Wahine improved on road
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
What the 13th-ranked University of Hawai'i Wahine brought back from their latest 8,800-mile odyssey was much more than four victories.
Every win was more emphatic than the one before. There was no letdown, even against volleyball teams barely up to the challenge.
The Wahine (10-4, 3-0) go into this weekend's WAC matches against UTEP (tonight at 7) and Southern Methodist (Sunday at 4 p.m.) on a roll that only accelerated the farther they got from home. They come into tonight's match on a seven-match winning streak and hoping to build on their overwhelming road success.
"We really did play better than we did at home," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "I think it started with the second Santa Clara match. We really took away the strengths of the other teams and executed the skills well. We were steady and consistent. It was good preparation by the team. They were very efficient."
No one brought that feeling home quite like UH sophomore Kim Willoughby, now the country's most prolific hitter at 6.35 kills a game. Ironically, her "worst" match on the trip came at Louisiana Tech — a 6-hour drive from her home in Napoleonville.
"I kept thinking I've just got to get the ball in and I kept hitting it out," Willoughby said. "My mother looked at me during a timeout and said, 'Don't do that.' After that, I didn't have one single hitting error. Then I served like nine in a row. That's the impact she has on me. It was really sweet."
Nearly 50 people came to watch Willoughby that night. Her mother, Lula Mae, hadn't seen her play in four years, since she was paralyzed in an accident. She walked into Louisiana Tech using a cane.
After the match, Kim cried with her mother — "It was just so hard to let her leave" — then went out with friends until 2 a.m.
"I felt like I was home even though I was away," Willoughby said. "Louisiana Tech is not close to my home, but they made me feel like no matter where you are in Louisiana, you are home."
One of those friends was former high school coach Sandy Fussell, who rushed her team from its Saturday morning match in "the cane fields and country roads" of Napoleonville to the "big city" of Ruston. It was worth the long ride.
Willoughby caught up with everyone throughout the day and night. Fussell got a good look at the revamped Wahine, who have shuffled or replaced every starter from last season.
Her analysis? Lots of talent and a tough 1-2 punch in Willoughby and Maja Gustin. "It was nice to see those two pound," Fussell said.
Even Willoughby's slow start brought back sweet memories.
"I don't know if you can put it in the same context," Fussell said, "but the role Kim is playing this year is a lot like what she played at the high school level. There's no way you can compare the two, but in high school she was obviously the go-to person and the pressure was always on her to pull us through. She may be feeling the same type of pressure now, though I don't know if she knows what that word means.
"And it was funny, because I saw the same reaction in her I used to see in high school. When she'd get stopped, it was almost as if she would say give me the ball again so I can prove you can't do it twice."
At dinner, Fussell told Willoughby she wanted to retire her jersey at Assumption High School, "but only if I have your diploma in my hand." Willoughby promised the degree, then talked about when she will come home for good — to take Fussell's job.
"I'd love to see her come back to this area," Fussell said. "I got a chance to watch her growing up. The little 7- and 8-year-olds always ran to her when they saw her. It would be pretty special to see her coaching."
It has always been Willoughby's dream. But lately, she has expanded her horizons.
"I definitely still want Sandy's job," Willoughby says. "But if I don't take hers, I'll take Dave's. Whichever."
NOTES: For security reasons, all large handbags will be subject to search upon entering the Stan Sheriff Center for both matches.
