Saturday, September 19, 1998
Wahine roll
in league opener
They sweep WAC foe
By Cindy Luis
San Diego State for their
fourth consecutive victory
Star-BulletinWAC? Make that WHACK!
The University of Hawaii women's volleyball team proved it could beat up on a conference opponent, needing only 88 minutes to thump San Diego State, 15-5, 15-3, 15-9, last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Tonight, the No. 13 Wahine will try to prove they can beat a former conference opponent when they host No. 8 Pacific. A victory over the Tigers would be good for the soul -- and the poll.
"It's a very important match for us and for Pacific," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said after his team won its fourth consecutive match to improve to 6-1. "It's extremely hard to move up in the rankings if we don't win this kind of match. If our goal is to be ranked in the Top 8, then we have to win this one.
"I think we can. We've played a high level. We're more proven than they are at this point, have played the harder schedule. But they've handled everybody pretty well. It will be an interesting match."
The key matchups are in the middle, where Hawaii's Heather Bown (6-foot-3) and Veronica Lima (6-0) will go against the Tigers' Tracy Chambers (6-3) and Sara Bronson (6-1). Last night, Bown and Lima combined for 33 of the Wahine's 59 kills and half of the blocks while both hit over .600.
San Diego State scored the first points in each game last night, but never threatened.
"We have to be ready to go after it from the beginning, be fundamentally sound and start out strong," Bown said of tonight's match. "Their girls are so physical. And I don't know that we've played a team that has the fire Pacific has. I'm excited to see familiar faces across the net. I'm ready to play the Big West again."
As a blocker for UC Santa Barbara last year, Bown faced the Tigers three times. But Pacific has a different look from a year ago: 5-10 all-Big West hitter Elsa Stegemann, who sat out most of last year after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament, is back. And 6-1 junior setter Tanja Dimitreijevic, who sprained a knee against Oklahoma last weekend, might miss tonight's match.
Kara Gormsen, a 5-10 transfer from Arizona, will replace Dimitreijevic. She had 54 assists in Pacific's 3-0 win over Sacramento State Tuesday.
Also of concern to UH is 6-2 hitter Jennica Smith, who leads the Big West in hitting percentage at .475, fourth-best in the nation. She has a team-high 89 kills for the Tigers, who have won seven of eight matches in straight sets.
But the Wahine are bigger and stronger than when they fell to Pacific last September, 14-16, 15-13, 15-8, 15-9.
"I think Hawaii is better in their blocking scheme this year," said San Diego State coach Mark Warner, whose Aztecs fell to 2-8. "Good blocking is disruptive to the other team. Most hitters are intimidated by a good block."
The Aztecs were outblocked, 912-2. Amy Hallquist (nine kills) and Nicole Curtis and Summer Altice (eight kills apiece) had some success, but not enough.
"Bown was bigger than I expected," said Curtis, who was in on both Aztec blocks. "I watched her in warmups and didn't think she'd be that effective. She's strong, jumps high and hits hard.
"Hawaii is definitely different than last year."
The Wahine haven't changed when it comes to conference success, recording their 50th consecutive league victory, a streak that dates back to 1994. It was also their 17th consecutive victory over the Aztecs, dating back to 1985.
Tonight
Teams: No. 8 Pacific (8-0) vs. No. 13 Hawaii (6-1), 7:05 p.m.
San Diego State (0-1 WAC)
g k e at pct. bs ba d Bostian 3 3 2 8 .125 0 0 2 Arroyo 1 2 2 9 .000 0 0 2 Reeve 3 4 6 14 -.143 0 0 2 Curtis 3 8 4 18 .222 1 1 3 Hallquist 3 9 2 19 .368 0 1 4 Paz 3 6 3 27 .111 0 0 6 Magnuson 1 1 0 1 1.000 0 0 0 Altice 2 8 4 18 .222 0 0 3 Garner 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 Evans 3 0 0 1 .000 0 0 5 Totals 3 41 23 115 .157 1 2 29Wahine (1-0 WAC)
g k e at pct. bs ba d Sudduth 3 5 4 20 .050 0 1 7 Bown 3 20 1 31 .613 0 5 2 Hubbert 3 3 0 4 .750 0 3 1 Lima 3 13 2 17 .647 0 4 10 Roberts 2 3 0 5 .600 0 2 0 Ilustre 3 11 3 23 .348 0 3 3 Karratti 3 3 2 6 .167 0 1 11 Bradley 1 0 0 2 .000 0 0 0 Kim 3 1 0 1 1.000 0 0 2 Totals 3 59 12 109 .431 0 19 36Key: g-games. k-kills. e-hitting errors. at-attempts. pct.-hitting percentage. bs-block solos. ba-block assists. d-digs.Aces--UH (5): Hubbert 2, Sudduth 1, Ilustre 1, Karratti 1. SDSU (3): Bostian 2, Reeve 1. Assists--UH (52): Hubbert 48, Lima 3, Sudduth 1. SDSU (36): Bostian 32, Hallquist 2, Paz 1, Garner 1. A--6145. T--1:28. Officials: Bill Peer, Ernest Ho.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
