Posted on: Wednesday, November 10, 2004
HPU volleyball defends PacWest title; regional-bound
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i Pacific women's volleyball team defended its Pacific West Conference championship by sweeping host Chaminade on Saturday.
HPU (18-2, 8-1) clinched the title with one conference match remaining, and captured its fifth PacWest title in the past seven years. (Note: The Sea Warriors played Brigham Young-Hawai'i late last night).
As PacWest champions, HPU earned the automatic berth into the eight-team NCAA II Pacific Region Championship set for Nov. 18-20. The top-ranked team in the region will host the tournament.
"I think there was a lot of pressure on us to win the conference championship only because our power rating for our regional ranking was very low (early in the season)," HPU coach Tita Ahuna said. "The ladies accomplished it. It was a tremendous relief, and a tremendous weight off my shoulders as well as the girls'."
The champions of the PacWest, the Great Northwest Conference and the California Collegiate Athletic Association earn automatic berths to the Pacific Regional Championship. The remaining five at-large teams are determined by the regional rankings.
As of yesterday, HPU was ranked fourth in the NCAA Pacific Region Volleyball Poll and Chaminade (15-6, 8-2) was ranked sixth. New rankings come out today.
Chaminade coach Glennie Adams said she likes her team's chances of getting an at-large postseason berth. Adams oversees such rankings as a member of the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Regional Advisory Committee. She is the chairman of the Pacific Region.
"Without divulging numbers and latest rankings, I can tell you that our (postseason) chances are very good," said Adams, who added that the at-large teams will be selected Sunday.
If Chaminade reaches the postseason, it would be the second time in school history. Chaminade earned its first NCAA regional berth in 2002.
Chaminade will close out its regular season at Brigham Young-Hawai'i tomorrow, and HPU will play its final two regular-season matches at Hawai'i-Hilo on Friday and Saturday.
"The plan for the rest of the season is three letters: W-I-N," said Ahuna, whose teams have gone 179-53 (.772) in nine seasons. "Now we're going for seeding (in the regionals). We want to stay as high as possible. We want to end our season on a high note, keep the momentum going."
Sea Warriors bid aloha to pair of seniors
The No. 13 Hawai'i Pacific women's volleyball team played Brigham Young-Hawai'i in a non-conference match last night at Blaisdell Arena. The match ended after this edition's deadlines.
For HPU, it was the last home match for senior outside hitters Paula Nascimento and Sandra Brunke. Despite being hampered by injuries, Nascimento was one of the team's most accurate hitters with a .289 hitting percentage. Brunke averaged 1.75 kills per game this season.
"They're going to be missed a lot," Ahuna said. "Paula has been the leader on and off the court. I like the fight in her, I like her drive to be successful.
"Sandra is coming into her own this year," Ahuna added. "If Sandra is on, we win."
CSTV/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll Pts Rec Last
Pacific West Conference Standings
*—Hawai'i Pacific 8-1 18-2 Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.
Records through Monday. First-place votes in parentheses.
1. Nebraska-Kearney (33) 873 32-0 1
2. UC San Diego (1) 831 26-1 2
3. Truman, Mo. (1) 811 30-0 3
4. Concordia-St. Paul, Minn. 767 27-1 4
5. Barry, Fla. 739 25-1 5
6. Cal State San Bernardino 700 22-3 6
7. North Florida 660 25-5 7
8. Minnesota Duluth 596 20-4 9
9. Tampa, Fla. 589 19-4 8
10. Central Missouri State 559 28-5 10
11. Central Washington 512 25-0 12
12. Fort Hays State, Kan. 490 27-3 13
13. Hawai'i Pacific 474 18-2 14
14. Grand Valley State, Mich. 433 24-5 11
15. Northern Michigan 366 21-5 15
16. Washburn, Kan. 363 27-5 16
17. Florida Southern 304 25-7 17
18. North Alabama 257 21-6 19
19. Northwood, Mich. 224 19-8 20
20. Ferris State, Mich. 170 22-6 22
21. Armstrong Atlantic State, Ga. 128 27-6 24
22. Rockhurst, Mo. 119 24-8 21
23. Augustana, S.D. 113 16-9 23
24. Minnesota State-Moorhead 84 22-6 17
25. Chaminade 47 15-6 25
PacWest Overall
Chaminade 8-2 15-6
Western N.M. 5-4 20-10
MSU-Billings 4-5 14-9
BYU-Hawai'i 2-8 10-11
Hawai'i-Hilo 1-8 4-19
*—clinched PacWest title
