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Post by skeleton on Aug 28, 2014 16:10:08 GMT -5
The Hawaii AD has been quoted as they are thinking of dropping football as it puts the Athletic Department $2 million in the red. How will they fund other sports? Obviously, football isn't generating the revenue to do it. ben jay clarified his remarks soon after he made his initial statement. as a practical matter, football is nowhere near in danger of being cut. www.footballscoop.com/news/200136-facing-massive-budget-shortfalls-hawaii-may-soon-have-to-drop-football"Later Monday, Jay clarified his statement. "My comments at the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics' meeting were made in order to convey a sense of urgency regarding the need to address our current funding model," Jay said in a statement. "In no way was I indicating that a decision on program reduction of any sport was under consideration. Rather, I was suggesting that the department's financial situation required that all possible scenarios be reviewed. Hopefully, going forward, there will be a priority placed on discussing the future financial needs of the UH Athletics Department. President David Lassner has expressed his support and we'll call upon our many loyal stakeholders to help us ensure that we remain competitive within the future landscape of intercollegiate athletics. We owe that to our student-athletes and passionate fans." "Foot-In-Mouth Disease
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Aug 29, 2014 15:16:45 GMT -5
Collins-Parker's legacy is secure, but she'd like to beat Shoji
By Cindy Luis, Star-Advertiser
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 29, 2014
In a word, dominating.
That would be both the Hawaii volleyball teams of 1982 and '83 — a combined 67-3 with two NCAA titles — and the Rainbow Wahine's No. 11. More than 30 years have passed, but Deitre Collins-Parker's legacy remains.
A three-time All-American. A two-time Broderick Award winner for volleyball. And, in 1983, the Broderick Cup winner as the best female athlete in college sports.
The 1988 Olympian and UH Sports Circle of Honor inductee still ranks in the program's top 10 lists in six career categories, including No. 2 in block solos (209). Yet one thing has eluded the head coach of San Diego State, which faces No. 25 Arizona State in Friday's opening match of the Chevron Invitational.
"No, I haven't beaten Dave yet," Collins-Parker said of her former college coach. "I would like to but I may be running out of time."
It might not happen Sunday. Collins-Parker said her young team will be missing two projected starters — 6-foot-2 freshman middle Deja Harris and 6-2 redshirt freshman Alexis Cage, the daughter of Aztec basketball great and NBA rebounding champ Michael.
"We've been a little injured, at one point we had seven players out," she said. "And we're young. I normally wouldn't have brought my team this year but Dave asked and we needed it for our scheduling, which has been a bear. It's getting harder and harder for mid-majors.
"I'm glad we're here for his 40th (season). That is exciting. Oh my gosh, how great is it for someone to have the longevity in our sport, have accomplished all the things that he has done, with the program remaining at the high level it has."
Collins-Parker bemoans the fact that middle blockers such as herself are rarely six-rotation players, the game giving way to the libero and defensive specialist substitutions.
Her "bigs" train to serve and pass because "you never know when you'll be stuck (with no more substitutions) and you'll need them," the AVCA Hall of Fame inductee said. "Everyone should be able to handle a free ball and dig.
"It's disheartening that young middle blockers are coming up and can't pass or play defense. Coming from the program that I did and an era where you did everything, I'm shocked at the specialization. I know I was considered the serving target but, as Dave told me after looking at old tapes, ‘You weren't bad at passing.'"
In her sixth season on Montezuma Mesa, Collins-Parker continues her quest to build an elite program, one that will be a consistent power, not just in the Mountain West Conference, but in the West. And 54-year-old Peterson Gym was redone over the summer, in line with the team's theme of "A New Era."
"It's a volleyball gym, no longer a volleyball court in a basketball gym," said Collins-Parker, who also played one season of basketball for Hawaii. "Volleyball is the main focus. It's great for our fans and for this group of players who are a part of our new era of volleyball."
The field (last year's record in parenthesis):
No. 17 Hawaii (25-5): The Rainbow Wahine return three starters from the team that was upset in the NCAA tournament's second round by BYU. However, one of those starters, sophomore hitter and AVCA sand All-American Nikki Taylor is out indefinitely with an elbow injury.
Scheduled to start against Ohio in the season opener are returnees Kalei Adolpho, a senior middle, and junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao.
Four other Hawaii prep products will likely join Adolpho (Molokai) and Manu-Olevao (Punahou) in the lineup — setter Tayler Higgins (Punahou), libero Savannah Kahakai (Farrington), and outside hitters Ginger Long (Kamehameha-Maui) and junior transfer Keani Passi (Pearl City). The other starter will be Arizona transfer Olivia Magill.
Freshman outside Kalei Greeley is expected to be in the mix for all three matches. It is pretty much a given that she will start Sunday's match against San Diego State because Manu-Olevao will sit out due to religious beliefs.
Ohio (27-6 ): The Bobcats, the favorite again to win the Mid-American Conference, return five starters from the squad that claimed the school's 10th MAC regular-season title in 11 years. Named to the preseason All-MAC East Division team were senior hitter Kelly Lambert, junior setter Abby Gilleland and junior middle Karin Bull.
AVCA All-America honorable mentions Lambert and Gilleland give Ohio the distinction of being the only team in the country with two conference players of the year on the roster, Lambert in 2012 and Gilleland 2013. Lambert was ranked eighth in the MAC in kills (3.14 kps) and Gilleland was fourth in the MAC in assists (10.69 aps).
Bull was fourth in the conference in blocks (1.22 bps). Junior libero Meredith Ashy averaged 4.48 digs in playing all 122 sets. Ohio is 0-1 against Hawaii, swept during the 2008 Hawaiian Airlines Classic.
Coach Dean Webb makes his debut with Ohio after 11 seasons at Belmont, where he was the school's all-time winningest coach (207-138). His Bruins were swept by the Wahine in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA tournament at USC.
No. 25 Arizona State (19-14): The Sun Devils open the season ranked for the first time since 1996. ASU returns four starters from a team that might have changed Hawaii's postseason fortunes in 2013 had the Sun Devils not lost in five to BYU in last December's NCAA tournament first round at the Stan Sheriff Center. (The Cougars went on to sweep host Hawaii the next night).
Among the returnees are outside hitters Macey Gardner (4.56 kps, 2.47 dps) and BreElle Bailey (3.08 kps, 0.56 bps). Also back is senior reserve setter Shannan McCready (Punahou 2011), third in aces (19) and fourth in digs (244)
The Sun Devils are picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12. UH leads the series 8-1.
San Diego State (15-14): Collins-Parker brings her Aztecs back to Honolulu for the second time in three season. SDSU, picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West, went 1-2, finishing third in the 2012 Outrigger Resorts Challenge.
The Aztecs lost a majority of their offense from a year ago, including Summer Nash and her 352 kills. Returning is senior right-side hitter Chaiymin Steel (2.07 kps).
Among the five redshirts is versatile sophomore middle Jessica Pino, a transfer from UC Santa Barbara.
Hawaii leads the all-time series 38-3 and has won the past 22 meetings. SDSU's last victory was in 1985, when the Aztecs split the PCAA regular-season series with the Wahine, the first year of UH's conference membership.
CHEVRON RAINBOW WAHINE INVITATIONAL At Stan Sheriff Center FRIDAY'S MATCHES
» No. 25 Arizona State vs. San Diego State, 5 p.m. » Ohio vs. No. 17 Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. » TV: Hawaii matches on OC Sports (Ch. 16) » Radio: UH matches on KKEA 1420-AM
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Post by mcman27 on Aug 29, 2014 15:25:12 GMT -5
With all of the questions/injuries/new faces, this first weekend schedule looks just right to me. Challenging yet all winnable matches. Go 'Bows.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Aug 29, 2014 15:25:14 GMT -5
Will this be Dave Shoji's final season coaching the Wahine?POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 29, 2014 STAR-ADVERTISER / 2013 Rainbow Wahine volleyball head coach Dave ShojiWill this be Dave Shoji’s final season coaching the Wahine and how far will this team go? CINDY LUIS Star-Advertiser sports reporter One thing is a given about Dave Shoji's retirement plans. He has said, heading into his 40th season at Hawaii, that he won't be around for his 50th. He will be the Rainbow Wahine coach for as long as he finds it enjoyable and challenging. He loves teaching young people, something he expected would be his career track as an educator at some level prior to his taking over the Rainbow Wahine program in 1975. Shoji has stayed relevant in the sport and with his players, continually adapting to both. That includes allowing music in the practice gym for the first time in 40 years and accepting -- not completely approving -- the Wahine's song choices. This could be one of his more challenging seasons. The Wahine lost quite a bit of experience from 2013. But what Hawaii has gained is overall athleticism and a somewhat more aggressive approach on offense. As Shoji said, he might not be coaching more with so many new players this season, but he is coaching harder. He wants his players to succeed individually and as a team. A fifth national title in 2014? Unlikely. Another NCAA tournament appearance. Probable. Just how far Hawaii gets in the tournament will depend on a number of factors, many that are out of the Wahine's control. The odds seem stacked against them, regardless of record: the way the selection process favors the power conferences, the RPI and seeding that rarely makes sense, the bracketing. All will dictate Hawaii's postseason fate. This team should surprise people, and not in the way that last year's did by being swept out of the NCAA tournament in the second round -- at home -- by BYU. FERD LEWIS Star-Advertiser sports columnist If this were a movie, then the fitting finish would be Dave Shoji hoisting a fifth national championship banner at the NCAA final four in Oklahoma City in December. But even 40 years of pioneering work and standing as the all-time winningest coach doesn't assure a Hollywood ending to a remarkable career. This Rainbow Wahine team -- and its coach -- will have to work for everything it gets in what is likely his aloha season. If Nikki Taylor's right (hitting) elbow doesn't make it back to full strength, UH will be hard-pressed to win the Big West Conference and its 20th consecutive league title. Even with Taylor, the Rainbow Wahine will need a lot of new, young players to come around for UH to get beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament. DAVE REARDON Star-Advertiser sports columnist Asked and unanswered. It's like changing the clock, a biannual ritual. We ask Dave Shoji before the season and again at the end of it if he's going to retire. In the politest of terms he tells us it's a fair question but that he is undecided. I was told last year that he promised Nikki Taylor, now a sophomore, that he'd stay through her UH career. But that's third-hand, and even Honest Dave can't be held to everything he might have said while recruiting. Remember those Magic 8 Balls? I've been asking mine all day about Shoji's future. I keep getting "Reply hazy, try again," "Ask again later," "Better not tell you now," "Concentrate and ask again." You want to know if Dave Shoji's retiring from coaching, perhaps to work in the UH administration as he and athletic director Ben Jay have talked about? Keep your eye on his Twitter feed. That's how he announced that he'd be back for this year. As for how the Rainbow Wahine fare on the court this year, all I know is they will finish better than 2013 when they were swept by BYU on their home court in the second round of the NCAA tournament. MIKE CHERRY Hawaii News Now sports anchor This is a question I believe no one, not even Dave Shoji, knows the answer to, not yet anyway. Players we spoke to are split. Some say they're treating this as his last hurrah; others feel there is plenty of gas left in the tank. Navigating that fork in the road could be dictated by the success, or lack thereof, of the Wahine this season. An NCAA appearance is likely. But a deep postseason run hasn't happened since UH went to the NCAA semis in 2009. Should the Wahine duplicate or exceed that sort of success, I think it's foreseeable that Shoji returns for his 41st season. Anything less and the passing of the torch might be inevitable.
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Post by thesnakeguy on Aug 29, 2014 15:31:25 GMT -5
McCready is injured and won't be playing.
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Post by StuffU on Aug 29, 2014 15:31:47 GMT -5
With all of the questions/injuries/new faces, this first weekend schedule looks just right to me. Challenging yet all winnable matches. Go 'Bows. Arizona State is going to be a tough out. Without Taylor to match ASU's Gardner, I anticipate a Wahine home opener loss. I'd be happy to be wrong on this one! :-)
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Post by mcman27 on Aug 29, 2014 15:45:32 GMT -5
With all of the questions/injuries/new faces, this first weekend schedule looks just right to me. Challenging yet all winnable matches. Go 'Bows. Arizona State is going to be a tough out. Without Taylor to match ASU's Gardner, I anticipate a Wahine home opener loss. I'd be happy to be wrong on this one! :-) I hear you and I agree, ASU won't be easy. I'm choosing complete positivity this year. I'm not vocal about it here on VT, but I definitely was very hard on Olevao and Long last season. I am beginning to understand my role as a fan. Cheer louder than ever this year, the Wahine need it.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Aug 29, 2014 16:46:25 GMT -5
With all of the questions/injuries/new faces, this first weekend schedule looks just right to me. Challenging yet all winnable matches. Go 'Bows. Arizona State is going to be a tough out. Without Taylor to match ASU's Gardner, I anticipate a Wahine home opener loss. I'd be happy to be wrong on this one! :-) I will be happy for you to be wrong too. I think this new version of the Wahine will surprise but at this point, I don't know if the surprise will be good or bad.
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Post by StuffU on Aug 29, 2014 17:11:12 GMT -5
Arizona State is going to be a tough out. Without Taylor to match ASU's Gardner, I anticipate a Wahine home opener loss. I'd be happy to be wrong on this one! :-) I will be happy for you to be wrong too. I think this new version of the Wahine will surprise but at this point, I don't know if the surprise will be good or bad. Agreed. I just hope Nikki is back on the floor when I fly in for the 3rd weekend of matches.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Aug 30, 2014 23:08:58 GMT -5
Wahine sweep by OhioBy Cindy Luis, Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 30, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 02:12 a.m. HST, Aug 30, 2014 CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM Ginger Long battled at the net with Ohio’s Karin Bull and Abby Gilleland. The opening-night jitters were to be expected. Especially for a team with just two returning starters, a new setter and no designated star. No official go-to player meant go to a committee, which is what No. 17 Hawaii did Friday night. The Rainbow Wahine used 11 of their 16 players in a hard-fought 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 sweep of Ohio in the second match of the Chevron Invitational. turnstile crowd of 5,588 saw Hawaii win its sixth consecutive home opener, running its record to 18-2 in the Stan Sheriff Center. Junior middle Olivia Magill put down 10 kills and junior Tai Manu-Olevao added nine to lead a balanced attack for Hawaii, which will face No. 25 Arizona State in Saturday's 8:30 p.m. match. The Sun Devils needed just 69 minutes to dispatch San Diego State 25-18, 25-21, 25-15. The Aztecs, coached by Rainbow Wahine great Deitre Collins-Parker, take on the Bobcats at 5:30 p.m. Senior middle Kalei Adolpho and junior hitter Ginger Long each had eight kills, with Long finishing with 35 attacks, one more swing than she took all of last season. Senior Sarah Mendoza, in her first start at libero, finished with a career-high 24 digs as the Wahine out-dug the Bobcats 63-51. "It was a great win, huge for our team," said Adolpho, hitting .467 with just one error. "We're still finding ourselves, our identity. "It wasn't pretty tonight. We know we are better than how we were playing. It was a matter of getting into a rhythm." It was ragged throughout, but, when needed, Hawaii found a way. The Wahine fended off every challenge by the Bobcats. "For us, it's been part of our practice culture," said sophomore setter Tayler Higgins, who added four kills on six attacks. "Every time they came back on us, we settled down and focused on the next point. Keep moving and keep moving forward." It was a tight match for most of the 99 minutes, particularly in Set 3, which saw 11 ties, the last at 16. A hitting error by Ohio senior hitter Kelly Lamberti set up a decisive 3-0 serving run by Higgins that put Hawaii up 20-17. At 23-20, the Wahine finished it off on a 3-meter kill from Manu-Olevao and the aloha-ball swing by Adolpho. Senior Hannah Burkle, in her first start as a right-side hitter, led Ohio with nine kills. The Bobcats, committed to tough serving, finished with five aces to two by the Wahine, both by freshman Savannah Kahakai. "I thought we were fairly balanced tonight," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "Ginger probably took too many swings, but a couple of times she had two, three swings on the same play. She did exactly what we needed her to do, kept attacking, and we were happy with the way she responded and didn't back down. "Tai didn't hit over 30 percent in any practice we've had and she hit 30 tonight, which was huge for her. Magill never got on track, but she ended up leading the team (in kills)." Double-teaming Magill was part of Ohio's game plan, first-year Bobcats coach Deane Webb said. Magill jumps so high, we committed on her," he said. "She's not a kid you want to react to (late) and hope it goes well. "I think late in the game mature decisions come into play and Hawaii was a little better at that late. Every point is just a point, but sometimes, at the end, they seem bigger." 3 HAWAII
0 OHIO
KEY: Wahine show offensive balance as four players combine for 35 kills
NEXT: UH vs. Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, OC Sports (Ch. 16) Arizona State 3, San Diego State 0The Sun Devils had 15 service errors, but that didn't bother coach Jason Watson. He would rather look at the eight aces and what didn't show up in the box score: the tough serving that kept the Aztecs out of system for much of the match and had them hitting .062. Also key for ASU was outblocking San Diego State 3-0 in Set 3 when pulling away. McKenzie Willey and Macey Gardner each had 10 kills, and Whitney Follete put down eight kills with no errors on 14 swings for the Sun Devils, who hit .295. ASU was an impressive .440 in Set 3 with no errors, with 11 kills on 25 attempts. The Aztecs got six kills each from Chaiymin Steel and Baylee Little. Seeing her college debut in the middle of Set 2 was freshman setter Courtney Eckenrode, the 2014. USA Today and MaxPreps National Player of the Year. More Photos by CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM, full gallery here.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Aug 31, 2014 13:58:22 GMT -5
Arizona State blanks UHBy Cindy Luis, Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 31, 2014 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM UH’s Olivia Magill hit against Arizona State’s Mercedes Binns during the late match Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.It was late all the way around. A late start complete with late comebacks. "It's already tomorrow for us," Arizona State coach Jason Watson joked after his 25th-ranked Sun Devils upset No. 17 Hawaii 25-21, 25-23, 25-23 Saturday night. "We didn't come in with expectations of being 2-0. We were excited about the opportunity to play in the most iconic volleyball arena in the country. "To have 6,000 people here after a heartbreaking football loss says so much about this community and the support for the sport. It is a privilege to play here against Hawaii and against coach Dave Shoji." The turnstile crowd of 4,182 saw ASU (2-0) all but clinch the title of the Chevron Invitational by being good when it counted, and that was at the end of each set. The Rainbow Wahine (1-1), with Shoji using multiple lineups and switching liberos, were good enough at points but not consistent to pull things through. "We frittered away too many points," Shoji said. "When you lose 25-23 it's basically one point. One point that goes your way that doesn't go the way of the other team. "The important thing is to bounce back tomorrow." Hawaii will face San Diego State in the tournament finale at 5:30 p.m. The Aztecs (0-2) fell to Ohio 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 in Saturday's first match. The Bobcats (1-1) take on the Sun Devils at 3 p.m. Junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao led Hawaii with nine kills, while freshman hitter Kalei Greeley came off the bench in Set 2 for six. With Manu-Olevao sitting out Sunday matches for religious beliefs, Shoji said Greeley will get her first career start. Greeley was already thinking about what to improve upon. "We were right there," she said. "We just couldn't push past and get the points when we needed them. "For me personally, I need to calm down and play my game." Greeley was unafraid to take the big swings when called upon. She and junior middle Olivia Magill also teamed to block the 6-foot-4 BreElle Bailey — daughter of former NBA player Thurl — to give Hawaii a 15-13 lead at the technical timeout in Set 3. Shoji tried a little bit of everything, including using freshman middle-turned-hitter Megan Huff on both the right and left sides. The Wahine used 12 of their 16 players. The Sun Devils used nine and at times only needed one: junior hitter Macey Gardner. She came up big time after time, bailing ASU out from all positions on the court and finishing with 16 kills. "I can't speak highly enough of Macey and what she means to our team," Watson said. "If she's not the best player to come through our program, I'd like to meet who is. "Why aren't we still playing? It's not that we were great all the time, but we were a little better late in Games 2 and 3." Hawaii had its chances, particularly in Set 2 when leading 21-17. The Wahine couldn't hold on and were outscored 8-2 to give ASU a 2-0 lead at intermission. Even when swapping out liberos in Set 3, with freshman Savannah Kahakai in for senior Sarah Mendoza, and with a very young lineup that included freshmen Greeley, Huff and setter Kendra Koelsch, the Wahine looked capable of turning it around. ASU caught Hawaii at 15. There were be five more ties, the last at 23. Whitney Follette's kills gave the Sun Devils match point, with Greeley hitting wide to end it. 3 ASU 0 HAWAII
NEXT: UH vs. San Diego State, 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.OHIO 3, SAN DIEGO STATE 1Kelly Lamberti put down 22 kills and Jamie Kosiorek added 10 for the Bobcats. Libero Meredith Ashy had 22 of the team's 65 digs. For the Aztecs, Ciara Brown had a team-high 11 kills. SDSU had 73 digs, 22 by libero Devyn Pritchard. More photos by GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Sept 1, 2014 14:14:20 GMT -5
Greeley comes throughBy Cindy Luis, Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 01, 2014 LAST UPDATED: 04:40 a.m. HST, Sep 01, 2014 BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii freshman Kalei Greeley put a kill past San Diego State’s Chloe Mathis during the second set on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center. One snap and clear. It was the mentality that June Jones, the former Hawaii football coach, had when moving past a bad play, a bad game, a bad loss. Those words came back to life Sunday when the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team rebounded from being swept late Saturday night by No. 25 Arizona State with a ragged-but-entertaining 25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 25-14 victory over San Diego State. A holiday eve announced crowd of 4,554 saw a future star in freshman hitter Kalei Greeley, who put down a match-high 15 kills in her first career start. Two other newcomers finished with 11 kills each in junior transfers Olivia Magill and Keani Passi. In Sunday's opener, No. 25 Arizona State turned back Ohio 25-16, 24-26, 26-24, 24-26, 15-8 to claim the championship. MVP Macey Gardner finished with 18 kills and 11 digs to lead the Sun Devils. It was Greeley's hitting error that ended Saturday's match against ASU. She said she replayed it in her mind overnight. "It is always hard to forget a loss," said Greeley, replacing junior Tai Manu-Olevao, who sat out for religious beliefs. "I was thinking about it all night, but I knew that we had fans looking forward to tonight's game as our redemption. "I said to myself, ‘It's time to move on and look at that next game.' I was looking forward to the start and was pumped all day." It translated to a statistical line that was a "pretty incredible first game for a freshman," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. Greeley finished hitting .433, with two errors in 30 swings. She wasn't the only one hitting efficiently — Passi came back from a slow start to hit .391, with just two errors, and Magill had one error, hitting .455. In fact, Hawaii as a team got off to a very hot start against San Diego State (0-3), with no hitting errors in all of Set 1 (15-0-37). The Wahine didn't have an error until their 54th attempt, that coming with a 17-9 lead in Set 2. Even more impressive was freshman Savannah Kahakai, whose court time during the tournament had been in the back row as a defensive specialist and libero. In Set 4, the All-State hitter out of Farrington made an emphatic debut in the front row. Within six plays, the 5-foot-7 Kahakai had a solo stuff of 6-foot Baylee Little and put down her first kill in giving Hawaii a 20-11 lead. Minutes later, her ace put an exclamation point on the 1-hour, 52-minute match. "It was fun to see (Kahakai) swinging away," said Magill, who was in on six of the team's blocks. "I think we all responded well tonight, which is a reflection of how we bounced back from a hard loss. "I know for me, my connection with (setter Tayler Higgins) was a lot better. If we had gone 0-3, that would have been a huge red flag. We're 2-1 and will go back and work on skills. There is a lot to improve on." It's a short week for Hawaii, which takes Monday off before returning to practice Tuesday. The Wahine host the 27th Hawaiian Airlines Invitational featuring New Mexico, Oregon and St. John's. The event runs Thursday through Saturday, with UH's match with St. John's on Saturday at noon to avoid the 4:30 p.m. kickoff for football. The one skill the team will work on is serving. Hawaii committed 17 errors, seven in Set 1 alone. 3 HAWAII
1 SDSU
NEXT: UH vs. New Mexico, 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.ASU 3, OHIO 2Some nine months ago, the Sun Devils saw their season ended by BYU in the NCAA tournament's first round in Honolulu. On Sunday, they left the Sheriff Center with a very different feeling as well as a 3-0 record. Gardner broke open what had been a tight match with a 7-0 serving run in Set 5 that gave ASU a commanding 9-1 lead. BreElle Bailey added 13 kills and Whitney Follette 12. The Sun Devils had four players in double-figure digs, led by a match-high 19 from libero Halle Harker. Setter Bianca Arellano added 15 digs to go with 47 assists. The Bobcats won the block war 15-14, with Shelby Walker in on eight. Ohio also outdug ASU 69-64, led by libero Meredith Ashy's 18. Outside hitter Kelly Lamberti finished with a match-high 20 kills and added 17 digs. Jaime Kosiorek had eight aces and 13 kills. More photos by BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM, and the full gallery is here.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Sept 1, 2014 14:18:23 GMT -5
These Rainbow Wahine have ups and downs ahead
By Dave Reardon, Star-Advertiser
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 01, 2014
The University of Hawaii volleyball faithful finally got to see a bona fide Rainbow Wahine go-to terminator Sunday night, three matches into the season.
But she was sitting on the opponents' bench, and her eligibility was expended long ago.
Rainbow Wahine legend Deitre Collins is now the San Diego State coach.
The UH player who is supposed to be this year's big star, sophomore outside Nikki Taylor, will still be very limited in upcoming practices and coach Dave Shoji said he doesn't expect her to play in a match for at least another week.
"I'm hoping she can do something in the gym this week, but she's definitely not ready for a match yet," he said.
Considering Taylor's absence and an almost entirely new starting lineup, UH's 2-1 start is about what you might expect. And the young Wahine did well to forget about being swept by Arizona State on Saturday to bounce back and take down the Aztecs in four sets.
It also gave freshman Kalei Greeley some opportunities she otherwise wouldn't have had, and Shoji gave her an "attagirl" following Sunday's match-high 15-kill performance. Just two errors in 30 swings is outstanding for a freshman.
But Greeley knows she must improve on the four service errors. In fact, the Wahine in general were a disaster from behind the line for the first three sets.
"I can't believe we served 17 out or into the net," Shoji said, adding that he thinks it could be the most service errors ever in a match in his 40 years of coaching.
It had to be tempting to tell everyone to just lob it in, but it's a good thing setter Tayler Higgins continued to serve aggressively, because it basically ignited a 25-14 fourth-set rout to close the match. That was after SDSU took advantage of a couple of Wahine mistakes near the end of the third to win it 25-23.
"We definitely were concerned about the service errors as the game went on," Higgins said. "But especially since I'm a spin server I have to serve aggressively."
Someone asked me late Friday night if UH won its opener against Ohio in a clean sweep. I described it more as a dirty sweep, because all three sets were close, but the Wahine showed some tenacity during crucial points after trailing in all three against the gritty Bobcats.
Then Saturday it was the opposite as UH fell victim to the broom by ASU, but it wasn't like the Wahine were blown out.
They beat SDSU without hitter Tai Manu-Olevao, who doesn't play on Sundays for religious reasons. But she made the all-tournament team based on solid play the first two nights.
UH looks solid in the middle with Olivia Magill and Kalei Adolpho, but Shoji says to expect a roller-coaster ride even when Taylor returns. It's just going to be that kind of year.
"We have to mix and match," he said.
Higgins said she was happy to spread the swings around, and agrees that will make her and the team better in the long run.
The Wahine won't dominate every match, but as they get to know each other they will continue to improve — with or without their biggest name player in the lineup.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.
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Post by madonna on Sept 1, 2014 15:49:55 GMT -5
One of the things I liked about this past weekend, was seeing several former Wahine players there under the SSC roof on the same night. Kahumoku-Olteanu, Ljungquist, Anderson-Ambrozich, Kaaihue, Strand-Maa, Longo, Ah Mow-Santos and Collins-Parker. I am sure even Kamanao-Kaaihue was there too, since she attends a lot of the home matches.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Sept 3, 2014 13:56:03 GMT -5
Olivia Magill's latest chapter has been a really good readThe transfer from Arizona is athletic, coachable, competitive -- and fits right in with her new teammatesBy Cindy Luis, Star-AdvertiserPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 03, 2014 BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM Three matches into the season, middle blocker Olivia Magill leads the Wahine in kills with 25.In the Olivia Magill Library, there are many sections. Some expected, more that are not. Mythology. Medieval History. Travel. Cats & Dogs (her family has sphinxes and Great Danes). There's even a special stack for video games, heavy on "Pokemon." And, for the self-described bookish nerd, there are tomes on volleyball, as thick as the 1,000 pages of each of George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" books she also enjoys. Tyrion and Teraflex are happily co-existing in the world Magill is creating for herself in Hawaii. The junior middle blocker made her debut in the Stan Sheriff Center nearly a year ago, playing for Arizona in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Volleyball Challenge. The Seattle native was named to the all-tournament team, but the lasting impression was not of the monkeypod award bowl but that of the fans. "You hear so much about Hawaii, but it's so different when you actually play in front of all these people who appreciate volleyball," the 6-foot-1 Magill said. "I remember saying to my teammates how cool it was. "Now, I'm part of it. I like that volleyball is really respected. And, as a woman, it feels really good that volleyball is so valued. At Arizona, it was basketball and football, and volleyball was a whatever. Here, you are respected for what you do. " That she is here seems straight out of the realm of fantasy. Despite leading Arizona in blocks her first two seasons, Magill decided to transfer. Initially there wasn't a scholarship available, but with the unexpected transfer of junior middle Jade Vorster to Liberty during the spring semester, one materialized. Magill traded sands, desert for the beach. Three matches in, she's already made an impact for No. 20 Hawaii. Magill leads the team in kills (25) and blocks (11) after playing in all 10 sets. It comes as no surprise to Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji. When discussing her with good friend Dave Rubio, the Arizona coach, he was told, "This kid is an athlete (touches 10-foot-7). You'll really like her.' "She's been a joy to coach," Shoji said. "She has a lot of range and works hard at getting better. She's been a great addition to the team." Half of this year's 16-player roster is new. Magill said it made the transition easier since she wasn't the only newcomer. "Everyone was so welcoming. The other players and all the coaches have made me feel a part of a family," she said. "Our team is very diverse, but we all seem to have different things in common. Megan (freshman Huff) and I are both from Washington, Tayler (setter Higgins) and I talk about 'Game of Thrones.' "I feel really close to all of them. And volleyball is the huge connector for all of us." "It was easy for her to become a part of us," senior middle Kalei Adolpho said. "She'd already been in college, knew what was expected, she had it down. "She's calm out there but very competitive. That's what I love about her, her competitiveness. She is here to win and that's our common connection." Magill's connection to Hawaii runs deep. Her family visited the Big Island when she was 7 and "I thought it was the greatest place ever," she said. Her mother's ex-husband was from Maui and she has relatives on Oahu. All of it has helped with becoming comfortable an ocean away from her close-knit family in Seattle. "I didn't consider coming here as a freshman because it seemed so far away, plus I wanted to play in the Pac-12," Magill said. "But being away helps you grow. I wouldn't be who I am today if I had stayed in Seattle. "Everyone back home is really excited for me -- my family, my friends, my former club teammates. Nothing beats this. I told our (Wahine) players how thankful they should be to play for coaches like Dave, Scott (associate head coach Wong) and Robyn (assistant coach Ah Mow-Santos). Not many programs have such a rich history and coaches so willing to make you better. "The grass is truly greener." Taylor cleared to passSophomore hitter Nikki Taylor was cleared to begin passing in practice on Tuesday. Taylor has been out since hyper-extending her right elbow on her hitting arm in July.
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