WAHINE VOLLEYBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii's Tara Hittle smacked the ball past a pair of Texas State players during yesterday's NCAA tournament match.
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Texas up next for Wahine
Hawaii defeats Texas State 30-25, 30-18, 30-23, then watches as the Longhorns sweep LSU
AUSTIN, Texas » Everything, they say, is bigger in Texas.
It's certainly true with the University of Texas volleyball team.
When Hawaii sees Texas across the net in today's second-round NCAA tournament match, the Rainbow Wahine see a larger version of themselves. Both teams are quick, run the slide (step-out) extremely well and have dynamic attackers. The similarities are reflected in where the coaches have them ranked coming into this week, sharing the No. 7 spot.
Both teams also know that it could be their final match of the season. For one of them, it will be.
"We can beat them," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said after watching Texas pull out a 30-19, 30-28, 30-26 win over LSU in last night's second match. "We just can't allow them to go off on the slide ... and they run it the best I've seen.
"We've got to put up a tough block, make sure it's well-formed. We also need to control our emotions. We were maybe too amped, not real smooth, but we got the key points when we needed."
The Wahine (26-6) also got another school record after beating Texas State 30-25, 30-18, 30-23, their 16th sweep during their current 20-match winning streak. Senior libero Ashley Watanabe broke the single-season dig mark of 437 set by Teee Williams in 1988.
Watanabe had nine digs during the 90-minute win over the Bobcats (17-15), giving her 442 heading into tonight's match with the Longhorns.
"Ashley's a great player, and what a great achievement for her," said UH senior middle Victoria Prince, who celebrated her 23rd birthday with 12 kills, hitting .667, with seven blocks. "She pushes hard every single play, gives 110 percent. Her defense is very impressive."
Hawaii is going to need impressive defense against Texas, which has lost just once in Gregory Gym in two seasons. The Longhorns (24-4) ran their 2005 record to 11-0 at home last night after getting 12 kills each from 6-foot-2 junior middle Brandy Magee and Dariam Acevedo, an athletic 5-10 hitter.
Magee and 6-3 Jen Christian are literally big concerns for Shoji. Christian had an off night (four kills, hitting .059) but Shoji knows what the sophomore is capable of; he heavily recruited the Arizona prep player of the year.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas State's Christina Melvin, left, and Karry Griffin, couldn't stop a hit from Hawaii during yesterday's match.
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One of the Wahine got away from Texas coach Jerritt Elliott as well. He recruited junior setter Kanoe Kamana'o.
"I have so much respect for Kanoe," said Elliott, who played briefly for the UH men's volleyball program. "She gives her hitters great swings.
"Our two teams are similar in balance. They run a completely different offense, but they're very deep with dynamic players, have strong weapons as do we. It's going to come down to a serve-and-pass game and Hawaii is a very good ball-control team."
Hawaii and Texas saw their seasons end last year in the Sweet 16 in Green Bay, Wis. The Wahine were upset by Wisconsin, while the Longhorns were eliminated by eventual NCAA champion Stanford.
"Our match (tonight) will be a Sweet 16- or Elite Eight-caliber match," Elliott said. "But the NCAA (selection committee) didn't see it that way. It's just a shame that one of our seasons will be over after this."
It's going to be a battle. When asked how the Wahine could beat the Longhorns, LSU coach Fran Flory thought it would come down to quickness and defense (Hawaii) and blocking and defense (Texas).
"Texas has such a big, physical block that a lot of it will be dependent on Hawaii's setter (Kamana'o) and her decision-making," said Flory, her season ending at 21-8. "Defense will be a key for Hawaii, and Texas will have to beat them at the net."
A key for the Wahine may be the play of hitters Jamie Houston, 6-2, and 6-3 Sarah Mason. Houston led the Wahine last night with 13 kills but had eight errors (.263). Mason, whose right ankle is not 100 percent, was used on both the right and left sides, and finished with five kills in two games.
Hawaii's block had a little trouble with Texas State's Lawrencia Brown. The 5-10 freshman, who touches 10-2, had 13 kills for the Bobcats (17-15).
Note: Hawaii is 6-0 in Gregory Gym, defeating Kentucky and Tennessee in the regionals here en route to the 1983 final four and a second straight NCAA title. The Wahine are 4-0 against the Longhorns here and have won the last four matches between the two schools. Texas is 1-9 against UH, but the one victory came in the 1988 NCAA final.
Hawaii def. Texas State
30-25, 30-18, 30-23
Bobcats (17-15)
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Nwoke |
3 |
6 |
6 |
27 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
Brown |
3 |
13 |
4 |
30 |
.300 |
1 |
0 |
6
|
Griffin |
3 |
6 |
3 |
22 |
.136 |
0 |
2 |
2
|
St. Francis |
2 |
4 |
2 |
14 |
.143 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Prewit |
3 |
4 |
3 |
16 |
.062 |
0 |
2 |
10
|
Hickman |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Blumhorst |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Jones |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Ramirez |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
8
|
Melito |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
Weigle |
2 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
-.143 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Fletcher |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
-.250 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Melvin |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
3
|
Totals |
3 |
36 |
23 |
128 |
.102 |
1 |
4 |
33 |
Rainbow Wahine (26-6)
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Sanders |
3 |
8 |
1 |
12 |
.583 |
0 |
3 |
2
|
Boogaard |
3 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
.300 |
0 |
2 |
15
|
Hittle |
3 |
8 |
3 |
19 |
.263 |
0 |
0 |
9
|
Houston |
3 |
13 |
8 |
29 |
.172 |
0 |
1 |
4
|
Kamana'o |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
.500 |
0 |
4 |
3
|
Prince |
3 |
12 |
0 |
18 |
.667 |
1 |
6 |
4
|
Gregory |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
.500 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Arnott |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
3
|
Watanabe |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
9
|
Thurlby |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Ong |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Woolford |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Mason |
2 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
.273 |
1 |
2 |
2
|
Totals |
3 |
52 |
15 |
104 |
.356 |
2 |
18 |
51 |
Key -- g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- Texas State (5): Prewit 2, Brown, Hickman, Ramirez. Hawaii (4): Kamana'o, Hittle, Price. Assists -- Texas State (30): Hickman 17, Melvin 12, Prewit. Hawaii (48): Kamana'o 42, Boogaard 4, Sanders, Mason.
T -- 1:30. Officials -- Gloria Cox, Bill Forrester, Wanda Stahl. A -- n/a.