Friday, September 21, 2001
[ WAHINE VOLLEYBALL ]
Vakasausau warms MARGARET VAKASAUSAU has never liked being called "Maggie."
up to nickname,
volleyball
'Maggie' was slow to take
a liking to the sport after an injury
drove her from her
first love—soccerBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comIt's a name that she normally refuses to respond to, but these days she's answering the call in more ways than one.
"I never let anyone call me anything other than Margaret my whole life," Vakasausau said. "Whenever (Wahine volleyball coach) Dave (Shoji) said 'Maggie' that meant I was going into the game so I never said anything."
After serving as a defensive specialist her freshman year and a backup to Jennifer Carey during last year's final four season, the 5-foot-8 junior has won the starting role.
"Sophomore year, I chose not to become a defensive specialist, which meant less playing time," Vakasausau said. "(Associate coach) Charlie (Wade) told me that at the beginning of the season, 'You need to decide if you want to be a defensive person or concentrate on setting.' I chose setting."
When: 7 p.m. today and tomorrow GAMEDAY
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: KFVE, Ch. 5
Radio: Live, KCCN 1420-AM
Internet: http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Notes: Hawaii leads the series 3-0. ... The teams last met in 1996, when Hawaii won 3-0.
It was just a matter of time and repetitions before she fulfilled the potential that Shoji and Wade saw when they recruited her two years ago. Wade said Vakasausau's innate feel for the court and leadership qualities were traits that couldn't be taught.
"I saw a little bit of the (former Wahine) Robyn Ah Mow type, just really athletic and makes things happen," Wade said. "She betters the ball. She betters the situation.
"She just makes people around her play better through her personality and her work ethic. She has a great deal of credibility with her teammates."
Vakasausau certainly bettered the situation against Kansas State during the Wahine Classic. Hawaii had lost eight straight games and was down 2-0.
But with Vakasausau in the lineup, Hawaii roared back to win the match 3-2. Though her numbers aren't all that impressive -- 10.38 assists a game and 2.46 digs -- her presence on the court has been both uplifting and calming.
"She just knows what I would want," outside hitter Kim Willoughby said. "And she sees everything well.
"Last year in practice, I used to get so frustrated because every time she set a ball against us, she's always one-on-one. She sees everything well and moves her feet really well. That's just a sign of a great volleyball player."
Vakasausau's progress at the position began last spring when she set for the team during a spring break trip to Japan. Two-year starter Jennifer Carey was recovering from foot surgery at the time.The playing time boosted her confidence and helped her teammates adjust to hitting her sets. The two setters, who are friends on and off the court, battled through the early part of the season before Vakasausau solidified her hold on the role.
Though Vakasausau is still new to setting, assistant coach Kari Anderson, who works with the setters most, can't think of anything that Vakasausau is missing from her game.
"Margaret has all the tools," Anderson said. "She's getting better and better every time out and that's what we're aiming for. She's getting more comfortable running every sort of play that she can. She's taking a good leadership role. She's doing a lot of things positively."
Part of the reason Vakasausau is a late bloomer is because she grew up as a fanatic of soccer, contacting balls more with her feet than with her hands.
But a condition known as Osgood-Schlatter disease (the inflammation of the tibial tuberosity) ended a budding soccer career. "That was my dream sport, but then I got a bad case of Osgood-Schlatter," Vakasausau said. "It hurt me to run for long periods of time.
"My dad thought maybe you should try volleyball and I tried it. I hated it so much in eighth grade, I would go home from school crying 'I don't want to play that sport' because I was so terrible at it."
But she grew to enjoy the sport, and with the support of her parents, she participated in club and Junior Olympic tournaments.
By the time she graduated from University High School, she had become an all-state selection as an outside hitter and had scholarship offers from Iowa and Rutgers on the table.
And though she wanted to attend UH, she wasn't willing to walk on only because her goal had been to earn a college scholarship so that her parents would not have to pay for her education.
So when Shoji and Wade came to dinner at her house, Vakasausau wasn't sure where she stood.
"I was in the next room with all my cousins," Vakasausau said. "And then they called me in. My dad was like, 'We've been talking to Dave and Charlie and they have something to offer you.' I told them, 'Thanks, you guys, but I don't really want to walk on.' They were like 'No, no, we're going to offer you a scholarship. And when they offered it, my heart just dropped and I was like, 'Where do I sign?' "
Little did Vakasausau know that the scholarship offer meant she would also have to answer to "Maggie."
Projected starters
Hawaii (4-4)
Ht. KPG Aces DPG S M. Vakasausau (Jr.) 5-8 .38 34 2.46 OH Tanja Nikolic (Sr.) 6-0 3.19 8 2.74 OH Kim Willoughby (So.) 6-0 5.81 6 3.42 MB Melody Eckmier (Fr.) 6-3 0.89 0 .11 MB Lauren Duggins (So.) 6-3 3.30 5 2.44 Opp Maja Gustin (So.) 6-3 3.30 5 .59 DS Hedder Ilustre (Jr.) 5-7 0.00 1 1.85 DS M. Villaroman (So.) 5-6 0.00 4 1.93
Santa Clara (7-1)
Ht. KPG Aces Digs S Kelii Sousa (So.) 5-11 .63 2 2.23 OH Becky Potter (So.) 6-1 3.55 2 2.97 OH Jessie Mechem (So.) 5-11 2.55 6 1.59 MB Toni Muratore (Fr.) 6-2 3.93 0 .36 MB Jennifer Ryan (Fr.) 6-0 1.79 0 .32 Opp Jami Bari (Sr.) 5-10 4.00 4 3.43 DS Chrissy Hirsch (Jr.) 5-8 .07 4 2.70
UH Athletics
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