'Bows becoming class 'ack'

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A funny thing happened to Hawai'i as it came to the latest stop on its NCAA-designated "Tundra Volleyball Tour."

Prince

The Rainbow Wahine arrived in one of the coldest places on the planet sans snow. Today might be the only time the temperature creeps into the 40's, but downtown Green Bay is not coated in ice as Colorado was last week.

At least, not yet.

And, at least for now, Hawai'i is healing. A week ago, UH lost starting libero Ashley Watanabe to a broken hand, and a flu-weakened Victoria Prince was drinking cocoa continuously and conserving energy so she could help the 'Bows beat Colorado and Purdue.

Yesterday, the color was back in Prince's face and she insisted she felt "much better." She didn't practice, but did the day before and plans to this afternoon. She doesn't expect to miss a moment of tomorrow's regional semifinal against Wisconsin.

Hawai'i's 2004 road odometer clicks past 40,000 miles on this trip. No volleyball team in the country comes close to its frequent-flier miles or hours tied together in a limited space.

This group has yet to grumble. In contrast, it has actually grown closer in all the hours locked together away from home. The players joke that there are no cliques so they were forced to form clubs.

There is the "iPod Club" of Apple MP3 listeners that consists of Prince, Raeceen Woolford, Juliana Sanders, Tara Hittle and manager Ryan Tsuji. The "Kanak Attack" started in San Jose and is made up of President/senior Teisa Fotu (Kahuku), Kanoe Kamana'o (Iolani), Watanabe ('Aiea), Sanders (Castle), Woolford (Iolani) and Tsuji (Waiakea).

It has evolved into a semi-organized/serious group that encourages outsiders to make the local grade. The latest test is to answer the question, "How you going ack?" As in — and this is all asked in precise pidgin — "If you leave your slippers outside someone's house and when you come back out they are gone, 'How you going ack?' "

The answer, of course, is take someone else's slippers. Cayley Thurlby, the Wisconsin "kama'aina" this week from nearby Illinois, was the only Rainbow Wahine to pass the test. Fotu says Melody Eckmier, the only other senior, is close to passing the evolving entrance requirements.

The thought of taking off shoes is in dramatic contrast to the road the 'Bows have taken in pursuit of their fifth national championship.

Last week's visit to the snowy home of Colorado State was plush in comparison to Green Bay, home to the Packers, cheese and little else unless you count Quilted Northern, which officially makes this the "Toilet Paper Capital of the World."

The airport is so small arriving passengers can get locked outside the terminal if a worker isn't alert. It is so cold, leaves have stopped turning color and simply disappeared. A black and white city picture is pretty close to what you'd see in "color."

Tomorrow at Resch Center, the third-seeded Rainbow Wahine (30-0) will play 14th-seeded Wisconsin (21-9) in a regional semifinal that follows sixth-seeded Texas (26-4) and 11th-seeded Stanford (26-6). The NCAA Tournament matches will take place a block away from Lambeau Field and the Packer Hall of Fame, situated between Holmgren Way, Lombardi Avenue and Packer Drive.

There is the Ray Nitschke Bridge and Brett Favre's Steakhouse on Brett Favre Pass. And then, there are the Rainbow Wahine, who have somehow stayed cool through the glare of an unbeaten season and a schedule that has become almost comical in its difficulty.

This shockingly successful team has found unique ways to cope. Every player has a part.

There are the comedians: Fotu provides a calm and funny sense of Hawai'i even in packercountry.com; Woolford has a sophisticated Saturday Night Live-type sense of humor; Hittle is the frantic, spontaneous freshman, all braces and positive energy, who volunteers to make people laugh if the team feels a need.

Eckmier, the captain and five-year player, makes all the calls on the road so no one else has to think. Kamana'o comes along behind and passes on the smallest pieces of information the team might need to know.

Susie Boogaard, Alicia Arnott and Prince have an unrelenting routine on the road. They buy their food at the market, always sleep and shower at a set time and are extremely responsible with their schedules. Prince is especially meticulous. She touches a line on the court every time she feels she made a bad play, always has a foot-long turkey sandwich from Subway before the match, and does her hair the same way for every match.

Sanders is the road-less-traveled freshman who started snowball fights at every opportunity in Colorado and had barely landed yesterday before she was asking when she could see Lambeau Field. Kari Gregory, another freshman fighting for playing time, is focused on volleyball and always open to advice in her off time. Kelly Ong, making her second trip this week, is the "spunky" short kid from Oakland.

Watanabe's broken hand hasn't changed her positive spirit. She's here this week, more of a coach with a cast on her arm, and still exuding a positive spirit. "And," Tsuji says, "she's not bad left-handed now."

Thurlby, the backup setter, works so hard it rubs off on everyone. And, she never lets anyone get away with anything — including the coaches.

"She took over the Jen (Carey) and Margaret (Vakasausau) role," Tsuji says. "She can tell Dave stuff. She takes on a lot of responsibility. Everyone can use a Cayley on their team."

Everyone appears to need everyone else on this team. At this point, and this far from home, it must be comforting to know the person next to you has your back.

McClain asks NCAA to review process

University of Hawai'i interim president David McClain has written to the NCAA asking it to review its procedures for deciding postseason site selections after the UH women's volleyball team was denied an opportunity to host first and second-round matches.

In a letter to NCAA President Myles Brand dated Dec. 1, McClain cited the Rainbow Wahine's 28-0 record, No. 3 seeding in the tournament and UH's home attendance, which has led the nation the past seven years.

"I am forced to conclude that, simply put, the NCAA's decision to direct us to Ft. Collins (Colo.), defies common sense," McClain wrote.

"Whether the NCAA intended it or not, the effect of your action is to communicate to our student-athletes and to the university and community that support them that achieving excellence is not awarded," McClain said.

Shoji is West Region's Coach of the Year

Hawai'i's Dave Shoji has been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association's West Region Coach of the Year.

Shoji directed a young squad to the Western Athletic Conference championship and a 30-0 record.

NOTES

New voice: Blane Kaui will be doing the radio broadcast for 1420 AM this week. Regular Rainbow Wahine broadcaster Scott Robbs stayed home to be with wife Dori, who is expecting their second child.

Bulk up: The NCAA allows teams to travel with 15 to the regionals, so UH redshirt freshmen Jessica Keefe and Nickie Thomas are in Green Bay.

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