some Penn State matches and her serve is awesome. Pretty tough to pass and she is very vocal. Glad she came to Hawaii!

Jade surprisingly (to me) also has a pretty effective serve -- very flat, low over the net and with pace. I don't know if the coaches feel that it's effective enough to let her serve and try to defend in the back row for that one service rotation. They've got a lot of smalls who can sub in (including Ali), serve maybe as effectively, but also defend the back row better than Jade.

[baywatcher]

Aug 15, 2012 21:30:46 GMT -5 hwnstunner said:

I still think it's crazy we have a transfer from Penn State. Cool.

Since I started following college volleyball I have always wondered why this didn't happen more often. Great players could come to Hawaii for a few years, play for a great team with a great coach, hang out on the beach in a wonderful volleyball environment in front of the best fans......I understand the island sickness thing, but a player could only come for a few years.

On the Jade serving, usually the libero serves for one MB while the other MB serves regularly, but with 15 subs perhaps a DS could serve for the second MB on a regular basis. Too bad; like to see the MB in the back row.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Aug 16, 2012 9:24:43 GMT -5 baywatcher said:

Aug 15, 2012 21:30:46 GMT -5 hwnstunner said:

I still think it's crazy we have a transfer from Penn State. Cool.

Since I started following college volleyball I have always wondered why this didn't happen more often. Great players could come to Hawaii for a few years, play for a great team with a great coach, hang out on the beach in a wonderful volleyball environment in front of the best fans......I understand the island sickness thing, but a player could only come for a few years.

On the Jade serving, usually the libero serves for one MB while the other MB serves regularly, but with 15 subs perhaps a DS could serve for the second MB on a regular basis. Too bad; like to see the MB in the back row.

hawaii has definitely had its share of impact transfers. think heather bown, victoria prince, and sarah mason (among others). i'm not sure if it was the lure of the beach that brought them here (mason is from hawaii), but whatever the reason, these kinds of transfers -- and any future players like them -- are certainly welcome!

[Cubicle No More ...]

Wahine hitters will diversify their attack

By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 18, 2012


STAR-ADVERTISER / 2011
Jane Croson had career highs of 25 kills and 23 digs in her final match as a freshman, against USC in an NCAA regional semifinal.



LAST IN A SERIES

On the outside this volleyball season, Hawaii has two players who averaged more than 31⁄2 kills a set in 2011 and a second-team All-American making the transition from middle. Expect to see sets flying left, right and back row early and often.

Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji is pondering an unorthodox alignment that will look familiar to those who followed Jamie Houston and Stephanie Ferrell a few years ago. In other words, it won't look that familiar to most opponents, who run bookend left-side hitters and an opposite on the right full-time.

All Shoji's left-side hitters this season could take swings on the right, or not.

Emily Hartong, a middle blocker her first two seasons, could hit only on the left, or not. She led the team — and was 24th nationally — in hitting percentage last year and was second in aces and blocks.

Transfer Ashley Kastl, eighth in kills in the Pac-12 last season on the left, might spend most of her time on the right. Jane Croson, sixth in Western Athletic Conference kills as a freshman, could also camp out there part-time.

Or not.

"Hartong has been our best left in practice, but we're trying to find a way to get our best three outside hitters in the lineup," Shoji said. "I want Hartong on the left the whole time. Kastl is not strictly a right-side player, so we have to find some swings out there (left) for her as well if she's in the lineup, which means a different kind of configuration. Jane could swing left a couple times and once on the right as well.

"Having said all that, Kaela (Goodman) had a good fall camp and she's in the mix as a pure opposite. And the surprise of camp has been Tai (Manu-Olevao). Tai's shown some versatility and she's shown some power, which was unexpected. We aren't really sure what she can do, but she's an athlete and picks things up real fast. She'll challenge for a spot."

Unless the new middle blockers make an astonishingly mature debut, the three outside hitting positions will see the bulk of the sets, especially early in the season. Shoji expects his hitters to play a bigger part than last year, when Croson and seniors Chanteal Satele and Kanani Danielson buried 65 percent of Hawaii's kills.

They better be good, and they are.

Hartong went from WAC freshman of the year to among the 28 best players in the country last season. She has shifted outside to become more involved and, Shoji said, is "just punishing our block" in practice with her warp-speed armswing.

Croson collected career highs of 25 kills and 23 digs in her final match as a freshman, against USC in an NCAA regional semifinal. She is capable of those crazy numbers pretty much every night. But, she hit just .217, which is about 80 points lower than Shoji wants. He never complained.

"She just finds a way to get through the block; she has all the shots," he said. "She creates a lot of shots based on her vision and exploits other team's weaknesses. Her hitting percentage was up and down, but almost every freshman outside hitter is not hitting for a high percentage. It's just a difficult position. We knew she'd have rough nights and she did. She'll be better this year — more consistent, smarter. I think she'll be more physical, too. She's in better shape, moving better."

Kastl's numbers last year were similar to Croson's, with a few more kills, fewer blocks and 100 fewer digs. She hit only .156, for a 9-22 Arizona State team that sent nearly a third of its sets her way. Like Croson, she hits a "heavy" ball and goes after it ferociously.

"If the block is not well formed she's going to blow hands back and get kills like that," Shoji said. "She has power. She needs to have more finesse, hit smarter, learn how to hit higher when the set is not allowing her to go fast."

Both were primary passers last year, and could be again.

"Jane's passed and she can be better," Shoji said. "The libero position has to be a passer and one of the other outsides has to pass, whether it's Ginger Long or Hartong or Kastl or Tai. One of them has to pass."

There is also blocking to worry about, and digging and serving. Beyond that, Shoji saw back-row-attack options in the men's game at the Olympics that he wants to incorporate eventually.

Goodman is an exceptional blocker on the right and will play more if her offense catches up. Long's biggest drawback is her small stature. Manu-Olevao is still learning, but "has a huge future for us," Shoji said.

This position is complicated and demanding. It also needs to be dominant for the Wahine to win.


OUTSIDE HITTER
Depth Chart

1. Emily Hartong, 6-2, Jr. above

2. Jane Croson, 5-11, So.

T3. Kaela Goodman, 6-1, Jr.

T3. Ashley Kastl, 6-0, Jr.

5. Tai Manu-Olevao, 6-0, Fr.

6. Ginger Long, 5-11, Fr.

[vballfreak808]

Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Outside Hitters

8/14/2012



Starters Returning: Jane Croson, Emily Hartong
Starters Lost: Kanani Danielson, Chanteal Satele
Letterwinner Returning: Kaela Goodman
Redshirt Returning: Ginger Long
Newcomers: Ashley Kastl, Tai Manu-Olevao

With the loss of Kanani Danielson, the 'Bows will need a replacement to fill up the stat sheet. She led the team in kill attempts while posting team-highs in kills and digs. On the rise is Jane Croson, who burst on the scene last season as one of UH's left side threats with 412 kills and 342 digs. She was named Second Team All-Conference and to the Western Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team.

All-American Emily Hartong was Hawai'i's most versatile player last season as a sophomore and will move to the outside this year. When not seeing action in the middle in 2011, she did her damage on both the left and right sides. The AVCA all-region and WAC first team selection finished the season ranked in the nation's top 25 in attack percentage (.369) and was second on the Rainbow Wahine in aces (31) and blocks (95).

Also looking to see increased action is junior Kaela Goodman. Goodman played in all but two matches last season primarily on the right side. She posted single-match career highs in kills (7 vs. LaTech) and blocks (5 vs. New Mexico State).

A pair of newcomers in Ashley Kastl and Tai Manu-Olevao, and redshirt freshman Ginger Long will also vie for a spot at the left or right side. Kastl joins UH with two seasons of eligibility. She played three seasons at Arizona State, redshirting her sophomore year, where she led the Sun Devils in 2011 in both kills (424) and kills per set (3.82). Manu-Olevao, a true freshman from Punahou School was Coach Shoji's only early signing. Manu-Olevao earned first team all-state honors and guided Punahou to the Hawai'i state title last season. Long has one year under her belt as a member of the Rainbow Wahine, having redshirted in 2011. She will also add to the mix at the outside hitter position.

[vballfreak808]

Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Setters

8/13/2012 12:19:00 PM



Starter Returning: Mita Uiato
Starters Lost: None
Letterwinner Returning: Monica Stauber
Newcomers: None

The battle for playing time at setter is the most straightforward of the all the Rainbow Wahine positions. Mita Uiato returns as the incumbent starter with Monica Stauber backing her up for the second straight season. Uiato had a fantastic 2011 season, her first as a starter. As just a sophomore, she recorded 1,315 assists (11.24 a/s) and was named first team all-WAC. Uiato also showcased her defensive skills, posting 228 digs on the season with 72 total blocks. Replacing one of the all-time greats in Dani Mafua was a tall order, but Uiato did just that.

Stauber posted 82 assists (1.11 a/s) but saw much of her action as part of the back row rotation. Now with a year under her belt, UH hopes to see increased improvement in her defense as well as Uiato's.

[vballfreak808]

Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Outlook: Middles

8/17/2012 4:24:00 PM



Starter Returning: Emily Hartong (moving to OH)
Starter Lost: Brittany Hewitt
Letterwinners Returning: Kristiana Tuaniga, Kalei Adolpho
Redshirt Returning: Jade Vorster
Newcomer: Stephanie Hagins

With the movement of Emily Hartong to the outside and Brittany Hewitt foregoing her senior season, the 'Bows enter 2012 with an inexperienced group of middles. The obvious starter is sophomore Kalei Adolpho who saw valuable action last season off the bench. Adolpho played in 25 matches, recording 54 kills and 56 total blocks. Also returning is junior Kristiana Tuaniga who struggled through an injury-filled 2011 season with 11 matches off the bench. She recorded 12 total kills on the season, and had a career-high seven kills off the bench against LaTech (11/10).

“We feel like Emily will be more valuable on the outside this year,” commented Coach Shoji. “We also feel that even though we'll be inexperienced in the middle, that out of the four middles on the roster, two will step up and be productive. Kalei Adolpho is the most obvious starter. She played valuable minutes last year. Between the other three, we'll find one to contribute.”

Twin towers Jade Vorster and Stephanie Hagins, who both stand at 6-4, will also vie for the second middle position. Vorster will don a UH uniform for the first time after redshirting last season. Hagins, a redshirt sophomore, transferred in from Washington State where she played one season.

[skeleton]

WAHINE HIT THE COURT

By Cindy Luis




CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / [e-mail]
UH sophomore Jane Croson was met by a block during Saturday afternoon's scrimmage at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Good. Very good.

Not great. Not yet.

Much was learned during Saturday's Hawaii women's volleyball scrimmage at the Stan Sheriff Center, including:

» Junior Emily Hartong and sophomore Jane Croson are the top two left-side hitters.

» Junior transfer Alyssa Longo looks like she's always been in the Wahine lineup, not five time zones away at Penn State.

» Battles continue to rage at middle blocker and on the right side.

Less than a week away from Friday's season opener against Albany, No. 8 Hawaii continues to put the pieces together. The even level of the talent has created problems — albeit good problems — for Dave Shoji as he enters his 38th season with the Rainbow Wahine.

"Today was typical of how things have been going in practice," he said after the official end of two-a-days. "Some players had good days, some didn't have good days. But at least now we have some statistical data to form some opinions. There were a lot of good plays today, a lot of good plays on both sides of the net."

And some answers. One of the question marks had been about Hartong, a returning second-team All-American, being in the passing rotation. A stint with the U.S. women's national A2 team this summer has sharpened her back-row skills, so much so that "if she passes like she did today, we can be in our normal (passing) alignment," Shoji said.

But if not, the Wahine have plenty of options in the passing department. And with the number of substitutions increased to 15 from 12, it will allow even more chances for the defensive specialists to be on the court.

The lineups Saturday varied each set with the idea to balance the sides as well as showcase the 20-player roster for the some 100 boosters, family and friends in attendance. The only constant was junior setter Mita Uiato's team winning all four sets, 25-14, 33-31, 25-20, 15-10.

"It was challenging when everyone has different verticals and arm swings," Uiato said. "I'm adjusting to them, they're adjusting to me. It's all about getting reps (repetitions), and the two-a-days helped us get a lot of reps."

The talent level, while high, is more even than in past years. It's a good thing, Hartong said.

"We are at the same level and we're feeding off that," Hartong said. "I thought things went really well today. There's still some things that need to be worked on, some small things, but we'll be ready for Friday."

Longo was impressive throughout the afternoon, with solid serve-receive, passing and setting when needed.

"She played well," Uiato said. "She's vocal, she directed traffic, played great defense."

The transition has been smooth, Longo said.

"Everyone has been super welcoming and that has made it," said Longo, who led Penn State in digs (397) last season. "Today was tons of fun, actually getting to play in the arena in front of people. It was similar (in crowd size) to what we got (at Penn State), but that was in a smaller venue. Both sides were really competitive. It was awesome."

The team takes today off before returning to 6:30 a.m. practices Monday and Tuesday. Practices shift to the afternoon Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for game-day mode.

The Chevron Classic opens with Friday's 5 p.m. match between No. 6 Stanford and Saint Mary's. The Wahine face Albany in the second match.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Bringing the noise

Newcomers Ali Longo and Ashley Kastl have cranked up the volume for the Wahine

By Ann Miller, The Star-Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 20, 2012


CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / [e-mail]
Hawaii's Ashley Kastl, who led Arizona State in kills last season, competed during Saturday night's scrimmage at the Stan Sheriff Center.


CRAIG T. KOJIMA / [e-mail]
Ali Longo says practices at UH are "a little more techincal" than what she was used to at Penn State, noting that coach Dave Shoji's approach is "a lot more skill-focused, which is always good."



Ali Longo says practices at UH are "a little more techincal" than what she was used to at Penn State, noting that coach Dave Shoji's approach is "a lot more skill-focused, which is always good."

Ali Longo and Ashley Kastl could play a prominent part on this year's Hawaii volleyball team, which opens this Friday against Albany in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. But even if they didn't touch a ball, their loud presence has already made an impact.

The Wahine were quiet last year under the guidance of Kanani Danielson and Alex Griffiths. But they are gone now. In their place are Longo and Kastl, and they have filled the dead air, livening up preseason camp considerably.

"Ali and Ashley definitely have a lot of fire," UH junior Mita Uiato says. "Ashley gets into it. That's what we need. Our team is really quiet, really nice. Ashley just brings a completely new fire and I love it. She gets me going sometimes and I play better.

"She does talk a lot. I love not being the one that always has to talk. They are definitely helping. Our team is a little louder this year."

Longo was Penn State's starting libero last season and led the team in digs, adding 32 aces. Kastl led Arizona State — and was eighth in the Pac-12 — in kills with nearly four a set. They could fill critical needs for Hawaii this season, helping replace Danielson's ubiquitous All-America talents. Both are juniors and arrived armed with a confidence that can only come with time.

They found a practice gym full of kind, soft-spoken souls willing to take in them and their big mouths.

"They are a little quieter than I'm used to," Longo admits. "Bringing in energy is something a libero needs to do anyway. Obviously Ashley is a big talker too, so it's just habit, something we have done in our careers."

Kastl simply "likes being loud … it doesn't matter what you're saying. As long as you have energy it brings everybody up on the court."

There are some 200 names of players who transferred this season on the richkern.com volleyball website. The list includes Punahou graduates Juliana Behrens (Cincinnati to Manhattan) and Ali Santi (Georgia Tech to UC Santa Barbara). Former Wahine Michelle Waber will be here next month with San Diego State, coached by Deitre Collins-Parker, another former Wahine.

Longo said her move was mostly financial. Kastl grew up in Phoenix and was going to ASU with her brother, Cameron, who played football. She already misses her family, but was looking for a change and, "It's nice to be able to see the water," she says with a smile.

There is one other stark difference here.

"It's a little more technical," Longo understates, "a lot more skill-focused, which is always good."

UH coach Dave Shoji happily pleads guilty to emphasizing technique more than most. One exception is Long Beach State, picked to finish second in the Big West behind Hawaii.

"I still feel like we need to teach the technique," Shoji says. "The other philosophy is you learn how to win by playing games and different competitions. We do our share of tactical things too, but I think a combination of both is best."

Kastl is fine with that.

"At Arizona we did a lot of ‘wash' drills, a lot of playing and not really focusing on little things. We had a little time here and there focusing on hitting or defense, but never full-on practice all technique.

"Here, we work on pin blocking, work on defense, work on hitting. It was very different for me and it's exactly what I was looking for."

Both knew what was coming. Longo has been in touch with Shoji constantly since committing months ago. They talked about team goals and individual goals. Longo's priority coming in was getting familiar with her new teammates to create a "good team dynamic."

What has struck her so far is how well 20 players are getting along: "We can push each other without getting the girl cattiness kind of thing. We're doing a good job with just working in the gym together, which is always important."

Kastl is struck by the depth of talent.

"It's awesome to see how many talented people are out here," she says. "When you have this much talent on a team it pushes you. You need to grind day in and day out. I feel like you're not really set with a spot. You have to come in and work harder. There's no time to relax. You just have to make sure you come to practice focused and ready to work. If you're not, you never know where you'll end up. You could be refilling the Gatorade cups."

[Cubicle No More ...]

Longo and Kastl's vocal leadership on the Court is a welcome surprise. It's that extra something that has sometimes been lacking from Hawaii teams.

[surfboy]

Yes Hawaii has been very quiet thr last few yrs...am glad to see Longo and Kastle filling those roles. The last two vocal players Hawaii had were Amber Kaufman and Aneli Cubi Otineru.