No. 3-rated BYUH plays New Haven

Advertiser Staff

In the 25-degree winter wonderland of Canyon, Texas, the Brigham Young-Hawai'i women's volleyball team hopes to heat things up at today's NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

The third-ranked Seasiders (24-2) will play 25th-ranked New Haven (34-5) at 8 a.m. (HST) at West Texas A&M University's Event Center.

BYUH coach Wilfred Navalta called New Haven a "well-balanced team" with several experienced players from the U.S. Virgin Islands (middle hitter Lisette Jeppesen, setter Shemaka Smith) and one from Puerto Rico (defensive specialist Zuleyka Figueroa).

"They have some foreign influence that will stabilize their team," Navalta said. "They're not going to give us easy points."

In order to win, Navalta said the young Seasiders must maintain their composure.

"We're freshmen and sophomores," Navalta said. "I told our ladies if we play up to our level, we can definitely beat New Haven, but that's our challenge."