'Bows win 7th straight WAC volleyball title

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

RENO, Nev. — If this is a dream, no Hawai'i volleyball fan wants to wake up.

Hawai'i celebrates its 30-21, 28-30, 30-22, 30-27 victory over Nevada in the WAC tournament final at Virginia Street Gym. Brad Horn • Associated Press

Today, as the only unbeaten Division I volleyball team in the country, Hawai'i (26-0) should ascend to No. 1 in the national rankings, a week before the NCAA Tournament starts.

Who saw this coming 11 months ago, when seven seniors fell in the final four and left one starter — WAC Player of the Year Kanoe Kamana'o — to pick up the pieces?

Every one of these Rainbow Wahine saw it coming. At this point, who can argue with these over-achievers? They have overcome every obstacle, holding tight to their faith in one another all the way.

Hawai'i started the season by huffing and puffing and hammering out a series of close, confidence-building wins over ranked teams. Now it has stretched its amazing WAC winning streak to 106 by finding new-and-improved ways to whip all comers in the conference.

Third-seeded Nevada (20-8) was the one team that kept coming back for more. It took the 'Bows nearly three hours and five games to keep the Wolf Pack at bay here in October and in Manoa last weekend.

The Pack players talked all week of what might have been, and what would be if both teams reached the WAC Tournament final. They had little to say about what actually did happen yesterday in their gym.

Hawai'i handled everything the Pack sent back.

The 'Bows sizzled from the start, blowing to a 20-8 advantage that took Nevada's fans out of the game and forced a small smile out of UH coach Dave Shoji. Susie Boogaard, Alicia Arnott and Victoria Prince, whose performance all week earned MVP honors, each had at least five kills.

"We were a little too excited," Nevada setter Tristin Adams said. "We calmed down eventually, but we were just trying way too hard because we wanted everything perfect."

In the only game they lost, the 'Bows nearly overcame an 11-20 deficit, just to let Nevada know it wasn't going away.

Junior Ashley Watanabe, Hawai'i's smallest player, took the match and the Pack by the throat in Game 3.

After surges by both teams, Shoji called timeout at 18-all. Boogaard got the serve back with one of her match-high 19 kills

Watanabe went back with her jump-float serve and picked the Pack apart "just trying to drive it as hard as I can." The ball waffled and dived in the altitude. The Pack passers flailed. She served a tournament-record five aces in the match and left Nevada reeling with four service rotations of three points or more.

"When Watanabe got all-tournament I was like, 'Yeah, she served us off the court,' " Nevada coach Devin Scruggs said. "Not just tough serves but she caused us to overpass a lot and that just gets a team more fired up. It's exciting for hitters. It can really create momentum."

By the time Watanabe finally missed in Game 3, Hawai'i led 27-18. On the next serve, she made three digs that led to one of freshman Tara Hittle's 14 kills — nine in the last two games.

Watanabe ended the point celebrating solo flat on the ground. Arnott and Prince, who would finish with 16 kills, one error and seven stuffs, ended it.

The Wolf Pack never did go away — the last game was tied six times before the Rainbows broke from 20-all. Hawai'i always had an answer. In the fourth, it was usually Arnott, who was hitting zero going into the game (7 kills, 7 errors) but closed at an error-free 6-for-14 pace.

The scariest point of the match came when Watanabe sprained her ankle at 2-all in the final game. When she came back seven serves later, UH was down 4-6, but on its way back a final time.

"When she came running back out there again I was thinking, 'Hey, I thought you were on the bench,' " Scruggs recalled. "I'm glad she wasn't hurt, but I would have liked her to stay on the bench a little longer."

Watanabe was not about to do that. She was part of the last two WAC championships, won so convincingly with very little opposition. It was nothing like what her team has gone through this year.

"I feel a lot more relentless pursuit on this team, more team heart," she said, then stopped and tried to take that back for fear of hurting feelings. She couldn't. A player has to say what a player has to say, and an immensely inexperienced team has to do what it has to do. This season, all it has done is win, with panache.

Shoji called yesterday's victory his team's finest moment.

"We had our power hitters before, it was so evident," Watanabe said. "But now everyone is pulling together and it's clearly a team achievement. You can't explain how much more fulfilling that is.

"Honestly, I didn't feel anything when we won the WAC last year. This year, I'm ecstatic."

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

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