NCAA women's regional will be played at UH
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i will be home to a 2003 NCAA Women's Volleyball Regional. Now the Rainbow Wahine have to work their way into it.
Hawai'i, Long Beach State, Nebraska and Florida will be the sites of the 2003 regionals. The NCAA women's volleyball committee chose the four at its recent meeting. It has not yet made the official announcement.
This is the first year the NCAA has gone to pre-determined regional sites in volleyball. Usually the four regional hosts are announced the day the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket is released.
UH will host the regional Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13. Its winning bid was the same as the bid it submitted for 2002, which was not successful. Hawai'i had to win in Nebraska to reach the final four.
The bid guarantees the NCAA a little more than $100,000, according to UH Senior Woman Administrator Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano. It is based on attendance of 7,500 each night. If UH sells that many tickets, it makes between $10,000-$20,000 as an honorarium. That goes up with higher ticket sales.
The Rainbow Wahine return All-Americans Kim Willoughby, Lily Kahumoku and Lauren Duggins from last season's final four team, which drew an average of 7,300 fans at home.
Hosting the regional does not guarantee Hawai'i a place in it. The Rainbows must qualify for the tournament, then advance through the first two rounds. Even then, the NCAA could place them in another region, though that would be difficult to imagine.
Last season's surprising trip to Nebraska has UH coach Dave Shoji tempering his enthusiasm. "It's nice we have the regional," he said, "but we're not necessarily in that regional, although that's the idea."
Like last year, Shoji's tentative schedule includes an offseason exhibition against the defending national champion. Southern California has confirmed it will play here March 18. Tickets are expected to go on sale next week.
The NCAA season begins here with the ninth annual NACWAA/ State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic, Aug. 22 and 23 at Stan Sheriff Center. USC, Florida and Kansas State will play, with pairings to be announced.
USC was No. 1 in the final 2002 poll, with Hawai'i third, Florida fourth and Kansas State 21st. The 2003 UH schedule also includes No. 2 Stanford, No. 10 Arizona, No. 11 Minnesota and No. 15 UCLA, along with NCAA tournament teams Pacific, Louisville, Fresno State and Nevada.
"With the NACWAA and the addition of Arizona, I think we'll see just about all the good teams in the country," Shoji said. "Florida and USC are probably the top two. They return everybody pretty much. Arizona probably has the best young talent in the country and you can't count Stanford out."
If USC and Florida are 1-2, then Shoji figures his team is third. It starts spring training March 10 and will see the NCAA champions a week later. Shoji says the best thing about the exhibition will be watching freshman Cayley Thurlby set "under pressure." Margaret Vakasausau and Jennifer Carey, who shared the setting as seniors, could play in the exhibition but Shoji does not plan on using them.
QUICK SETS: Volleyball's offseason training lasts six weeks. Along with the USC exhibition, UH will also host Chaminade, Hawai'i Pacific and BYU-Hawai'i March 15 and travel to tournaments at Pepperdine and UNLV. ... Senior middle blocker Karin Lundqvist had knee surgery and won't play until the fall. She started the first 19 matches last season and missed the final 15 with her injury. ... Host bids are still being collected for the WAC Tournament. The conference does not expect to name a site until April. ... NACWAA stands for National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.
Tentative 2003 Schedule
August
22-23—NACWAA/State Farm Classic (Hawai'i, USC, Florida, Kansas State).
29-Sept. 1—15th Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic (FridayiLouisville vs. UCLA, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Minnesota, 7. SaturdayiMinnesota vs. Louisville, 1 p.m. SundayiMinnesota vs. UCLA, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Louisville, 5. MondayiHawai'i vs. UCLA, 5 p.m.).
September
4-6—Ninth Aston Imua Wahine Challenge (ThursdayiPacific vs. Baylor, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Wichita State, 7. FridayiPacific vs. Wichita State, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Baylor, 7. SaturdayiWichita State vs. Baylor, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Pacific, 7).
12—Stanford vs. Weber State, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Utah State, 7.
13—Friday losers, 5 p.m.; Friday winners, 7.
18—Loyola Marymount vs. UNLV, 7 p.m.
19—Loyola Marymount. 20iUNLV.
26—at Santa Clara.
27—at San Jose State.
October
2—*Fresno State.
4—*Nevada.
9—*at Boise State.
11—*at UTEP.
16—*Louisiana Tech.
18—*SMU.
19—Arizona (5 p.m.).
23—*at Rice.
24—at Louisiana State.
25—*at Tulsa.
30—*Boise State.
November
6—*at Nevada.
8—*at Fresno State.
15—*San Jose State.
21-23—at WAC Tournament (TBA).
27-28—at UNLV Tournament.
NCAA Tournament
Dec. 4-7—First and second rounds
Dec. 11-14—Regionals at Hawai'i (Dec. 12-13), Long Beach State, Florida and Nebraska
Dec. 18 and 20—Final four at Reunion Arena in Dallas
* WAC matches
All home matches begin at 7 p.m. at Stan Sheriff Center unless noted
