WAHINE VOLLEYBALL
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jamie Houston was a "skinny little thing that could not pass," when she came to Manoa, according to her mentor, former Olympian Rose Magers-Powers.
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The 'skinny little thing' has grown up
Jamie Houston has matured to become the leader of a UH team with big plans
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Jamie Houston has one hope for her senior season: that her University of Hawaii volleyball career comes full circle.
It began in Omaha, Neb., when the wide-eyed freshman hitter was called in off the bench as the injury-plagued Rainbow Wahine limped through two losses at the 2005 AVCA/NACWAA Showcase.
It would end in Omaha if Hawaii were to reach its first final four since 2003.
"I am ready for my senior year, more excited than anything else," the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year said yesterday. "I'm excited to see what we can do on the court.
"We have great chemistry. I think this year we have all the tools we need to be in Omaha in December."
The 12th-ranked Wahine open their quest for a final-four run tonight against top-ranked and defending national champion Penn State. Hawaii is 0-3 against the Nittany Lions, the last loss coming in five sets when Houston put down a then-career-high 23 kills.
"Penn State is a good team," Houston said. "If we just play hard, never take a point off, we have a chance to stay with them, maybe even beat them."
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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Senior outside hitter Jamie Houston is poised to carry the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.
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There are a number of "what ifs" that build Jamie Houston's parallel universes.
"What if" she had stuck with basketball instead of playing volleyball?
"What if" she had gone to Texas or Penn State instead of Hawaii?
"What if" her homesickness had been too much to overcome and the Huntsville, Ala., native transferred after her freshman season?
Sure, the senior outside hitter has thought about what might have been, but she has no regrets about what is.
"I think it's a good thing that I'm here," Houston said as she prepared for tonight's season opener against top-ranked Penn State. "I have learned to be an adult. If I had been closer to home, it would have been, 'Mom, you need to do this for me. Dad, you've got to fix this for me.' '
Instead, the conversation is with herself when she says, "Jamie, you're 21. You have to do it yourself."
Houston has matured as a person and a player. She's no longer that "skinny little thing that could not pass," as her mentor and former Olympic volleyball player Rose Magers-Powers once described Houston.
She's become one of the top players in the country - second last season nationally with 5.51 kills per set - with the potential to take over a match with every swing. All anyone has to remember is the 2006 regional semifinal where Houston put down 35 kills in the upset of USC.
"She's grown a lot in the four years we've been together," senior outside hitter Tara Hittle said. "I expect a lot of things from her this season, and I expect her to do well. She came in as a great athlete but now she's become more of a volleyball player."
If there has been a knock on Houston's game it's been her inconsistency. Think last season's opener against Michigan where she headed to the bench after managing one kill with seven errors in her first 18 attempts.
"Her downfall as far as becoming an elite player has been her consistency," Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "Physically, she's an elite player. She just hurts herself when trying too hard, trying to do too much.
"If she can get that under control, get command of her game, she's going to make positive things happen."
It's no secret that Houston has been the designated go-to player the past two seasons, where she's had more than 30 percent of the team's attempts. Although she still sees herself in that role this year, "I think we have more weapons on this team," she said.
"We have more ball control. We are passing a lot better. We have players who can hit from anywhere on the court and our setters are able to set anywhere.
"I'm happy there's more options," she added. "But I still have that mentality, that I want that last ball when it's game point and we need that win, or that point when we need to catch up."
Houston has become the leader she has aspired to be.
"She's become a role model for everybody," sophomore hitter Stephanie Ferrell said. "She is such an awesome player and her hitting is just wow. She's an awesome leader and hopefully we'll take her to the final four."
Hawaii hasn't had a final-four appearance since 2003, the middle of Houston's junior year in high school. That she could end her collegiate career in the same place it started - the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., - brings a smile to her face.
"We have great chemistry this year, I can't explain it or figure it out," she said. "It's just fun. Everyone's just trying to get to a higher place with their game.
"I think this year we have all the tools we need to get to the final four. We have a great chance to be in Omaha."
There are two parallel universes she'd like to step into after the season. Houston has thoughts of joining Hittle on the basketball team in January.
She also would like to follow former Wahine Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Heather Bown and Kim Willoughby to the U.S. Olympic team and play in 2012.
"It inspired me, watching them," Houston said. "They went through the same program I went through to get to where they are. It's where I want to be."