No. 7 Rainbows sweep Bears to stay unbeaten
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i's perfect — and perfectly surprising — volleyball season barreled along last night. With a setter passing, and middle blockers auditioning, the seventh-ranked Rainbow Wahine (7-0) swept 14th-ranked California, 30-20, 34-32, 30-26, in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Invitational.
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It was the 'Bows' first sweep since opening night. It has been a wild ride since, so finishing before 9 p.m. was a relief for the 5,538 at Stan Sheriff Center.
California's Angie Pressey had a one-on-one situation with Hawai'i's blocker Kanoe Kamana'o, but hit the ball wide and out for a Rainbow Wahine point during the first game of last night's match.
"Every night we come out and push hard through every point," said Hawai'i's Victoria Prince. "We were coming off a big win against UCLA, and didn't want to let down. We fought hard every single play.
"We were down in the second game and just pulled together. You could see in our eyes we did not want to lose that game. We wanted to be outta here in three games, and we just fought the same we fought in the fifth game against UCLA and the fifth game against San Diego and the fifth game against Arizona. We've got a list here. That's what we do, we fight."
UH never let Cal truly believe it could take control, with Prince (14 kills. .462 hitting) untouchable the first two games in the middle, and Alicia Arnott (16 kills, .389) and Susie Boogaard (14, .275) rock solid on the outside.
But the Golden Bears offered an assist with poor passing early, and erratic hitting all night. They had 25 errors to UH's 13. Cal (4-3) has lost its past three, including nine straight games. Coach Rich Feller changed his lineup last night, moving middle Alicia Powers outside.
She struggled, but it still looked like the Bears might have enough talent to take Hawai'i. They could never put it together long enough to find out, even as UH coach Dave Shoji experimented to try to fill the attack gap in his second middle position.
"We still need a little better attack out of our other middle," he explained. "When we get that, things just open up. People have to honor Victoria, and we get seams on the outside when she's up there. But that other position has been just average so far."
In the first game, Cal senior Gabrielle Abernathy went 5 for 10 without an error. Her teammates hit zero, and never came close to the 'Bows after Prince served them to a 21-11 cushion. Redshirt freshman Kari Gregory, who has played every match for Hawai'i because it lost its starting middles the first two matches of the season, had four kills and a block that game.
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Senior captain Melody Eckmier started the second and got two blocks, but couldn't create offense. Cal's passing improved immensely, and 5-foot-8 freshman Angie Pressey was 8 for 11. But Abernathy had more errors than kills, and the Bears let a lead go when Ashley Watanabe's serving helped Hawai'i to six straight points and a 26-24 advantage.
Hawai'i's Kari Gregory dumps a kill over the block of Cal's Natalie Smart as the Rainbow Wahine swept the Bears to remain unbeaten.
"We lessened our errors, and they started messing up," said Watanabe, who had a third of Hawai'i's 39 digs. "It's more mental. That's what causes our play to be higher at a physical level."
The Rainbows got to 29 first, only to have Cal deny them game point twice. Pressey's kill put the Bears at game point (30-29), but were called for a net violation, for the fourth time in the game, trying to block Arnott.
They wouldn't get another chance, stifling two more game points but ultimately falling on Abernathy's sixth hitting error. In the final 16 serves, Cal hit .050,
"We erred out in the first two games big time," Cal coach Rich Feller admitted. "Their hitting percentage was extremely high (.336), and they had four or five hitters who didn't do much in the way of making mistakes. That's a big difference."
In Game 3, Shoji started Juliana Sanders in the middle. She made only a brief appearance against UCLA last Saturday since spraining her ankle in the opener. Reserve setter Cayley Thurlby played back row.
"I just wanted to give Cayley a chance to play," Shoji says. "She deserves it, and she needs game time."
Sanders also struggled offensively, and Gregory came back at 24-all. She started the 'Bows' final surge with a kill and stuff to put UH ahead, 27-25. The last of the Bears' hitting errors and Boogaard's kill put Hawai'i at match point. Abernathy denied it once, but Boogaard put it down a serve later.
"I don't notice any change in Hawai'i," Feller said. "Last year they had left-side hitters bombing the ball. This year they have left-side hitters bombing the ball. Is there a change?"
NOTES:
• Hawai'i plays UC-Irvine tonight at 7 p.m. The Anteaters' seven wins to start the season ties their best start in history, which came in 1981. Irvine is coached by former UH assistant Charlie Brande.
• Teisa Fotu started for freshman Tara Hittle last night because the Hawai'i coaches wanted to try a new opening rotation, but didn't want Hittle to serve first. She subbed in at 6-8, and finished the night with seven kills and .429 hitting.
• Cal and Irvine conclude this round-robin tournament with a match tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the SSC. There is no admission charge.
• The Golden Bear staff wore special Cal aloha shirts by Reyn Spooner last night. The coaches got them from their bookstore before they came to last year's regionals here.
• UCLA, ranked third in the country before losing to Hawai'i last Saturday, fell to Utah in five games last night.
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.
