2012 Wahine Volleyball Articles

[Deleted]

Dave Shoji on the Leahey and Leahey show. His segment starts at about the 13:00 mark

[kaBOOOOM]

Can't wait til tmrw nite!! Let's Go 'Bows!!

[vballfreak808]

Welcome Back Coach Shoji

Head Coach Dave Shoji and the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine enter the 2012 season ranked No. 8 in the AVCA preseason poll.

8/23/2012



Following a 16-year stint with the Western Athletic Conference, the University of Hawai'i returns to the Big West Conference and so does Head Coach Dave Shoji and his nationally-ranked women's volleyball team. Coach Shoji, who leads all Division I active coaches in victories with 1,045, begins his 38th year at the helm of the Rainbow Wahine. During his 11 years coaching in the Big West (1985-95), he accumulated a 165-31 conference record and captured five league titles and one national championship. We talked with Shoji about his return to the Big West Conference.

Q: The membership of the Big West has changed quite a bit since Hawai'i was in the league, but a few familiar faces still remain, including what seemed to be your two toughest competitors during the 11-year stint in the league. From 1985-95, Hawai'i, Long Beach State or Pacific captured the yearly title. Are you looking forward to reviving the rivalry with the 49ers and facing the Tigers this season?

Yes I am. We had several huge matches at Pacific in the Spanos Center that were epic battles. It will also be fun to go to Long Beach since we played many tough matches against them at the Gold Mine and a few at The Pyramid.

Q: Along with the teams I mentioned, you will also be facing two of the nation's top coaches in Long Beach State's Brian Gimmillaro and UC Santa Barbara's Kathy Gregory. With three of the top coaches in women's volleyball now in the Big West, will it be fun to battle on the court on a regular basis once again?

It will be fun to renew the rivalries with them since there is so much history between us. But I am not looking forward to playing against them. They are both great coaches and the battles will be tough. They are such icons in the sport. I think it will be fun for our players to find out what playing against that type of talent is all about.

Q: Anything else you are looking forward to as the 2012 season approaches?

It will be good to get back to California and visit some cities that are synonymous with good volleyball like San Luis Obispo, Long Beach and Irvine. Fullerton has even gotten better over the years.
Welcome Back, Coach Shoji

Q: Any memories that stand out during your time in the Big West?

One time when hosting Pacific in Klum Gym it was raining and the roof started to leak and of course it seemed to only leak on the side Pacific was playing on. And of course, Tigers coach John Dunning seemed upset with what was going on. It was so bad we had to wipe the floor after every point.

Another match was when we faced Long Beach State in the 1989 NCAA Northwest Regional. If Hawai'i won we were headed back to Honolulu, Hawai'i, to compete in the Final Four on our home court. Unfortunately, the 49ers came from behind to eliminate us from the tournament. It was a very disappointing loss, one we will always remember.

Q: I know we are one week out before the start of the season so you really haven't gotten your feet wet, but can you tell any differences you see in the Big West (past to present)?

I think the Big West is still a very competitive conference that has great ball control teams but some of the teams are more physical now. In the past, the Big West didnt have as many big players but the type of play was similar to the present teams. Competition will be fierce this year.

Q: You won the Big West championship your last season in the conference. What is it going to take to continue where you left off?

It isn't going to be easy. Compared to the WAC (where Hawai'i went 232-4), the Big West is stronger in both the middle and bottom of the conference. There wont be any easy nights for any team.

Q: A third of your roster lists California as its home state. Do you think the proximity of your matches will help with recruiting since you do pull a good amount of players from California?

It definitely will help our recruiting efforts in California. Parents now have the opportunity to watch their child play in half the conference matches, which is huge. I think the distance has hurt us in the past, but the Big West's geographic make-up allows the student-athlete who commits to Hawai'i the ability to play a few matches in front of family and friends.

[vballfreak808]

Stanford tested before season starts

By Ann Miller

Tonight's volleyball season opener will look much like every other, but it won't be the same. It can't be, especially for Stanford and its coach, John Dunning.

There will be a large, adoring, curious Stan Sheriff Center crowd for eighth-ranked Hawaii, which hosts the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. Albany — UH's first opponent — ended last season in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The sixth-ranked Cardinal went out in the second. Saint Mary's is picked to finish first in its conference.

The tournament teams represent the finest in women's volleyball, playing in front of the sport's finest crowds, again. But there will also be the initials "SW" on Stanford's uniforms.

Samantha Alohilani Wopat, who would have been a junior with twin sister Carly on this Cardinal team, died March 25 after a medical emergency at her Stanford home. Sharon Kasser-Stephens and Cathey Scotlan, who played for Dunning at Pacific, died just days before and after Wopat.

Kasser-Stephens lost her long battle with breast cancer. Scotlan collapsed in her apartment while playing professionally in Switzerland in 1993. She wasn't found for more than a week, but was recovering in a Swiss hospital when her tracheotomy tube clogged, causing cardiac arrest and sending her into a coma for the final 20 years of her life.

"There's been a lot to see your way through … ," says Dunning. "What everybody in our program has been through has been indescribable. When someone you are close to is no longer with you, it is a hard, hard thing to experience."

Dunning is one of Dave Shoji's closest coaching friends. Their teams had a remarkable rivalry in Hawaii's first turn in the Big West. Over time, and a shared passion for golf, they have become good friends. Dunning hired Shoji's daughter, Cobey, as his first director of volleyball operations. Shoji's sons, Kawika and Erik, were always around Dunning's office when they went to Stanford. Erik still calls him "Uncle John."

The Hawaii coach concedes he has never been through "anything close" to Dunning's experience. He didn't even know what to say to his friend.

"I'm sure John thinks about it all the time," Shoji says. "When you are that close to players, spend that much time around each other, it's like losing somebody from your family.

"John is a really caring guy. I'm sure he feels the pain every day."

The start of a new season offers an opportunity to at least begin to move forward. Dunning's hope is that his team, far beyond wins and losses, has a "great experience" this season. Like Shoji, who is trying to blend in four new starters, he wants his players to come out tonight and have fun.

"Our team last year played young and went through a lot," Dunning says. "We were a good team, but I think we just needed maturity to be as good as we could be. We are much more mature now. We have been through a lot. We lost close matches. We don't want to do that anymore. I am most interested in seeing our team walk out and really enjoy playing and play the way we can, because I think we can be pretty good."

All-region juniors Carly Wopat and Rachel Williams combined for 54 percent of Stanford's offense and 75 percent of its blocks last season. They are joined by five high school All-Americans, who make up PrepVolleyball.com's No. 1 recruiting class.

Shoji settled on his starters some 24 hours before the opener. All-conference setter and hitter Mita Uiato and Jane Croson will be the only faces in familiar places. Second-team All-American Emily Hartong will move from middle to left, and Kaela Goodman gets her first start on the right. Kalei Adolpho and Jade Vorster will make up the middle, and Penn State transfer Ali Longo starts at libero, with lone senior Emily Maeda in frequently as defensive specialist.

That lineup could change early and often tonight against Albany. The Great Danes have won at least 20 matches the past seven seasons and are picked to win their seventh America East title. That conference ranked 25th out of 33 in Division I last year, with Albany the only team in the top 200. Albany lost its setter and all-region libero but returns Samantha Brostrom, who made the conference's all-freshman team.

Saint Mary's ended last year fourth in the West Coast Conference. It won its last seven, upsetting top-20 teams Pepperdine and San Diego. The Gaels lost just one player and brought in Cal Poly's Kristina Graven, the 2010 Big West Freshman of the Year, and Danica Mendivil, who was second in kills — to Hawaii transfer Ashley Kastl — for Arizona State last season.

There is lots to learn for all these teams this weekend. For Dunning and his team, that takes on an even deeper meaning.

"It doesn't matter how old you get, you are still learning every day," Dunning says. "It's not possible to measure how much we've experienced and learned this year. I'm a lot different, I'd say. I know I go through days of my life not happy enough, not enjoying the wonderful life surrounding me enough. I'm trying to do that less often, trying to learn.

"I think it's making me a better coach, more direct, more open. I try to be more understanding. Inside, I feel different. You have to ask the players if I actually am different, but I feel it and I do the best I can each day."

RAINBOW WAHINE INVITATIONAL
At Stan Sheriff Center
Today
» No. 6 Stanford vs. St. Mary's, 5 p.m.
» Albany vs. No. 8 Hawaii, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: OC Sports (Ch. 16) / 1420-AM

[vballfreak808]

Wahine win in blur

UH opens its season by blowing by Albany in just 80 minutes

By Ann Miller


Hawaii's Emily Hartong powered one of her team-leading 14 kills past Albany's Traci Vandegrift, left, and Sofia Furlong during Friday night's match at the Stan Sheriff Center.


UH's Jane Croson smacked a kill past Albany's Traci Vandegrift.

Hawaii's volleyball season-opener shrank into a sneak peek Friday. Albany traveled 5,000 miles for the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational and played well the first 10 minutes.

The eighth-ranked Wahine blew to a 25-17, 25-6, 25-17 win before 5,227 at Stan Sheriff Center. The 80-minute match went by in a blur, answering almost none of Hawaii's critical questions.

"I was hoping we wouldn't start thinking," shrugged Albany coach MJ Engstrom. "It's just a totally new team."

Hawaii is half new, but the second-set blowout tied the rally-scoring record for fewest points by an opponent. The Great Danes needed 18 minutes to get their first kill in that set. They trailed 22-4 at that juncture and would finish with just two kills in the set.

In the third, UH coach Dave Shoji brought in two new middles and started transfer Ashley Kastl, who played a key part in a stunningly successful double substitution with backup setter Monica Stauber in the second set.

Everything was successful in that set. Penn State transfer Ali Longo, who started at libero for UH, served eight straight points. Shoji tried the double-sub and Stauber served six, then Jane Croson five.

All three of those runs ended on a service error.

"We've all been on that side at one point in time," Longo said. "Obviously they were frustrated, but we had to keep going, so we didn't lower our play."

Albany has won the past three America East titles. It wanted to play in Hawaii so senior Gabby Whitworth, a Kalaheo graduate, could come home.

Only it got here the year after losing its all-region libero, best hitter and the conference's best setter the past three years.

"We've had the same setter for the last five years counting preseason," Engstrom said. "Sofia (Furlong) has only been setting two years. She played middle. It's a stressful situation. And our other setter has been injured."

Junior Mita Uiato is beginning her second season as the Wahine's starting setter. She orchestrated an offense that hit .385 in the opener. The most impressive part of that was the first touch and the success of the new Hawaii middles.

Kalei Adolpho and Jade Vorster, in their starting debut together, combined for 11 kills and all five of Hawaii's blocks in the opening two sets. Kristiana Tuaniga was just as effective in the third, going 4-for-5 with two stuffs. She had just 23 kills total her first two seasons.

"The middles were open and I wanted our setter to set it," Shoji said. "We need that output from the middle. We know we can go outside. We're going to be good outside."

Even with the win coming at warp speed it was obvious that Longo will make a difference. Her ballhandling was brilliant and she was everywhere, seemingly without effort, taking much of the sting out of the loss of three-time All-American Kanani Danielson.

"I thought we passed well, which was encouraging," Shoji said. "We want to give Ali a lot of court. She can handle it, but the other thing it does is allow Jane and (Emily) Hartong to pass less. When they don't have to move much they're pretty good.

By the end, Hartong (14 kills) and Croson (11) were worry-free and launching balls straight down. From 8-10 in the first set, Hawaii outscored Albany 65-32.

Opening-night drama lasted only until the first technical timeout. It seemed as if Longo was serving most of the match. She was that good in a Wahine debut she had been eagerly anticipating for months.

"It was still overwhelming," she said. "It's a big arena and you realize how many fans you have, but once you get playing it's all the same still."

It was mostly all good Friday. Hawaii plays Saint Mary's tonight. The Gaels were swept by sixth-ranked Stanford in Friday's opener, but will put up a much better fight tonight.

"It will be a tougher match," Shoji said. "Saint Mary's serves better and is just a tougher team. They didn't look particularly good tonight. They'll play better tomorrow. I can predict that."

Key: UH vs. St. Mary's, 7 p.m. today at the Stan Sheriff Center.
TV/Radio: OC Sports, Ch. 16/1420-AM

[vballfreak808]

Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Victorious On Opening Night

8/24/2012 10:19:00 PM

Box Score: hawaiiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=16714




HONOLULU – Emily Hartong had a match-high 14 kills, Ali Longo posted 11 digs, and the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team swept Albany (25-17, 25-6, 25-17) on opening night of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Kalei Adolpho posted a match-high three blocks to lead a Rainbow Wahine team that recorded 7 team blocks on the evening. Jane Croson had 11 kills with Hartong also adding nine digs. Mita Uiato put up a match-high 26 assists.

Dunja Prgomet had six kills to lead the Great Danes with Traci Vendegrift posting a team-high seven digs.

Despite the romp, set one was competitive until the 'Bows pulled away late. UH trailed by as many as three points before grabbing its first lead at 12-11 on a Croson kill. Albany kept the score close but Hawai'i won seven of the set's final nine points to take the early lead.

UH was too much for Albany in the final two sets, allowing only 23 total points the rest of the way to cruise to the win. The 'Bows had runs of six and seven straight points in their second-set blowout before controlling set three and posting the sweep.

In the opener of the tournament, Stanford swept St. Mary's, 25-14, 25-16, 25-20.

Hawai'i retakes the court Saturday for Day 2 of the Chevron Tourney. The 'Bows play St. Mary's at 7:00 p.m. which will be preceded by Stanford vs. Albany at 5:00 p.m.

[Courtside5]

Does anyone have video of last nights game? Anybody youtube it?

[Cubicle No More ...]

Aug 25, 2012 20:50:44 GMT -5 Courtside5 said:

Does anyone have video of last nights game? Anybody youtube it?

if uhvolleyballfantoo uploads it to his youtube account -- as he/she has done in the past -- then it will be here: www.youtube.com/user/UHVolleyBallFanToo/videos

but there is nothing posted yet.

[Courtside5]

Aug 25, 2012 21:14:40 GMT -5 Cubicle No More ... said:

Aug 25, 2012 20:50:44 GMT -5 Courtside5 said:

Does anyone have video of last nights game? Anybody youtube it?

if uhvolleyballfantoo uploads it to his youtube account -- as he/she has done in the past -- then it will be here: www.youtube.com/user/UHVolleyBallFanToo/videos

but there is nothing posted yet.

Yes, I've been checking as I have him / her added to my favorites on my pc. But as you said nothing yet

[kolohekeiki]

Shoji putting in work to get students in stands

By Dave Reardon

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 26, 2012

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They spilled out of the 500 lower bowl seats allotted them. According to Stan Sheriff Center ticket manager Walter Watanabe, 605 University of Hawaii students attended the volleyball team's first match of the season Friday.

The average for last year was 162 per match, with a 2011-12 season-high of 431 students lured to a match that included shooting of a "Hawaii Five-0" scene.

It's a little bit of good news for a department, campus and university system that will take any it can get amid all the negative stemming from the failed Stevie Wonder benefit concert and its massive fallout.

One big difference in this case is UH isn't making disgruntled people more angry with confounding and compounding missteps. Quite the opposite.

CREDIT THE athletic department for its initiative and monthly meetings with various campus entities, all aimed at reconnecting with students unhappy with the athletics fee instituted last year.

And Wahine coach Dave Shoji spoke with his own money last year; he paid $500 so 100 students could get into the NCAA tournament opening-round matches for free. That's got to generate some goodwill and loyalty. "I felt that it was rough that all of a sudden they had to pay," he said.

At a gathering of about 1,000 new student dormers last week, Shoji delivered a David Letterman-style Top Ten list of why they should attend Wahine volleyball.

By all reports, he killed. And he breathed more life into the arena.

"The No. 1 reason I gave was ‘It's free, a cheap date,' " said Shoji, who has even offered to feed students and give them tours of the arena.

Plus, they win. That helps a lot. And there's the location — right on campus.

"It was a very good start," ASUH student body president Richard Mizusawa said. "I think the meetings helped, as well as email blasts, banners. A significant impact, more excitement than previous years."

FOOTBALL'S a tougher sell because of the distance from campus to Aloha Stadium, the team being in what is expected to be a transition year, and the fact that HPD and the liquor commission cracked down on underage drinking in the parking lot last year.

But new head coach Norm Chow considers reconnecting with the students a priority. Plans include a personal note to the dorm students via email, reminding them about free transportation and tickets prior to the home-season opener against Lamar.

"I'm excited about what we already have in place, but even more for what's on the horizon," said UH associate athletic director John McNamara, who has organized the meetings and promotions.

I still disagree philosophically with charging students a mandatory athletics fee, simply because so many of them cannot attend games due to other commitments, such as work. And Mizusawa said a survey of UH students shows most are still unhappy with it, too, leading to an ASUH resolution asking for repeal.

Realistically, that's not going to happen. But at least more students are taking advantage of the benefits that come with the charge, and UH's coaches and administrators are putting some real, sincere effort into letting them know what's available and making them feel welcome.

[Cubicle No More ...]

Aug 26, 2012 6:56:29 GMT -5 kolohekeiki said:

Shoji putting in work to get students in stands

By Dave Reardon

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 26, 2012

Share



They spilled out of the 500 lower bowl seats allotted them. According to Stan Sheriff Center ticket manager Walter Watanabe, 605 University of Hawaii students attended the volleyball team's first match of the season Friday.

The average for last year was 162 per match, with a 2011-12 season-high of 431 students lured to a match that included shooting of a "Hawaii Five-0" scene.

...

the student section was the liveliest i've ever seen it in the stan sheriff center. it was great to see so many student out there...

[vballfreak808]

Hawaii vs. Albany

Part 1 of 6



Big thanks to UHVolleyBallFanToo on Youtube!

[vballfreak808]

Wahine fight off Gaels

By Ann Miller


Hawaii’s Jade Vorster went up for a kill against Lauren Corp, left, and Gabby Jolly of Saint Mary’s.


UH’s Kaela Goodman hit against Samantha Tinsley.

Saint Mary’s took a rare set off eighth-ranked Hawaii Saturday. It served as a slap in the face for the Rainbow Wahine, who roared back for a 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19 volleyball victory.

The win sends UH and sixth-ranked Stanford into today’s 6 p.m. Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational final unbeaten.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,701 watched with increasing anxiety Saturday as the Gaels evened it at a set apiece against UH.

NEXT: UH vs. Stanford, 5 p.m. today at the Stan Sheriff Center
TV/Radio: OC Sports, Ch. 16 / 1420-AM

“We knew they were going to play better,” UH coach Dave Shoji said. “We knew they were going to put pressure on us. We knew they were capable of beating us. So we had a little mini-crisis early in the year, which is good for us. We needed to have some adversity and see how we responded.”

With the match tied, the Cardinal, who stuffed Saint Mary’s on Friday and Albany on Saturday, left the building.

The injury-riddled Gaels, who didn’t even bring all-conference setter Missy White, had found their offense behind freshman setter Dallas Dodd.

“There is a lot of newness out there,” said Saint Mary’s coach Rob Browning. “That first match they didn’t even know what rotation they were supposed to be in sometimes. Stanford played great against us and we didn’t have a scouting report against them. We got to watch Hawaii play, even though it wasn’t a lot. We had a good idea of what we wanted to do.”

Emily Hartong, who finished with a match-high 17 kills, had just one in the opening set and all of Hawaii’s attack errors. Her teammates hit better than .500 to pull away from the Gaels, who hit just .179.

In the second set, everything changed.

Hartong buried the first four sets she saw and had eight kills, but the rest of the Wahine managed just six. Saint Mary’s never trailed, hitting 70 points better than it had the night before, and 80 points more than it would the rest of the night.

More to the point — and points — the Gaels’ serving began poking holes in Hawaii’s passing, and keeping the ball away from libero Ali Longo. Saint Mary’s took a set off UH for only the second time in eight meetings, and made it look relatively easy.

The Wahine picked themselves up before Shoji even got to the locker room during the break.

“We were all really fired up, we really wanted to get it together,” said freshman Jade Vorster, who is hitting .667 in her collegiate career after going an error-free 12-for-16 Saturday. “We definitely thought it was too quiet that second game.”

They rallied behind Jane Croson, who rallied herself after a ragged second set, and a revived passing game. With the third tied at 6, Croson reeled off four kills and two stuffs in an 8-3 Hawaii surge.

The Gaels could not cut their deficit below four. The Wahine had six stuffs in the set, with Vorster getting two solos and putting all four of her swings into the floor. She kept it going in the fourth.

“I’m pretty confident in my blocking and Dave’s known that a while,” Vorster said. “But I have to be good at both things. That’s going to make the team better, open up Emily and Jane. I’m just trying to get up every time so I’m an option.”

Kalei Adolpho added nine kills and she, Vorster and Hartong had six stuffs apiece as the Wahine outblocked Saint Mary’s 17.5-7.5.

The new middles were the difference in the final set, with four kills each. Hawaii scored the first five points, but the Gaels clawed back to tie it at 17. Adolpho took over, scoring four of the Wahine’s last seven points.

“Hawaii is just better than us,” Browning said. “I thought we did an OK job against Croson and Hartong, considering how good they are and how important they are to the offense. But their middles were very efficient against us and we didn’t do a good job against them.”

That gave Shoji a sense of relief, and satisfaction.

“I liked the fact that Saint Mary’s played better tonight and forced us to play better,” he said. “I liked the way we responded after Set 2. Our middles had a great night. Having no errors and … our lefts just hung in there and got enough kills.”

Transfer Kristina Graven had 15 kills and 16 digs, and was the only Gaels attacker to hit over .200.

Saint Mary’s was picked to win the West Coast Conference this season, with 19th-ranked San Diego.

No. 6 Stanford 3, Albany 0

Freshman hitter Jordan Burgess put down 14 kills, hitting .600, as the Cardinal swept the Great Danes 25-14, 25-7, 25-15 in 78 minutes. Stanford went on several huge scoring runs, including a 13-0 finish that ended Set 2.

Sara Pope, Traci Vandegrift and Dunja Prgomet all had six kills for the Great Danes.

[vballfreak808]

No. 8 Rainbow Wahine Top St. Mary's, Play Stanford For Tourney Title

Box Score: www.hawaiiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=17112



HONOLULU – Jade Vorster had 12 kills with no errors, Emily Hartong recorded a match-high 17 kills, and the No. 8 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team topped Saint Mary's in four sets (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19) on Day 2 of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Vorster put up big numbers in just her second match in a Rainbow Wahine uniform. The redshirt freshman posted a .750 kill percentage on the evening and equaled a match-high six blocks. Mita Uiato led the team with 18 digs and Hartong added 13 digs as UH (2-0) now plays Stanford on Sunday for the tourney title.

Kristina Graven had 15 kills and 16 digs for the Gaels who fall to 0-2 on the season. Lauren Corp added a match-high 21 digs.

Hawai'i struck first with a solid 25-20 win in set one. The 'Bows grabbed the lead early and steadily kept the advantage. Leading 13-10, UH grabbed a foothold of the set when kills by Jane Croson (14 kills, 10 digs) and Vorster helped push the lead to 20-13. Croson later put down a thunderous kill to clinch the win.

SMC would not go quietly, winning set two 25-22 to even the match. After Croson posted a kill to even the score at 5-5, the Gaels won five of the next six points led by kills from Graven and Katie Reninger (4 kills). The 'Bows cut the lead to one point at 15-14, but another Graven kill capped a 6-2 SMC run as the Gaels grabbed control and evened the match.

After their second-set hiccup, the 'Bows regained the momentum and put the match to rest with wins in sets three and four. The fourth set saw SMC rally from five points down to even the score at 17-17, but three kills down the stretch by Kalei Adolpho clinched the win for Hawai'i. Adolpho poured in nine kills and six blocks.

6,242 tickets were issued for the contest, with 4,701 fans coming through the turnstiles.

UH meets the sixth-ranked Cardinal on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. following the conclusion of Saint Mary's vs. Albany.

[Barefoot In Kailua]

Guts and glory

By Ann Miller


FL MORRIS / [e-mail]
UH coach Dave Shoji celebrated the Rainbow
Wahine’s win over Stanford on Sunday night.


Taller, more talented, tougher volleyball conference? Not so much, but eighth-ranked Hawaii was in sole possession of the most crucial quality in Sunday’s upset of sixth-ranked Stanford.

The Rainbow Wahine had more guts.

On the third night of the season, before 6,052 elated fans at their Stan Sheriff Center, they came back with a vengeance to beat the Cardinal 17-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-17.

That they won their fifth consecutive Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational meant little by the time Emily Hartong was named most outstanding player and teammates Jane Croson and Ali Longo joined her on the all-tournament team. It was the win over Stanford and the will to win the Rainbow Wahine had shown that had Hawaii celebrating so ferociously.

“Athletically just matching up with Stanford is tough,” UH coach Dave Shoji said. “They’ve got great athletes. They are young. That’s why we beat them. They are too young at some positions.

“I wouldn’t want to play them at the end of the year. I think we’ll get better. They’re going to get way better. I’m pretty happy we got them early.”

The Wahine did not get them early Sunday. Stanford barely broke a sweat in the opening set. Hawaii hit a respectable .290, getting seven kills from Croson, and still got slammed.

The Wahine did not touch all-region middle Carly Wopat, who buried all five swings. They didn’t touch much, going without a block and getting outdug by the much taller Cardinal, who hit a ridiculous .500.

“They came back to earth,” Shoji said. “If they were going to continue to do that it would have been a short night. We had to serve a little tougher and we just got some breaks in Game 2, and got some momentum. I wouldn’t say we dominated, but we had everything under control.”

Hawaii took its first lead of the night at 6-5 in the second, on one of freshman Jade Vorster’s nine kills. It would be tied 12 times, the last at 22. Setter Mita Uiato tipped down UH’s 23rd point, and Wopat — blocked on her previous attempt — hit long.

Hartong was stuffed on the first set point. On the Wahine’s next try, Uiato made a spectacular save, fisting a ball backward into the court while going full speed at a table. Croson paid her back by blasting her 12th kill to end it.

The crowd went crazy, and only got crazier as the night wore on. By the end, the Stanford players on the court looked like they were in a daze. The bench was dead silent.

“They were really quiet,” Uiato said. “I looked at them and they weren’t even close to each other. They were just looking down.”

After sweeping Saint Mary’s opening night and squashing Albany — without using Wopat and Rachel Williams, its all-region juniors — Stanford had never been challenged.

Hawaii had, by the Gaels on Saturday. It rallied then and it rallied harder Sunday.

UH hit .311 against a team that was up to 10 inches taller at some spots. Hayley Spelman, the Cardinal’s 6-foot-6 senior hitter, sat the final set with four kills and a .154 percentage. Williams had five kills and six errors all night and Wopat had four kills and four errors in the final three sets.

“(Assistant coach) Scott (Wong) did a really good job of scouting them,” Croson said. “We knew where she was going to tip and where to shift our block.”

Stanford even took out senior setter Karissa Young for a short time.

“They started making some gross errors, hitting balls out by four or five feet,” Shoji said. “That happens when you get frustrated and try something radical to get a kill. At that point we were frustrating them and they helped us out.”

The Wahine pulled away again, next chance they got. Three straight Hartong kills put them up 7-5 in the third and Stanford could not come back. *


Link to boxscore- www.hawaiiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wvball&id=16718