THE kids are alright. Wahine could be
something special in ’98And the older players weren't too bad, either.
For those worried about the state of University of Hawaii Wahine volleyball, Saturday's alumnae-varsity match should have put some fears to rest.
The Wahine varsity took five members of the 1996 NCAA runner-up team, with Karrie Trieschman Poppinga (1987-90) subbing for Angelica Ljungquist.
The newest alumnae building blocks in the foundation of the proud Wahine tradition played solidly, but the night belonged to the 1998 team.
It didn't take long for the varsity to put its own architectural mark on the match. Trailing 2-1 in Game 1, Jennifer Roberts and Heather Bown combined for the first of 13 team "roofs" on the night.
This could be a very fun season.
"They were really tall," the 6-foot-1 Poppinga said after the varsity prevailed, 14-16, 15-7, 15-8. "That was strange for me to see. All night all I saw were 20 digits (fingers) in my face. I don't think there was once when I had just one person on me. Either there were two or all three.
"They are really good at reading blocks. What's nice is they are already having a lot of fun. I don't know if I noticed that last year. Not to say the last teams didn't have it, but there was a certain camaraderie, a good connection on the other side of the net."
THERE was quite a bit of competitiveness on both sides. Poppinga said her team had heard talk that they wouldn't score seven points in any game.
"For us, it was like, 'OK, let's go!" she said. "But I thought we should be putting something on the line, like maybe having Dave (coach Dave Shoji) or Charlie (assistant Charlie Wade) wear women's underwear for a week if we did score more than seven points.
"I was kind of worried because in our practices, we were kind of going through the motions. But once the game started . . . I played in this match a few years ago and all I can say is, this time, it was really competitive. This felt like a real game."
The exhibition at Stan Sheriff Center attracted more fans -- 4,679 through the turnstiles (6,754 tickets were issued) -- than some programs in the country see in an entire season.
Some probably came out of curiosity. What effect would the off-season turmoil, which resulted in five players leaving, have on the team?
Newcomer Veronica Lima answered that on her first swing. The 6-foot-2 freshman hitter hammered the ball on a backset from Nikki Hubbert. Fourteen kills later, she had emerged as a force.
"I was fearful in the beginning, but once the game started, I warmed up," said the Brazilian, who samba-ed her way through pregame warmups. "It was fun to hear the crowd cheering for a good rally.
"For my first time, it couldn't be better. And the (alumnae) team, they were great. They still play great."
That they did.
IT's always a treat to see setter Robyn Ah Mow work her magic. To watch Joselyn Robins and Therese Crawford defy gravity.
And Cia Goods has upped her game a notch after training with the U.S. national team.
It was nice to have the memories of 1996 brought back to life the other night. Even better was seeing that same spark of Wahine pride ignited in this year's team.
Lima is going to be a terminator. Junior transfer Heather Bown (15 kills, nine blocks) has already begun to take charge.
Hubbert has worked hard to step out of Ah Mow's shadow, finally taking control of HER team.
My first assignment for the Star-Bulletin was the Hawaii-UCLA volleyball match at the sold-out Blaisdell Arena in 1981. Us old folks feel Friday's Hawaii-UCLA match could be the start of something big for this Wahine team.
Cindy Luis is a Star-Bulletin sportswriter.
Her column appears weekly.