From 1983 to 2003, it's deja vu

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Deitre Collins Olympian (1988) Broderick Cup (1983) Honda Award for Volleyball (1982, '83) AVCA All-American (1981, '82, '83) Volleyball Monthly Player of the Year (1983) Advertiser library photos

Kim Willoughby AVCA All-American (2001, '02) WAC Player of the Year (2001, '02, '03) WAC Joe Kearney Award (2002-03)

NCAA Volleyball WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center WHEN: First round today 5 p.m., BYU (23-8) vs. New Mexico St. (30-4); No. 2 Hawai'i (32-1) vs. Idaho (19-10) at approximately 7. Winners play tomorrow at 7 p.m. RADIO: Live on 1420 AM TV: UH matches live on K5 TICKETS: $12 lower, $9 upper PARKING: $3

But a Hawai'i volleyball team with seven seniors did exist, just as it does this year heading into the first round of the NCAA Championships tonight.

A team so blessed by seniors is rare. To have two in 20 years is remarkable. That both are national championship caliber is rarer still.

After exhausting every ounce of emotion to win the 1982 NCAA title, the 1983 team methodically mowed down opponents. It didn't lose a game in the final four, winning by an average of 15-8. In four years, this group of seniors went 138-15.

This senior class is 126-11. It has been denied, twice, in the final four. Now Hawai'i (32-1) is ranked second behind Southern California (29-0), the only team it has lost to and overwhelming favorite to defend its 2002 NCAA title.

The two UH teams are 20 years and worlds apart. To compare would be unfair. To contemplate the different dynamics is fascinating. If the 1983 and 2003 Rainbow Wahine seniors morphed, it might look something like this:

Terminator

COLLINS		WILLOUGHBY

Deitre Collins/Kim Willoughby. These are the players opposing coaches don't want their players watching in warmups. Too scary and intimidating. Collins would become one of the world's best blockers. Willoughby, described by teammate Lily Kahumoku as "a genetic masterpiece," has been the country's most prolific hitter for three years. Back in the day, Collins was collegiate volleyball's most dynamic player, a role Willoughby fills today.

"Kim is powerful in her whole physique," Lauren Duggins says. "Her back is arched. She's a beautiful and graceful athlete in that sense, like something out of a Nike ad. And when she hits the ball, it's over with — hard and going straight down. There's a lot of power and raw emotion. ... She is not losing."

Relentless

KORI PULASKI		KAHUMOKU

Kori Pulaski/Lily Kahumoku. All-American hitters with drastically different styles. If Pulaski was The Hammer, Kahumoku is the chisel. At 6 feet 2, Kahumoku is six inches taller. She can hit as hard as Pulaski — who hit the ball very hard — but rarely does, preferring the unpredictable. What they do have in common is the uncommon ability to transform a mediocre match into something special. They can be slowed, but no one ever truly stopped them, particularly in the final game.

Their hitting styles reflect their personalities. With Pulaski, what you saw was what you got. With Kahumoku ... "she doesn't like to do anything the normal way," UH manager Ryan Tsuji says. "Lily wants to experience everything."

Pest

KRIS PULASKI		TANO

Pest: Kris Pulaski/Nohea Tano. Pulaski came here primarily because UH wanted twin sister Kori, and figured a package offer would seal the deal. She ended up starting at setter and hitter (UH ran a two-setter offense in 1982 and '83) and driving opponents crazy with her uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time — time after time. Hawai'i didn't have a scholarship available for Tano when she came out of Kamehameha, but she transferred in from Washington State as a sophomore, just in time to fill a puka at middle blocker. In her third year as a starter, she is an all-conference right-side hitter.

Both have the ability to surreptitiously hurt opponents. They also share a gift for the game's nuances, deceptive athleticism and an endearing goofiness. "Nohea is just herself," teammate Karin Lundqvist says. "She is carefree."

Versatile

KAAPUNI		DUGGINS

Joyce Ka'apuni/Lauren Duggins. Cut these two into six pieces and you would have two awesome teams. It was no coincidence the 'Bows won national titles after Ka'apuni returned to the program. She has the rare distinction of earning All-America honors a decade apart (1974 and '83) and was 28 when UH won in 1983. She still made the game look like child's play with her graceful skills. She was a setter and hitter, who could hurt you just as much with her defense and blocking. With her maturity, Ka'apuni was also a rock in the eye of any volleyball storm.

Duggins, a third-team All-American last season, is Hawai'i's best blocker despite being dwarfed by most opponents. Lithe, exceptionally quick and shockingly strong, her offensive skills have dramatically developed. What people might miss is that she is one of the team's best ballhandlers and most natural defenders. She can even set a mean volleyball. That is not often needed, but Duggins' soothing personality is. She is the teammate the Rainbow Wahine most often confide in.

Defender

PALAKIKO		VILLAROMAN

Sista Palakiko/Melissa Villaroman. Before the term libero crossed the ocean, there was Palakiko, a surprisingly effective — at 5 feet 6 — backup middle blocker who spent most of her career cleaning the Klum Gym floor while diving for volleyballs. Palakiko, an athlete so accomplished she won every trophy possible at Wai'anae High's senior awards banquet, was the quickest of the '83 Rainbows and might have been the most consistent.

Villaroman, Hawai'i's libero since the position existed, might be just as good an athlete. If she isn't, give her time. She practices straight through water breaks. Villaroman would love to hit — she's 3-for-3 this season — but passing and digging are her special gifts and "it just wouldn't work without her," Lundqvist says. Villaroman is so stable and focused, coach Dave Shoji named her co-captain (with Duggins).

Seventh woman

WURTS		LUNDQVIST

Marcie Wurts/Karin Lundqvist. On almost any other team in the country, both would have earned honors and more glory. It was their fate to play on senior-stacked teams behind gifted players. Their teammates know precisely how valuable they are and, thankfully, each had opportunities to shine. Wurts, an exceptional defender, played often and started both matches for the flu-stricken Missy Yomes in the 1983 final four. Hawai'i simply rolled on. Lundqvist transferred here last year after two all-conference seasons at Montana State and earned a third all-conference honor when she started for an injured Maja Gustin half of last season.

Did they have regrets? Sure. Would they trade the experience? Absolutely not. Both worked as hard as anyone and provided critical elements. Wurts, who works in medical research, is poised and approachable. Lundqvist, working to be a doctor and Olympic beach player, is relentlessly upbeat. "She has a great attitude," Villaroman says. "When she comes in, she lifts us up. It's like she's been in all the time."

Soul searchers

YOMES		GUSTIN

Missy Yomes/Maja Gustin. Yomes was a too-small hitter who compensated with an armswing to die for and a pugnacious attitude that prevented her from failing. Gustin is a gentle giant, serene and spiritual and incredibly gifted athletically. "Maja just has good energy," Duggins says. "She hits the ball so hard, it floats and spins. It always seems like it's coming at you. Usually it hits you in the chest."

Yomes and Gustin were and are the emotional centers of their teams. Yomes, the most spirited on the relatively laid-back '83 team, lifted the 'Bows with a look. Gustin calms them in times of turmoil and makes them laugh with a dry, Slovenian sense of humor.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.