Rainbow Wahine sweep up Spartans
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Second-ranked Hawai'i threw a lineup together last night and swept San Jose State, a team that is well aware of how difficult it is to improvise in volleyball.
The Rainbow Wahine (18-0) kept their unbeaten season alive, and their lead in the WAC West intact, with the 30-12, 30-22, 30-23 victory. In the process, they set a UH record for consecutive games won. Going into tonight's WAC match with second-place Fresno State, Hawai'i has won 39 in a row, its last game loss coming seven weeks ago.
It owned last night's match — watched by about 4,300 at Stan Sheriff Center — from the singing of "Hawai'i Pono'i" on, despite a sloppy final game and a lineup created minutes before the match.
All-America Kim Willoughby did not attend pre-game practice and told UH coach Dave Shoji she was suffering from stomach flu. She warmed up before the match, but did not play. All-region middle blocker Maja Gustin did, for the first time since a stress fracture was found in her foot opening week. With Nohea Tano out due to a sprained ankle, Shoji drew up a lineup that featured new faces in three places.
Lauren Duggins, the WAC's leading blocker, moved to Tano's hitting position. Freshman Susie Boogaard got her first college start on the left side, for Willoughby. Gustin played middle, coming back to a warm ovation, but was limited in her hitting and blocking to protect her weak left foot, which was rehabilitated strictly in the swimming pool until last Sunday.
"I feel a little tired now," Gustin said, then grinned. "Swimming and volleyball, there is a big difference. I'm good now in swimming. I'm coming back in volleyball."
She called herself "95 percent" healthy. She was nearly perfect the first two games, going 7-for-12 without an error. Her game fell off at the end along with her teammates. The Spartans caught the Rainbows at 17 in the final game but didn't have enough offense to pull ahead.
SJSU (10-11, 4-3 WAC) reached the NCAA Tournament's second round 11 months ago and has won 20 matches each of the last four seasons. But from the moment "heir apparent" setter Lindsey Rule slipped a disc in December, the Spartans' fortunes have rested on her fragile back. Every night has been an adventure for the team that has provided Hawai'i's most serious WAC challenge the past three seasons, and nearly beat the 'Bows in San Jose last year.
"Setting is everything," SJSU coach Craig Choate said. "Lindsey missed almost every day of spring. She never had a chance to get better. She didn't heal over the summer. Because the setting isn't what we'd hoped, it affects everything — hitting obviously, then your blocking and defense. It's a vicious circle. It has hurt us badly. But it's not a situation where we can get mad at anybody. ... It's all about offense and we can't generate it."
The Spartans' game goes up and down depending on Rule's level of discomfort, according to Stephanie Pascucci, who has anchored what offense SJSU has mustered with Kimberly Noble. Those two hit a combined .045 last night while Lily Kahumoku, Hawai'i's other All-American, blasted 19 kills at a .471 clip. Karin Lundqvist added a season-high 10 kills.
"When Stephanie and Lindsey are front row against Lily, and she gets a decent set off the net, it's an open court for her," says Choate, who has only one 6-footer. "You're talking about an All-American outside who is just going to go higher than we are."
The Spartans hit a negative percentage in a first game Hawai'i owned. Choate started Christina Lukens, a defensive specialist her first three years, at setter. San Jose's attack never found a rhythm, with hitters adjusting in mid-air while Lukens tenaciously tried to adjust to the role that has been thrust upon her more than once this season.
Rule set the last two games and the Spartans put together an erratic attack. It wasn't enough as the Rainbow Wahine hit .513 in Game 2 and then wore SJSU down in the third.
"To be honest, I thought we played pretty good in Games 2 and 3," Choate said. "That's how much better Hawai'i is than we are. There's no shame in that. Game 1, we were kind of horrible."
"Really awful" was what Shoji called it. "But they got better and better as the match went on," he said. "They hit well in the second game and up until about 21 in the third game they were hitting well again. They just couldn't finish."
Pascucci says the Spartans' focus now is simply to keep some confidence: "I think that's the big key. When you have a team as small as we are, all you can do is play with heart and confidence."
And avoid playing the country's No. 2 team if at all possible.
"We're having a season where almost nothing has gone our direction, and then you come and play No. 2, and they're really, really good, and of course nothing goes your way because nothing has so far," Choate said. "Kim didn't even play and they're a fabulous team. It scares me to think she could be out on the floor next time."
