RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH setter Margaret Vakasausau helped Kaahumanu Hou High School senior Leona Arensberg with her hand placement during a recent camp at the Stan Sheriff Center. Vakasausau will begin honing her skills at UH's camp, which starts tomorrow.
GETTING to the Big Easy for this December's NCAA women's volleyball final four won't be easy. But the Hawaii Wahine already have their slogan ready for the road trip to New Orleans:
Hawaii is hoping for a
title sweep in volleyballBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.com"Two for two in 2002."
Only six Division I schools have won both men's and women's volleyball championships -- Hawaii, Stanford, UCLA, Long Beach State, Penn State and Southern Cal. Only UCLA (1984) and Stanford (1997) have done it in the same calendar year.
Wahine senior setter Margaret Vakasausau says it's Hawaii's turn. The Warriors won their first men's title in May at Penn State and "I'm really envious," Vakasausau said.
"We're all friends and it was gratifying to see them win, because they struggled during the season then finished it in an amazing fashion," she said. "I'm so happy for the guys. Now that they have one (banner), it's time for us to match them for the year. Ours are collecting dust. I want to win one, too."
The Wahine have won four national titles, the last in 1987. There have been three more final four appearances since then (1989, 1996 and 2000) but no new banner to hang from the rafters of the Stan Sheriff Center.
The goals of the Wahine are simple and straightforward as they open fall camp tomorrow: Take Louisiana native Kim Willoughby back home and bring a title back to Hawaii.
"We're going to take it one step at a time," Vakasausau said. "We're ranked No. 2 (preseason) right now and that's OK. I will only be upset if we're not No. 1 in December because we've worked so hard. Spring was so challenging and it went so well. That (April exhibition) win over Stanford only proved our potential because we weren't even at 100 percent. We have three great new players who will help us even more.
"Things are looking good for us. I'm so excited."
So is Wahine coach Dave Shoji, who begins his 28th season in Manoa. Hawaii opens the season Aug. 30 against Ohio State and Shoji will be honored as the 2002 All-Time Great Coach as selected by USA Volleyball.
"I've been ready since the season ended last year," said Shoji, his team ousted by UCLA in the NCAA regional semifinal to finish 29-6. "We had a good season, everyone stepped it up, and I think we've had a good feeling coming into this season.
"We know we're going to be competitive. The win over (defending champion) Stanford was nice to have and I think it gave us confidence, but, just like the preseason polls, it doesn't mean much. Being No. 2 is nice, it's flattering, but we still have to prove it on the court."
The Wahine couldn't wait to get at it; according to Vakasausau, players have been back for the past six weeks, looking to find a place, anyplace, to play.
"I get these calls at 10:30 at night, asking about playing the next morning," she said. "Everyone asks for the keys to the gym so we can get in. It's been like that everyday. There is so much elation out there.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
"We've played on the beach, played in any gym we could. There's an amazing chemistry already and we haven't officially started."
Technically, it began last Tuesday with the timed mile. Vakasausau said for the first time that anyone can remember the entire team finished in under seven minutes.
"There's been a commitment every year I've been here, but it's more intense," she said. "Maybe it's because I'm a senior and it's my last chance to win it all.
"It's refreshing to see the girls wanting to follow me. I think if I told them to jump off a cliff, they would do it for me. They've put their trust in me and I hope they continue to in the fall.
"If they do, I promise to lead them to the national championship."
It's been an interesting journey for the University Lab School product. Converted from an outside hitter, she was a backup to prep all-American Jen Carey in 1999. The two have swapped roles, with Vakasausau taking over full-time three matches into last season.
"I had my secret four-year goal, but it was not to be the starting setter my senior year," Vakasausau said. "Those first two years, I could never have done what Jen did. I wasn't ready and she got tossed in there and did a wonderful job. I don't know how she was able to carry the weight of the team the way she did her freshman year.
"Dave (Shoji) has given me the nod right now but, in two weeks, it could be Jen. Two weeks after that, it could be Cayley (Thurlby, freshman setter). We have so much talent on this team.
"It doesn't matter if I'm the starter or not as long as we compete as a team and win. All that matters is that ring at the end of the year."
Thurlby, a 5-foot-10 setter from Illinois, is just one of five new faces on the Wahine roster. The others are 6-2 freshman hitter Susie Boogaard from California, 5-6 redshirt freshman defensive specialist Ashley Watanabe from Aiea, 5-11 redshirt freshman hitter Megan O'Brian from California, and 6-3 junior middle Karin Lundqvist, a Swedish national who is transferring from Montana State.
Boosting Hawaii's title hopes are two all-American outside hitters in juniors Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku, and the move of all-WAC hitter Maja Gustin, who will return to her natural position of middle blocker for her junior year.
Vakasausau would like her senior year to finish with a return trip to New Orleans. Her last year in high school, she and Kahumoku competed for Asics Rainbows at the junior nationals there.
"Ironically, that's when we first met Kim," said Vakasausau. "Now, we have her here and we're trying to get her back to her homeland.
"Every year, we talk about where we want to go. Every year, it's 'Go to the WAC. Win the WAC. Go to the NCAAs. Win the final four.' It's time to just go out and do it all."
The Wahine players have been helping out at several of the summer camps on campus. Vakasausau said she enjoys coaching the kids.
But she's ready for her senior year to start.
"It's not that I don't love helping the kids get better, but I'm waiting for my turn to help me get better," Vakasausau said. "I'm waiting for that time to come on Monday."
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