Wise investors know that putting all of your money into one or two stocks is risky. If the market turns sour, kiss your money goodbye. Stanford loss still stings
But the Wahine are focusing
on the positivesBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comThe same can be said for volleyball. Hawaii has invested its entire offense into juniors Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku. They are phenomenal hitters and have been solid all season. But to win a national championship, teams need more. They need the entire offense to be involved.
"We got nothing out of the right-side attack," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said after the match. "They won that matchup big time."
Yesterday's 3-0 loss to Stanford broadcasted that message loud and clear. Yes, there are dependable All-American standouts on the outside, but Willoughby and Kahumoku have not faced a block like the Cardinal. Some of the pressure on them could have been eased if the block had been diverted.
Hawaii relies on its outside attack with good reason, but you can't play your normal game against a team that has no exploitable weaknesses.
Just ask Stanford coach John Dunning.
"Most of the year, everybody's criticisms of us was that we weren't balanced enough," Dunning said. "We've been trying to work on that. It's really hard, though. You have a way you are. It's hard to go away from that when it's the biggest moment.
"We were saying they might really go to (Lauren) Duggins here, but no. The horse that gets you there, you usually ride when it gets close to the finish line."
Stanford's balance last night was enough to pull a tight match in its favor. The Cardinal set Logan Tom and Ogonna Nnamani in crunch time, but had also gotten enough production from their other hitters to keep Hawaii's block from factoring much in the match.
Sunday's loss to Stanford meant the end of Hawaii's brief stay at No. 1 in the AVCA coaches poll. The Cardinal moved back up to No. 1, where they began the season.
The Wahine did not drop far in the poll and came in at No. 3. USC is still second.
The Wahine might have lost the privilege of hosting a regional, but there were many lessons to be gleaned from the loss.
For now, there are no real negative implications. Sure, the Wahine would have loved a win, but the loss is a quality one and it means they no longer have the pressure of being unbeaten.
"We're upbeat," Shoji said. "We need to shore up some areas. I don't think anybody is down about it. We're disappointed, but we're not down. We're bouncing back. There's no doubt about it."
His players think the same thing.
"It's over. I'm glad we lost to Stanford instead of Boise," Willoughby said. "There's a difference in losing. If you lose to a team like that who won a national championship last year, it probably won't hurt you. I don't mind. We need to learn and put it behind us. I'm playing volleyball again this weekend."
UH Athletics
