UH rallies past
Rams in WAC
The Wahine will get a chance
By Cindy Luis
to avenge last year's loss to BYU
Star-BulletinLAS VEGAS -- Dave Shoji is playing roulette with his lineup. And so far this week, every number the University of Hawaii coach has called has paid off big. Last night, Green 1 (Therese Crawford), 3 (Cia Goods) and 5 (Jessica Sudduth) led UH to a 16-14, 7-15, 15-12, 15-8 victory over No. 20 Colorado State in the Western Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The No. 15 Wahine (25-6) will face seventh-ranked Brigham Young University tomorrow in the final at 5:30 p.m. HST.
The Cougars (26-5) eliminated San Diego State, 15-13, 15-4, 15-10, in last night's second semifinal. Amy Steele Gant had 20 kills, 11 in Game 1, to help oust the Aztecs and set up a rematch of last year's WAC Tournament championship, won by BYU.
"We're the underdog (tomorrow), just like we've been all year," said Goods, who had 19 kills and was in on 15 blocks. "But we're not the young team that we were at the start of the season.
"Winning Game 1 was so important. It showed that we did not give up because it was game point. If this match had been played in September, I don't know if that would have happened."
Hawaii played from behind in each set and, except for Game 2, was able to rally each time. The Wahine held off five game points in Game 1, coming from an 11-14 deficit to score five unanswered points behind the blocking of Goods and Leah Karratti.
Sudduth came up big late in Game 3, going 5-for-5 on kill attempts to help the Wahine break a 12-12 deadlock. The freshman made Shoji "look like a genius" as she finished with four blocks, including a match-ending solo stuff.
"I don't think of our freshmen as freshmen," said Crawford, who served for the final four points, including two aces. "They are respected when they come out on the court because we know they can do the job."
"We have a lot of buttons we can push in terms of who we put in," Shoji said after his 650th career win. "Sometimes I push them and they work, sometimes they don't. This time we pushed the right buttons.
"Jessica helped us get over the hump in the middle of the third game. But the key, really, was at 11-14 in Game 1. We managed to steal that one and were able to make critical adjustments with our block and our serving, especially toward the end of the match."
The Wahine gave up six service aces in Game 2 and didn't record their first ace until the middle of Game 3. Hawaii used three aces in the final minutes of the 2-hour, 18-minute match -- and nine of its 23 team blocks -- to finish off the Rams (26-5).
The win was crucial to Hawaii's hopes of hosting an NCAA sub-regional next week. The Rams are rated right above the Wahine in the regional rankings, but that should change when the NCAA volleyball selection committee begins seeding the 56-team tournament Saturday.
"I believe we're one of the top 16 teams in the country," said Shoji. "I think the committee has to look at this win and consider us ahead of Colorado State in the region.
"Our big goal is to still win the tournament. But losing to BYU shouldn't be looked on as a bad loss, with them ahead of us in the region."
Win or lose tomorrow, BYU coach Elaine Michaelis said BYU and Hawaii could both be hosting next week. Since teams ranked above the Cougars lost last week, she said BYU should be considered a top-eight team and receive a first-round bye.
"I sure would like to guarantee that top-eight spot, and I think beating Hawaii would guarantee that," Michaelis said. "I think it's going to be a wonderful match and we're going to see some wonderful athletes in Goods and Crawford. I think they're two of the best in the country.
"What worries me most about them is their athleticism. If they're passing well, it's hard to stop Goods in the middle."
It was equally tough to stop Hawaii's other middle, Jenny Roberts, last night. The sophomore had 12 kills and hit .478.
The Wahine's revolving door at outside hitter kept the smaller Rams guessing most of the match. Crawford went over the block for 19 kills and was equally effective on defense with a match-high 17 digs.
"When we beat BYU, we played great defense," CSU coach Tom Hilbert said. "Hawaii can do the same thing. They are a big, athletic team and they'll match up well with BYU. If they have an edge, it's their block. And blocking is a huge equalizer."
The Wahine have had 23 blocks in each of their two WAC Tournament matches. Goods has two solo and 30 assist blocks in the tournament.
At Las Vegas Box Score
Hawaii def. Colorado State, 16-14, 7-15, 15-12, 15-8
Rams (26-5 overall)
g k e at pct. bs ba d Vance 4 0 0 1 .000 0 0 11 Rogers 4 16 12 50 .080 0 1 9 Penfield 4 23 5 47 .383 0 3 10 Rexroth 4 15 3 27 .444 2 4 13 Saylor 4 2 1 11 .091 0 5 10 Vagnuer 4 16 12 46 .087 0 3 13 Langley 4 5 4 20 .050 0 8 7 Parmely 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Totals 4 77 37 202 .198 2 24 73
g k e at pct. bs ba d Crawford 4 20 11 51 .176 0 2 17 Karratti 4 3 4 20 --.050 0 11 5 Goods 4 19 8 46 .239 1 14 7 Cordray 3 9 7 29 .069 0 0 10 Hubbert 4 1 0 5 .200 0 5 6 Miyashiro 4 0 0 0 .000 0 0 7 Sudduth 3 7 4 19 .158 2 2 7 Elkington 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 Roberts 4 12 1 23 .478 1 4 2 Lee 4 0 0 1 .000 0 0 1 Ilustre 4 2 0 6 .333 0 0 6 Totals 4 73 35 200 .190 4 38 70Aces--CSU (10): Rexroth 4, Saylor 3, Vance 1, Rogers 1, Penfield 1. UH (4): Crawford 2, Karratti 1, Lee 1. Assists--CSU (74): Saylor 68, Penfield 3, Rogers 2, Rexroth 1. UH (67): Hubbert 63, Karratti 1, Goods 1, Lee 1, Ilustre 1.A--1,482. T--2:18. Officials: Verna Klubnikin, Kim Pickering.
1997 UH Wahine Volleyball Schedule
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
