No. 6 Rainbows go four to topple Waves

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

If the first 990 were like the last 10, Dave Shoji might never have made it to his 1,000th match as the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach last night. Few have enough stamina to withstand the radical highs and lows six new starters have provided every match of this unbeaten season.

Dave Shoji was honored before his 1,000th match as coach of the UH Rainbow volleyball team. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The victory lifted Shoji's winning percentage to .851 (850-149-1), the best among active Division I coaches.

The Waves have dropped from No. 9 out of the poll by losing seven of their first nine. The sixth-ranked Rainbows leave home for the first time with a 10-0 record.

"Who would have thought?" asked UH sophomore setter Kanoe Kamana'o, who tied Teee Williams' record for most digs in a four-game match with 30. "This is incredible. Ten and oh, what can I say?"

Shoji called the perfect start a "90-to-1" longshot. "I wouldn't say it was 99 to 1," he said, laughing.

Somehow, his green team has found a way to win, every night. Last night, Kamana'o — the only returning starter — said the 'Bows were inspired by a short pregame ceremony to honor Shoji's 1,000 landmark. The 2004 team's gift was a hand-painted sign it unveiled to read "1,000 Davey Baby!"

Then it blew the Waves out of the water in a brilliant Game 1. Pepperdine sprayed nine hitting errors, with five coming from Katy Daly, who shredded the 'Bows' block Friday for 25 kills. She got stuffed three times by Victoria Prince and Kamana'o in the first game, while Boogaard (7 kills) anchored a UH outside attack Pepperdine could not stop.

The shock of superiority brought the 'Bows bolting back to earth. Pepperdine began to put the ball in play more in Game 2 and both teams started to sweep the floor clean. They combined for 228 digs in the match, with Hawai'i breaking its record for four games with 119.

"I like to think it's because we work hard on defense," Shoji said. "When you get a lot of digs your block is touching some balls and that's exactly what we want them to do — slow it down so we can dig it."

The long rallies punctuated a match that was often spectacular and sloppy, sometimes within seconds of each other.

Pepperdine broke to a 23-18 advantage after the seventh tie in Game 2. The Rainbows stayed close and denied two game points, but could never catch up. They gave the Waves three of their final four points with two hitting errors and a net violation.

"Everything seemed to be working in the first game," Shoji said. "Then we began to start feeling good about ourselves and don't work as hard, and that's why we struggled in Game 2."

Kamana'o had to agree: "We have our ups and downs," she said. "After that first game we kind of sat back a little, which we definitely should not have done."

Game 3 was a mirror image, as Hawai'i pulled ahead after the 10th tie and refused to let loose. The Rainbow Wahine took tenuous control at 13-8 in Game 4 when freshman Tara Hittle instigated a 5-0 run by knocking over Waves on successive kills. UH, never appearing to tire, refused to let Pepperdine within two again.

Hawai'i got 42 kills and 46 digs from its left side, with Boogaard going 23-20 and Arnott 19-26. Hittle added 13 kills without an error, hitting .406.

Prince had her most frustrating offensive performance — her first kill came at 4-all in Game 3 — but dropped in on nine of the 'Bows' 12 blocks, tying a four-game record for the rally-scoring era.

Daly again led PU with 17 kills and Seabury Hall graduate Lecca Roberts came in to get 10, mostly of the unorthodox variety. Kamehameha Schools graduate Kekai Crabbe dug 32 balls.

Hawai'i opens its WAC season at Fresno State Thursday and Nevada Saturday. Its next home match is Oct. 8 against Boise State.

NOTES

• UH libero Ashley Watanabe rolled her left ankle and had to come out with the Rainbow Wahine trailing 19-17 in the second game. She returned a little later with UH trailing 25-22.

• In the preliminary alumnae match, the White squad beat the Green, 25-22, in the first game. The Green rallied for a 25-11 victory in the second. A total of 28 alumnae played and coached, including Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos and UH associate athletics director Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, who was on Dave Shoji's first team in 1975.

• Last night's match will be shown today on CSTV, available at No. 247 on the digital box to Oceanic's Special Sports Package subscribers.

• UH ran its winning streak over unranked opponents to 182, dating back to a loss to Pepperdine seven years ago.

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

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Dave Shoji was honored before his 1,000th match as coach of the UH Rainbow volleyball team. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser