Wahine spike Mustangs
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Lily Kahumoku's mere presence seemed to calm third-ranked University of Hawai'i last night as it forgot Friday's volleyball struggles to blast by Cal Poly, 30-16, 30-18, 30-20, before 5,397 at Stan Sheriff Center.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Rainbows, who have won their first eight, play an exhibition match against Samorodok of Russia Tuesday. Their final warmups for the WAC season come Friday and Saturday, against Houston and St. Mary's.
Hawai'i's Lily Kahumoku, who missed Friday night's match against Cal Poly because of the flu, scored on a tip in last night's three-game sweep of Cal Poly.
San Luis Obispo (1-7) has lost its last seven. It was picked to finish fourth in the Big West behind fifth-ranked Long Beach State, 21st-ranked Pacific and 18th-ranked UC-Santa Barbara.
In Friday's series opener, the Mustangs hung tough against a Hawai'i team riddled by injury and, consequently, adjustments. With all-conference middle Maja Gustin still out with a stress fracture and All-America Kahumoku sick with the flu, the Rainbows threw together a new look and swept Cal Poly in three ragged games.
Last night, Kahumoku was back and Hawai'i went into cruise control from the opening moments. The Rainbow Wahine were louder — so were their coaches — and clearly had a sense of urgency. But they also seemed much more composed.
"Our attitude was much better tonight," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "It wasn't because Lily was in the lineup, we just had better preparation. We knew we were tested Friday and we knew we had to come out with a better attitude.
"Knowing Lily is there relaxes everybody. But they didn't know Lily was going to play until the last moment. I think the team prepared to play without her and I think it showed."
The only adjustments UH had to make last night dealt with SLO, which out-hit and out-blocked the 'Bows Friday. Cal Poly, which came in averaging nearly four stuffs a game, had one more block than the 'Bows last night, but the hitting was all Hawai'i. Its attack percentage was .461 — 165 points better than its average and nearly 300 points better than SLO, which simply could not cope.
"They made really good adjustments to what they saw yesterday out of us," SLO captain Molly Duncan said. "I don't think we adjusted to their adjustments. And we came out a little flat. There's no excuses.
"And, of course, their outsides are a really big part of their game. With Lily back ... you're used to playing with a certain lineup. When you get away from it, that can affect a team. Having her back I'm sure allowed them to get back in their rhythm."
At the top of the Hawai'i hit list, again, was All-America Kim Willoughby, who left near the end to a roar from the crowd. After collecting an unusually high 10 hitting errors Friday, she had but one last night to complement her 21 kills with a remarkable .606 hitting percentage. There were also 11 digs — twice she sprinted toward the bleachers to bring balls back, once returning for another dig next to the net — and two vicious liners off defender Gwen Hubbard's left shoulder.
But the compelling difference last night was that Willoughby had more help. Kahumoku put down 10 kills in just two games and Lauren Duggins (10 kills), Karin Lundqvist (8) and Nohea Tano (5) were flawless early and finished at .400-plus. It seemed as if everything setters Margaret Vakasausau and Jen Carey put up went down.
"I think we fooled their middle blockers a little," said Lundqvist, who is replacing Gustin. "There were a lot of (hitting) seams. Then it's way easier to hit. Even I, in the middle, almost wherever I went there was a good seam."
With Kahumoku immediately in sync, Hawai'i scored six of the first seven points in the match. As they did Friday, the Mustangs rallied, getting as close as 12-10 before the Rainbow Wahine began to score in bunches. Hawai'i hit .512 in Game 1, with Kahumoku and Willoughby combining on a dozen kills and Duggins (4 kills), Tano (2) and Lundqvist (2) going 8-for14 without an error. The percentage bounced up to .533 in Game 2. Carey came in the front row to set and immediately lifted the Rainbows on a 7-1 surge. The Mustangs never got closer than four again and, even with Kahumoku resting the third game, Hawai'i was in total control.
QUICK SETS: Melody Eckmier will rehabilitate her knee in the coming week and be evaluated again after next weekend's matches. ... Kim Willoughby's six aces Friday were the most for a Rainbow since Sarah Chase in 1992. ... Yesterday, sixth-ranked Florida upset top-ranked, and formerly unbeaten, Stanford, 30-18, 30-24, 30-25. ... The Cardinal was without 2001 national Player of the Year Logan Tom, who is with the U.S. national team at the World Championships. Florida All-America Aury Cruz just returned after playing with Puerto Rico in the World Championships. ... Southern California, ranked second for now, just welcomed freshman middle blocker Bibiana Candelas to school. Candelas, who played for Mexico at the World Championships, has yet to play for the 6-0 Trojans. ... Cal Poly's last trip to Hawai'i was in 1994. The Mustangs are 3-26 in their series with UH. ... Their last victory came in 1989 when they ended the Rainbow Wahine's 55-match home winning streak. Cal Poly's coach then was Mike Wilton, now the coach of the UH men's team.
