Rainbow Wahine never far from home
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
The last time the Rainbow Wahine were in Texas, they pulled into the University of Texas at El Paso parking lot two hours before their volleyball match. The only other car proudly wore a huge Hawaiian flag and Hawaiian music blasted from its stereo.
When the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team plays at Rice tonight, LSU tomorrow and Tulsa Saturday, it will likely find the same kind of local support.
"Every single state we have people there for us," said senior Nohea Tano. "Even if they're not people who lived in Hawai'i, they're aunties or sisters or cousins. That's one of the best things. We're surprised by people no matter where we go."
The man who met them in El Paso that Oct. 11 afternoon sat proudly in his puka shells, with his family, a cooler and hibachi, enjoying a one-truck tailgate and precious memories. By the time the match started, he had placed his Hawaiian flag in the convenient puka beside the American and Texas flags in the arena.
The Rainbow Wahine drove to the match with their entire allotment of guest tickets intact, and gave them away before the first game as Rainbow fans followed their friend to the parking lot. There were "Got Lily" signs in the gym, designed for senior All-American Lily Kahumoku by old friends from her days in Lubbock.
Two days earlier, the Hawaiian Club of Boise, Idaho, catered a unique post-game party. Infinitely organized, members emailed the coaches ahead to ask if it was OK.
"They thought we would enjoy having potatoes rather than local food," UH coach Dave Shoji recalled. "One guy drove 100 miles to get these huge potatoes. After eating one, everybody was full. They weren't these little shriveled-up things we get here."
The table was loaded with Nerf football-size potatoes and some 20 toppings. No one went hungry.
"We didn't know we'd have anyone at Boise," Tano said. "It was the first time we had no names to put on the pass list. Then this huge group showed up and threw us a party. It was awesome. Crazy."
Hawai'i is allotted 48 tickets for Western Athletic Conference road matches and about half that many for non-conference. Those passes are tough to come by for matches in California and Nevada, where family and friends are willing to come hundreds of miles for a peek at the country's second-ranked team, and get a Hawai'i fix.
At San Jose State, the Rainbow Wahine consistently have 500 fans, sometimes more. Fans give out candy lei and ask for autographs after matches, and dwarf the Spartan supporters. "We have homecourt advantage," junior Melody Eckmier said.
That might also be true for tomorrow's match against LSU at Maravich Center. Beyond anyone with Hawai'i connections in Baton Rouge, Rainbow senior Kim Willoughby grew up 25 minutes away and she attracted a few hundred friends to New Orleans for last year's final four.
There is also expected to be a big crowd in town for Saturday's nationally televised football game between ninth-ranked LSU and 17th-ranked Auburn. Tiger Stadium —91,600 capacity — is sold out.
One way or another, Hawai'i always feels at home away from home. "There is always somebody there to do something for us," UH captain Melissa Villaroman said.
Clearly, it makes a difference. This senior class has lost just two road matches — defined as an away game at the opponent's gym — in four years, the last at Pacific two years ago.
"They have shown up for every road match," Shoji said. "Every match these kids have played they've been pretty good about the level of intensity.
"We try to prepare the same way every year, but they just bought into it. They prepare early in the day, practice to be sharp on the court, get their rest. We actually get a little more control of them on the road, but they've been pretty boring. They don't want to go out and accept having to be in the room by 11."
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.
• • •
October
- Today — *at Rice
- Tomorrow — at Louisiana State
- Saturday — *at Tulsa
- 30 — *Boise State
November
- 6 — *at Nevada
- 9 — *at Fresno State
- 15 — *San Jose State
- 21-23 — at WAC Tournament (Reno, Nev.)
- 27-28 — at UNLV Thanksgiving Tournament (ThursdayiHawai'i vs. Weber State, UNLV vs. Kentucky. FridayiHawai'i vs. Kentucky, UNLV vs. Weber State.).
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.
