Rainbows make WAC volleyball final

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

RENO, Nev. — Second-ranked Hawai'i added anger to its volleyball repertoire just in time for today's Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship.

Hawai'i's Susie Boogaard digs a ball while Teisa Fotu looks on in Reno, Nev. UH beat Fresno State, 30-24, 25-30, 30-25, 30-21 and will play Nevada in the WAC final. Brad Horn • Associated Press

The UH semifinal was played in an atmosphere that can only be described as Klum Gym-like: The Virginia Street Gym crowd of 1,209 was so pro-Hawai'i the Bulldogs just rolled their eyes during introductions. A Hawaiian flag hung next to the "WAC" and "Molten Official Game Ball" flags behind a baseline.

The crowd actually shrank when the Wolf Pack (20-7) came out to beat second-seeded Rice (25-4), 30-26, 31-29, 28-30, 30-26, in the other semifinal.

The Rainbows were as resilient as ever against the Bulldogs (15-13), who ended their season by taking UH to the limit for 2 1/2 games. Then they let a 19-11 advantage evaporate in the third.

"We got stuck in a bad (passing) rotation we couldn't get out of," said FSU coach Lindy Vivas, a '75 Punahou graduate. "That gave Hawai'i a little chance to recuperate and get back in their rhythm. Other than that six- or seven-point stretch, I thought we did really well."

The 'Bows never mentioned the Bulldogs' ballhandling. They were too busy burning. All they recalled about this match was the "X-rated fire" associate coach Charlie Wade lit during a timeout with UH trailing 15-10 in Game 3.

"He was justified," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "The team took it well because he was right. They were just out-hustling us, out-playing us, which is really not our style. We had not let that happen all year and it was happening. Every phase of the game we were getting beat at. I think they were all a little too nice to each other and things needed to be said."

At the timeout, Fresno was hitting .550. Its outsides — Tuli Peters, Christianna Reneau and Mounia Nihipali — looked like the best players on the court.

"There was no panic," Alicia Arnott said. "I think that was the problem. We were being too nice to each other. Once Charlie gave us that talk I think everybody fired up inside and we got it going."

Shoji put senior Teisa Fotu, who started, back in for WAC Freshman of the Year Tara Hittle. Fresno scored four of the next five points. It was done for the night.

Victoria Prince, who is hitting an outrageous .700 in this tournament, drilled one of her 20 kills. Fotu went to serve and Peters, the Kahuku graduate who serves as FSU's anchor, hit out twice. Prince and Kanoe Kamana'o stuffed Nihipali, a Kamehameha graduate, for 19-15.

The Bulldogs began to have doubts. Prince and Kamana'o roofed Nihipali again and Tiffany Bishop hit out. Peters finally broke the free-fall with a kill from the backrow, but Prince got another kill and Susie Boogaard served up more misery for FSU. Fresno's hitters, who had 31 errors in the match, missed two more and it was tied at 20.

"Midway in that third game we really challenged them to hit the ball and hit it hard," Shoji said. "They were hitting very safe, taking the neutral hit. But you can't take the neutral when you have a little seam open. You've got to bang it. They were just being too conservative and not putting the ball away.

"I know that was happening with Arnott. She was like, OK, I'm trying for hands, trying for a safe kill. During that one stretch she just said 'OK, I'm hitting the ball hard. They're going to have to block or dig me. I'm not going to take the neutral anymore.' "

The Rainbows would trail again just once, by one point early in the final game. Arnott went on a tear to finish with 19 kills. Seniors Fotu and Melody Eckmier again served as a stabilizing force for all their young teammates. Libero Ashley Watanabe scrounged up 20 digs.

And Prince was all but perfect.

"She's obviously a difference-maker," Vivas said. "At any point in time, if Hawai'i gets a good pass she's going to tee off. We were trying hard to get good touches and ricochets, which we did, but once they got momentum it was hard to stop them."

All season, so far.

"The kids are finding ways to win again," Shoji said. "We're undefeated but we're not blowing teams out. In some ways that's really good. We have to work hard almost every night out."

NOTES

Finally: The Rainbow Wahine have reached the championship match of all seven WAC Tournaments they have played, winning the last five. Since the tournament was revived in 2001, they have won 33 games and lost just two.

Next: UH coach Dave Shoji will fly home tomorrow morning to go to his father's memorial service. He will probably miss the team's match at Utah State on Tuesday, but rejoin it in time for Wednesday's at 19th-ranked Utah.

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