WAHINE VOLLEYBALL
Rainbow Wahine hear another voice
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Much is made of the transition game in volleyball, the critical flow of defense to offense and back.
Ryan Tsuji:
Manager filling in as a coach for the Wahine
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The biggest transition game for Hawaii this season is being played in the mind of Ryan Tsuji, who is making the change from manager the past five seasons to assistant coach.
Tsuji (Waiakea '01) is a temporary replacement for associate head coach Kari Ambrozich, out on maternity leave.
"I was a little worried about how the players were going to respond to me as a coach, how they would respond, IF they would respond," Tsuji said. "The transition wasn't as difficult as it might have been."
Tsuji has been the club director for 'Ime 'Iki, and has coached current Rainbow Wahine Dani Mafua, Elizabeth Ka'aihue and Kanani Herring. He feels more has changed this year than just his position.
"The coaches kind of had it in their minds where we were going to be coming into that first week of practice," Tsuji said. "I think we're all pleasantly surprised. The players are in better shape, more prepared mentally, more focused than even in recent years.
"I'm very excited about this season."
CINDY LUIS
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It's not so much a revolution as an evolution.
The women's collegiate game continues to change as volleyball players become the epitome of the Olympic motto: Citius, altius, fortius (Faster, higher, stronger).
Hawaii is no exception. Fifteen practices into preseason camp and one thing is evident: This is not your mother's volleyball team.
"I think we're going to be really good and teams should watch out."
Jamie Houston
WAC player of the year
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The Rainbow Wahine are athletic, strong and deep. The goal is to capitalize on those strengths, which means a quicker offense and more attacks from the back row.
"I feel pretty happy with the overall play so far," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "We definitely have the depth and that means everyone is playing hard. You have to play hard consistently or you're going to drop back."
As happened last season, the starting setter's job is up for grabs. Junior Stephanie Brandt and sophomore Dani Mafua "have both really improved," according to Shoji, in his 34th season.
"And we are trying to attack a little faster, use hitting out of the backcourt more," he said. "In the past, that has almost been an emergency set. We have the players to do that now and they're getting better at it."
The one player seen as crucial to that back-row attack is senior hitter Jamie Houston. She took a number of sets from behind the 3-meter line during yesterday's scrimmages.
"I think we're very physical this year," the reigning Western Athletic Conference player of the year said. "We're physical at a lot of positions, even the middles.
"The thing that is exciting to see is where we are right now because we're doing a lot of drills during double-days that we didn't get to last year. They (the coaches) have thrown them at us and we've been able to respond.
"I think we're going to be really good and teams should watch out."
One of the surprises for opponents will be Wahine freshman hitter Kanani Herring. The Fab 50 selection from Kamehameha hits one of the heaviest balls on the team and has been solid on defense.
"I'm very happy how it's going, but I still have a lot to work on," Herring said. "I feel like our team has really grown in the past week and they're saying we're ahead of where we've been. That is really awesome.
"Everyone is doing a really great job and I enjoy my teammates. It hasn't been a hard transition (from high school). They've all been so welcoming and I feel like I fit right in."
First-year assistant coach Ryan Tsuji, the team manager the past five years, said the players' dedication over the summer shows in the progress being made now.
"A lot of it has to do with many of them coming back early or staying for the summer," Tsuji said. "They took the initiative to have open gym so that could play together. That's invaluable.
"It feels like a different era. It's going to look different, not going to be a team you might normally associate with this program, not traditionally what Wahine volleyball has looked like. We have evolved because of the players we have."
Note
Sophomore libero Elizabeth Ka'aihue sat out yesterday's practice with an undisclosed injury to her right knee. It does not appear to be serious.