Kahumoku fought off flu, not her usual self
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS — Lily Kahumoku had nearly half her kills and digs in the first game last night, when she came out as animated as she's ever been despite the flu she suffered with the past two days. But ultimately, she lost the finesse and flourish that's helped Hawai'i into final fours the last two years she has played.
"That wasn't the real Lily out there," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "She won't make any excuses for herself but she just wasn't the same. She can put some pace on the ball and she's a force. She was just a little slow tonight."
Kahumoku finishes her junior season in seventh place on Hawai'i's career kills list, with 1,334. She is 51 back of 1983 Broderick Cup winner Deitre Collins, who watched last night's match. Collins, who coaches UNLV, will bring her team to Hawai'i for a match next season. The Rainbow Wahine are heading to Las Vegas for a Thanksgiving tournament.
Kim Willoughby is 27 kills from tying Teee Williams as the program's kills leader. Willoughby has 1,846 going into her senior season.
• USC tops Florida: Southern California defeated fourth-seeded Florida, 24-30, 30-25, 30-26, 30-24, in the other semifinal yesterday.
Stanford (33-4) and Southern California (30-1) met twice during the regular season and each team won a five-game match on the road. The Gators finished 34-3.
QUICK SETS: Logan Tom showed up at the post-match press conference in flip-flops and a lei, gifts from her aunt and father who had flown in from Hawai'i. ... The Rainbow Wahine had, by far, the biggest following in the arena last night, with some 500 scattered around. ... UH was the only school without a band at the semifinals. A recording of the school fight song was played once. ... Haiku's Leahi Hall served for Stanford in the second game but did not have any digs. ... Former UH All-American Suzanne Eagye Cox drove in from Tennessee to watch the final, with her husband and kids. ... USC's last national championship was in 1981, after the Trojans upset Hawai'i in the regional. The Rainbow Wahine rallied to beat USC in five games for the 1982 NCAA title. ... Florida won its first final-four game last night. It is now 0-6 in the championship. ... Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, UH's senior woman administrator, is putting together a bid for the 2003 regionals before the Jan. 10 deadline. The four sites will be picked in February. ... Long after the match ended the Rainbow Wahine, decked out in lei, were all sitting at a table signing autographs.
