KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Susie Boogaard had eight kills in last night's sweep.
Wahine sweep Junior Maja Gustin was back and she brought a revamped Hawaii lineup with her.
Spartans, even
without Willoughby
Middle Maja Gustin returns as
Hawaii fields a new lineupBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comHawaii showcased a brand new -- though not permanent -- lineup and Hawaii swept San Jose State 30-12, 30-22, 30-23.
At outside hitter were Lily Kahumoku and freshman Susie Boogaard. The rookie took the place of junior Kim Willoughby, who was battling the stomach flu. In the middle were juniors Maja Gustin and Karin Lundqvist. Junior Lauren Duggins, normally a middle blocker, moved to the right side, where Boogaard had started the last two matches.
"We were doing X's and O's in the locker room," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "We had to do some things that we haven't done. We worked on parts of that in practice."
Willoughby missed the pregame practice because of illness and was not allowed to play in the match.
Some of the Rainbow Wahine may have been in different spots, but it certainly didn't affect their overall game. Before a crowd of about 4,300 at the Stan Sheriff Center, the Wahine (18-0, 6-0 Western Athletic Conference) won their 39th game in a row and broke a program record for consecutive victories set two years ago. The Spartans dropped to 10-11, 4-3 in conference play.
Gustin hadn't been slated to start and was listed as probable for an appearance after recovering from a stress fracture in her left foot. But Shoji said the Wahine had no other options with Willoughby out and junior Nohea Tano on the sideline with a sprained left ankle.
Gustin played mostly right side and finished with nine kills and three blocks. She estimates that she's playing at about 95 percent but can't take off on one foot to hit the back slides that she loves.
"It was fun," said a breathless Gustin. "It's amazing. Our team is just so comfortable. The energy level of our team is high. I didn't know that it was that high. When you're on the outside, you don't know."
Gustin didn't disappoint with her long-awaited return to the court. The 6-foot-2 middle showcased some impressive skills, twice digging hard-driven hits from San Jose's Fran Pozzi and covering Hawaii hitters at the net. Gustin picked up four digs and two kills in Game 1. With outside hitter Lily Kahumoku sizzling (six kills, .556 hitting percentage), the Wahine didn't need much else.
At one point in Game 2, Hawaii fans were cheering for San Jose State after the Wahine jumped out to an 11-4 lead. Setter Margaret Vakasausau served six straight points and provided the Wahine with a comfortable lead they maintained the rest of the way. Kahumoku smoked the line for at least half of her nine kills in Game 2 and finished with a match-high 19 kills.
"They're a fabulous team and Kim didn't even play," San Jose State coach Craig Choate said. "There are some things that are a physical given that I wish I was smart enough to change but I can't."
30-12, 30-22, 30-23 Hawaii def. San Jose St.
SPARTANS (10-11, 4-3) g k e att pct. bs ba d Pascucci 3 6 5 32 .031 0 2 1 Powers 3 1 2 11 -.091 0 0 0 Lukens 3 0 0 2 .000 0 2 3 Pozzi 3 9 4 29 .172 1 0 4 Hudson 3 2 3 10 -.100 0 4 6 Noble 3 9 7 34 .059 0 2 3 Lewis 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Haldi 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 9 Burmeister 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Rule 2 2 0 2 1.000 0 2 4 Totals 3 29 21 120 .067 1 12 30 WAHINE (18-0, 6-0) g k e att pct. bs ba d Vakasausau 3 2 0 2 1.000 0 0 10 Kahumoku 3 19 3 34 .471 0 1 6 Gustin 3 9 4 19 .263 0 3 5 Duggins 3 7 2 13 .385 0 3 12 Boogaard 3 8 4 21 .190 0 3 1 Carey 3 1 0 2 .500 0 2 3 Lundqvist 3 10 3 19 .368 0 4 0 Ilustre 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 10 Eckmier 1 1 1 3 .000 1 0 0 Tano 1 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Villaroman 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 13 Totals 3 56 16 110 .364 0 16 60 Key -- g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- Hawaii (3): Vacasausau, Gustin, Duggins. San Jose St. (3): Pascucci, Lukens, Rule. Assists -- Hawaii (53): Vakasausau 27, Carey 17, Duggins 3, Gustin 2, Kahumoku 2, Ilustre, Lundqvist. San Jose St. (28): Rule 17, Lukens 5, Hudson 2, Noble, Pozzi, Powers, Pascucci.
T -- 1:25. Officials -- Jesse Martinez, Dan Hironaka. A--6,372.
UH Athletics
