Unbeaten Rainbow Wahine focus on Houston, St. Mary's
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Second-ranked Hawai'i finishes its warmup for the conference volleyball season this weekend by facing two teams that would fit neatly into the unimposing WAC.
• WHO: Second-ranked Hawai'i (8-0) vs. Houston (7-3) tomorrow and St. Mary's (3-4) Saturday. • WHEN: 7 p.m. • WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center • TV/Radio: KFVE (5) and 1420 AM will broadcast both matches live • TICKETS: Tomorrow (Tier II prices)i$13 lower bowl (single seats only), $10 upper, $8 senior citizens and $6 students. Saturday (Tier III)i$12, $9, $8 and $5. • PARKING: $3 • SUNDAY: Houston and St. Mary's play at 1 p.m. There is no admission charge.
Houston (7-3) has been to 11 NCAA Tournaments, but comes for tomorrow's match with a three-match losing streak. St. Mary's (3-4), Saturday's opponent, has struggled since winning an NAIA national championship in 1985. The Gaels have won less than a third of their matches since becoming a Division I program in 1987.
Volleyball facts
The Rainbow Wahine are hoping to go into next week's Western Athletic Conference opener 10-0, and avoid a dramatic drop-off from Tuesday's inspired four-game exhibition victory over Samorodok. The professional team from Russia's second-best league provided Hawai'i's stiffest resistance so far, and most entertaining opposition.
"It was our hardest match because of the opponents," UH senior Jen Carey said. "The ball kept coming back over, it was hit hard and they ran a complicated offense. It seemed like our hardest match because we also played well. We've played tougher matches, but it's been our struggle."
Coach Dave Shoji worried about "getting blown out and out-classed" early, but had nothing but praise for his team after the exhibition.
"Our players had the utmost respect for the other team and maybe that makes a difference," he said. "We knew we'd have to play hard and be in for a battle. Every play was going to be tough, we had to work for every kill. There were no cheap ones out there. That makes us tough."
Shoji hopes his players can remain as focused this weekend. Houston won its first seven matches this season — going five against Louisiana Tech of the WAC — but lost to Lamar, then-No. 1 Stanford and Ohio last week.
The Cougars were picked to finish fifth in Conference USA. They return four starters, but lost Jennifer Wittenberg, who averaged more than six kills a game last season — second nationally to Hawai'i's Kim Willoughby.
Three St. Mary's losses have come to ranked teams. First-year coach Jon Stevenson, a founder of the pro beach tour and member of the Pro Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame, is charged with turning around last season's 5-21 team.
"I hope the team is mature enough to prepare themselves," said Shoji, who is contemplating a change in the rotation this week to enhance his block. "These teams could be in the WAC. You probably wouldn't notice the difference."
QUICK SETS: Tuesday's match was taped for broadcast nationwide in Russia. Samorodok is owned by the gold-mining company Amur, which reportedly paid $12,500 to get the broadcast from KFVE. ... Tuesday's statistics did not count, but Kim Willoughby collected her eighth straight double-double (25 kills, 13 digs). ... Willoughby needs 63 kills to tie Deitre Collins for sixth on the UH career list, at 1,385. ... Hawai'i again leads the country in attendance. It has nine of the top 10 crowds this season and is averaging 7,380 paid fans per match. Nebraska is second, at 4,075. Nevada is second in WAC attendance, averaging 703 per match. ... The Wolf Pack swept UNLV, which is coached by Collins, Tuesday at Las Vegas. Nevada has won its last eight matches and 22 consecutive games.
