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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, October 22, 2003

UH's Kahumoku backs out of road trip

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

All-American Lily Kahumoku will not make this week's volleyball trip. Hawai'i coach Dave Shoji, Kahumoku and the medical staff made the decision after contemplating the complications involved, including her bad back, 8-hour plane rides and the loss of critical class time as she closes in on graduation.

KAHUMOKU
Kahumoku, who has chronic back problems, missed last week's match with Louisiana Tech because of back spasms that forced her to leave practice. She played against SMU and Arizona at "about 80 to 85 percent," according to Shoji.

This trip is exceptionally difficult, even by Rainbow standards. Second-ranked UH left last night on an 8-hour flight to Houston. It plays Rice tomorrow, takes a 4-hour bus ride to Baton Rouge Friday for a non-conference match that night at LSU, then flies to Houston and Tulsa Saturday to play the Golden Hurricane.

"It's such a tough trip and she started having problems with her back on the last trip sitting on airplanes," Shoji said. "We all felt she's not going to be able to do all these things — playing and travel — and come back healthy."

Sophomore Susie Boogaard will start in Kahumoku's left-side position. Shoji said freshman Alicia Arnott will get "at least one full game" there each night as well.

Two weeks ago the Rainbow Wahine traveled without All-American Kim Willoughby and swept both matches.

"I feel confident we can win without Lily," Shoji said. "We didn't take the best player in the country on the last trip and you could hardly tell."

Shoji characterizes Rice as the best team UH will face this week.

The Owls were picked to win their third straight WAC East title, but trail SMU by two matches. They have the conference's top-rated setter (Kristina Hoban) and blocker (Tessa Kuykendall). Junior Rebeca Pazo is second in WAC kills behind Willoughby at nearly six a game. Willoughby leads the country at 6.65, while Pazo is eighth.

The non-conference match at LSU (9-12, 4-5 SEC) is a senior gift to Willoughby, who grew up 25 minutes away in Napoleonville, La. The Rainbows have not played LSU in nearly 20 years.

The Tigers were picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference's Western Division. They moved into second Sunday with their first victory at South Carolina in 11 years.

UH is 18-2 against SEC teams, with both losses to Florida. The third-ranked Gators have won the last 12 conference titles.

While Rice might put up the most compelling challenge across the net, Shoji believes Saturday's match at Tulsa might be "the toughest" because of the hectic schedule.

Last week the Rainbow Wahine played three matches in four nights with no travel. They ran out of gas midway through the final night, against Arizona, and ultimately won, 15-13, in the fifth.

"Losing flashed through my mind somewhere in Game 4," Shoji said. "I didn't want to think about it. It would have made their season and I was thinking, 'Oh my gosh what are they (NCAA committee members) going to do with us?' "

Now Arizona is some other team's worry, at least until the postseason. Shoji is trying to fully appreciate his team's admittedly "ragged" achievement Sunday.

"It was the third 15-13 match we've won, so we have to be happy about that," he said. "We needed to compete again. We haven't had to compete very hard. We needed that match to recharge everything. We certainly accomplished that, but we made it hard on ourselves."

QUICK SETS: All three road matches will be broadcast live on 1420 AM beginning at 1:45 p.m. ... The West has won 12 of 16 WAC inter-division matches this season.

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

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