Brace yourself, here comes Tara!

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

In just two months of college volleyball, Tara Hittle has already given the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine plenty to smile about.

Freshman Tara Hittle flashes her braces-filled smile that never fails to "start cracking up" her teammates. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I mean, just look at her," setter and roommate Kanoe Kamana'o said. "You rarely see girls in college wearing braces. That's the first thing you see on her face is her braces, just sparkling and shining at you. You just start cracking up."

Hittle, a 6-foot outside hitter, has enjoyed immediate success as a freshman, similar to the careers of Kamana'o and former Hawai'i All-Americans Lily Kahumoku and Kim Willougby — all of whom were named WAC freshman of the Year. Kamana'o was also American Volleyball Coaches Association National Freshman of the Year.

This season, Hittle has emerged as one of Hawai'i's most popular players with her engaging personality, hustle and playmaking ability. Hittle and the Rainbow Wahine (12-0 overall, 2-0 WAC) host conference foes Boise State (14-3, 3-1) tomorrow and Texas-El Paso (6-7, 0-4) Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"She just plays with a lot of energy," Hawai'i coach Dave Shoji said. "I love it when she celebrates. She'll put the ball down and she's celebrating before anybody else can react."

"It sounds really cheesy, but I just love life," said Hittle, who is scheduled to remove her braces next year. "I love playing volleyball. While you're playing, you might as well have a fun time."

Hittle credited her teammates for her early success. She has benefited from increased defensive attention given to Hawai'i's left-side hitters Alicia Arnott and Susie Boogaard, and middles Kari Gregory, Victoria Prince and Juliana Sanders. With more blockers focused on them, Kamana'o has been able to isolate Hittle on the right side.

In a four-game win at Fresno State on Sept. 30, Hittle just missed a statistical triple-double by three assists. She had a team-high 22 kills, 10 digs, seven assists and hit .625. She followed that with 19 kills and hit .545 in a five-game win at Nevada Saturday.

"Other teams are like, 'we've got to get a big block on the outside,' " Hittle said. "Same with our middles. Probably for me, they're just like, 'she's a freshman, whatever.' "

Added Shoji: "She's been virtually unstoppable on the right. She's been giving the team a big lift."

A large part of Hittle's success can be traced to her athleticism. The four-sport athlete at Doherty High School in Colorado — where she played volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis — possesses good leaping ability and "a quick arm" that could be more lethal in the future, Shoji said.

In a serious moment, Tara Hittle ripped a kill against San Diego. The 6-foot freshman is Western Athletic Conference player of the week. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

As for her future, Hittle, more than anything, wants to be like Dave.

"I definitely still want to be a volleyball coach," Hittle said. "I don't know if it sounds like much, but I think it would be the dream job. So much fun."

Notes

Hawai'i associate head coach Charlie Wade's wife, Tani, gave birth Tuesday to Jeffery Charles Makana Wade II. He is 7 pounds, 13 ounces and is 19? inches long. Charlie Wade celebrates his 41st birthday tomorrow.

Tara Hittle earned CVU.com National Player of the Week honors for her performances at Fresno State and Nevada. ... Hittle's uncle is Don Horn, a former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback to Bart Starr in 1966-67.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.