Thursday, November 29, 2001
Snow greets Wahine Hawaii could be considered collegiate volleyball's version of the movie "The Replacements."
No. 11 Hawaii is in Pullman,
Who they face
Wash., for first round of
NCAA TournamentBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comWhen Hawaii lines up on the court against Washington State, no starter will be in the same spot as last year's final four team.
The 11th-ranked Wahine are in Pullman, Wash., and play the host Cougars in the first round of the NCAA tournament tomorrow at 6 p.m. HST. If ninth-seeded Hawaii wins, it would face the winner of the Eastern Washington and Oregon State match on Saturday at 2 p.m.
"(The movie) reminds me so much of this team because I'm the replacement of Lily and Tano is Maja's replacement," outside hitter Kim Willoughby said. " Maja is my replacement, Jen Carey is Tanja's replacement and Margaret is Jen Carey's replacement.
"Everybody is someone else's replacement. We became a very successful team. It's unbelievable that we've come together and bonded."
In this season of improbabilities, the Hawaii volleyball team has exceeded expectations, but to do it again, it will need to break a playoff jinx.
It is the first time since 1997 that Hawaii won't be home for a first- or second-round match. The last two teams (1984, 1997) that had to leave Honolulu didn't fare so well in the NCAA tournament.
"It's always hard to travel especially in a playoff situation because the other team is going to be a playoff team," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "I don't think this year is any exception. Washington State will be a tough challenge for us. It's just not easy to win a playoff game on the road. We lost to Oregon (in 1984). We didn't play well (against Loyola Marymount in 1997) at Long Beach, but this is another year."
And another team.
Shoji said that the 1997 group wasn't very good and the 1984 squad had been depleted due to the graduation of several seniors.
Based on those assessments, this year's squad seems ripe for an upset after having major realignment and losing a ton of talent.
But if there's one thing working for this squad, it's the fact that they're seasoned travelers and they'll match up well with Washington State.
The two teams are comparable -- smallish in the middle and reliant on a strong outside attack and tenacious defense.
The Cougars don't do as much traveling as the Wahine (no team does), but getting to and from Pullman isn't as simple as hopping on a plane. And travel has become increasingly difficult since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
WSU coach Cindy Fredrick is grateful to be home and playing in Bohler gym (3,000 capacity). She knows what she's up against and doesn't buy it when she hears that these Wahine are less talented.
"When you compare this team with the teams Dave has had in the past, he's had some absolutely phenomenal teams. ... I think that you take that with a grain of salt. He's had some incredibly talented teams," Fredrick said.
"We know that we definitely have our work cut out for us so that's why we're bringing in the snowstorms. We're bringing in the worst weather we've had for the year so far. This is our first major snowstorm. We thought it was real good timing ... bring in Hawaii for the snowstorms."
The Wahine
and who they faceNo. 9 seed Hawaii (27-5, 13-0)
Coach: Dave Shoji, 27th yearHow they got here: NCAA automatic bid, WAC Champion
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 20 (1981-91, 1993-2001)
Players: Kim Willoughby (6-0 So. OH) leads the nation in kills with 7.08 per game. She also averages 3.66 digs per game and has 24 aces; Margaret Vakasausau, (5-8 Jr. S) 12.48 assists per game, 2.55 dpg, 17 aces; Lauren Duggins (6-0 So. MB) 1.78 kpg, 2.87 dpg, 24 aces; Nohea Tano (5-11 So. MB) 1.61 kpg, 1.47 dpg, 7 aces; Maja Gustin (6-3 So. OH) 3.90 kpg, 1.02 dpg, 28 aces; Jennifer Carey ( 6-1 Jr. RS) 1.03 kpg, 1.47 dpg, 13 aces; Hedder Ilustre (5-7 Jr. DS) 1.99 dpg, 7 aces; Melissa Villaroman (5-6 So. DS) 1.68 dpg, 9 aces.
About the Wahine: Hawaii dropped from 9th to 11th in the AVCA coaches poll after going 1-1 at the Bankers Classic. The Wahine defeated No. 13 Utah 3-2, but lost to No. 12 Pacific 3-2. Willoughby and Vakasausau were named to the all-tournament team. The Wahine had won 24 straight before the loss.
Washington State (17-11, 9-9)
Coach: Cindy Fredrick, 13th yearHow they got here: NCAA at-large berth
NCAA Tournament appearances (total): 8 (1991, 1993-97, 2000-01)
Players: LaToya Harris (5-7 Jr. OH) 3.58 kpg, 2.92 dpg, 51 aces; Holly Harris (6-2 Jr. MB) 2.42 kpg, 1.02 dpg, 6 aces; Kali Surplus (6-0 Sr. S) 12.46 apg, 2.87 dpg, 15 aces; Adrian Hankoff (5-11 Jr. OH) 3.24 kpg, 2.60 dpg, 43 aces; Chelsie Schaefer (5-10 Jr. RS) 2.92 kpg, 2.25 dpg, 7 aces.
UH vs WSU: UH leads 3-0 (1989)... The last time these teams met was in Fredrick's debut as head coach of the Cougars.
About the Cougars: The Cougars were a bubble team and they knew it. But three late-season sweeps probably helped sway the selection committee. WSU defeated interstate rival Washington and won the UNLV Thanksgiving Classic with victories over Rice and William and Mary. Harris was named MVP while Schaefer was named to the all-tournament team. Fredrick coaches with her husband Dr. Mashallah Farokhmanesh, who is an assistant with the team.
Eastern Washington (20-5, 9-5)
Coach: Wade Benson, 2nd yearHow they got here:NCAA automatic bid, Big Sky Champion
NCAA tournament appearances: 4 (1989, 1998-99, 2001)
Players: Robyn Felder (5-11 Sr. RS) 3.40 kpg, 1.19 dpg, 22 aces; Janelle Ruen (5-11 Jr. OH) 3.73 kpg, 3.62 dpg, 36 aces; Courtney Bush (6-1 So. S) 4.84 apg, 3 aces; Jessie Wright (5-6 So. S) 7.52 apg, 2.63 dpg, 27 aces; Lindsay Crandell (5-9 Fr. OH) 2.21 kpg, 2.33 dpg, 21 aces.
UH vs EWU: UH leads 1-0 (1989). Hawaii shooed Eastern Washington out the door in the Eagles' first tournament appearance with a 3-0 sweep.
About the Eagles: EWU upset Sacramento State for the Big Sky championship. Ruen was named MVP of the conference tournament, while Crandell and Felder were also tourney honorees. The Eagles had the shortest distance to travel to Pullman. EWU has not made it past the first round in any of its previous appearances.
Oregon State (17-11, 10-8)
Coach: Nancy Somera, 3rd yearHow they got here:NCAA at-large berth
NCAA tournament appearances: 2 (1983, 2001)
Players: Gina Schmidt (5-11 Sr. OH) 3.71 kpg, 3.33 dpg; Laura Collins (5-9 So. S) 12.07 apg, 2.04 dpg; Allison Lawrence (5-11 Fr. OH); Michele Solomon (6-0 Jr. MB) 2.60 kpg, 0.96 bpg.
UH vs OSU: UH leads 4-0 (1991) with the last two meetings taking place in Honolulu.
About the Beavers: It is the first time in almost two decades since the Beavers were selected for the tournament. OSU upset a Kristee Porter-less UCLA squad in four for only the second win in program history against the Bruins. The Beavers are smart on and off the court, with eight players earning all-conference academic honors.
UH Athletics