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Thursday, September 28, 2000
Unbeaten If you're a University of Hawaii sports devotee craving a program with the perennially dominant nature of Florida in football or Duke in basketball, there's only one answer:
Wahine shift
focus to WAC
Coach Shoji sees
Playbook
San Jose State and Nevada
as biggest obstacles to titleBy Pat Bigold
Star-BulletinWahine volleyball.
Nationally it doesn't generate the visibility of a powerhouse NCAA football or basketball team, but Dave Shoji's women are the only athletes on the Manoa campus who can feast regularly on top Division I programs.
The Wahine (10-0), No. 2 in the nation after beating four nationally ranked teams in non-conference play, could once again sweep their Western Athletic Conference schedule.
No one would be surprised if they did that en route to a Thanksgiving tournament matchup with No. 13 Long Beach State.
Not only is Hawaii superior in talent to the rest of the conference teams but also in sheer size.
But if the Wahine go unbeaten in the WAC, which opens this weekend with matches at Fresno State and San Jose State, it won't be because Shoji (720-137) simply told his players to show up.
It will be because he's making them approach each WAC match like it was a showdown with No. 1 Nebraska.
The NCAA regional loss to Texas A&M last year still smarts and Shoji seems to be making certain that this year's team is mentally tougher for the postseason.
"The league is significantly better this year than it was last year and the year before," he said.
"We're going to take everybody seriously. We're going to play hard, prepare hard. That's the only way we're going to get better. I'll keep reminding everybody around here that (unranked) Northwestern beat (defending national champion, No. 11) Penn State. Penn State probably didn't prepare very well and that's not going to happen to us."
He points to San Jose State, Saturday's opponent on the road, as possibly Hawaii's biggest obstacle.
The Spartans were 25-6 last year and head coach Craig Choate was named WAC coach of the year. They have a senior middle blocker named Joslynn Gallop who shared player of the year honors with Heather Bown in 1999 and who's averaging a whopping 5.73 kills per game right now.
"But everybody is better -- TCU is better, Rice is better, Tulsa's better. I'm not sure who's going to come to the top."
But pressed to rank the 1-2 best opponents the Wahine will face, Shoji picked the Spartans and newly entered WAC member Nevada.
"Just based on what I know about Nevada and their coaches," he said.
"They've been in the Big West, gone to the tournament recently and they attract a lot of California kids to their roster."
The Wolfpack return all six starters.
Shoji said he also thinks that Southern Methodist could be a factor. The Mustangs, who held opponents to a .184 hitting percentage last season, return three key starters.
The Wahine have won four straight WAC regular-season and two straight conference tournament titles.
Hawaii got eight first-place votes and 64 points to top the preseason poll.
San Jose State finished in second place with 55 points and one first place vote, while Fresno State received 47 points for third place.
The Bulldogs return three starters. Defensive specialist Leilua Satele was a second-team All-WAC pick last season.
Rice features outside hitter Klara Zelinka, one of the WAC's best defensive players (3.21 dpg). Texas Christian and University of Texas-El Paso both return four starters.
Tulsa features outside hitter Kristien Van Lierop, a Belgian senior who averaged 4.24 kills last year.
RAINBOW VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK
vs. FRESNO STATE & San jose state
Tipoff: Tomorrow, 4 p.m, FSU North Gym. Saturday, 4:30 p.m., SJSU Event Center.
By Pat Bigold
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
