Wednesday, January 16, 2002
[ WAHINE VOLLEYBALL ]
Lily Kahumoku is back in Hawaii again. UH’s Kahumoku rested,
ready to goBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comThe All-American outside hitter returned to Honolulu last Tuesday, almost a week before classes began for the university.
"It feels wonderful to be back," Kahumoku said. "It was time for me to come back. The rest was great. It was time that was very much needed. It was a journey that was much needed."
Her volleyball career was a journey that took a slight detour.
After a successful sophomore campaign and a brief stint with the U.S. national team during the summer, Kahumoku decided not to return to Hawaii. She went to her parents' home in Alabama after an ankle injury (from which she is now fully recovered) cut short her time with the national team.
The All-American outside hitter's decision to take time off altered the look and course of the 2001 Wahine squad.
Hawaii finished the season with a 29-6 record and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The Wahine were projected final four contenders before the start of the season, and Kahumoku thought Hawaii should have beaten UCLA and met Long Beach State in the regional final. The success of the team is what brought her back sooner than she had anticipated.
"I'm so stoked about the season," Kahumoku said. "Everyone needs to buy into what our goals are and that's a national championship. That's a big reason why I came back early. No matter what happens, Hawaii is one of the best programs in the nation. UH volleyball is a force to reckon with."
Hawaii coaches are just glad that she'll be a force again for the Wahine.
"It was good to see her," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "Once she made a commitment to come back, I never really doubted her."
Shoji said that Kahumoku looks fit but probably isn't volleyball fit. He said that it won't take much time for her to get back into volleyball condition.
The Wahine begin conditioning on Monday, and they'll start spring practice in March. Hawaii returns 10 players and has commitments from prep recruits Cayley Thurlby and Susie Boogaard.
Kahumoku averaged over 4.51 kills a game her sophomore season and was the Western Athletic Conference player of the year and a first-team All-American. She attended summer school and is caught up on her credits. She will be able to don a Wahine uniform this fall because the NCAA allows an athlete to miss up to two consecutive semesters without being penalized.
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
