Hawaii on course It wasn't that long ago when the outcome of the Western Athletic Conference volleyball tournament wasn't a foregone conclusion .
for WAC title
The Wahine are heavy
favorites to win the tournament
and grab an NCAA bidBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comDuring its first three seasons in the WAC, Hawaii battled Brigham Young in sometimes epic matches with unpredictable results. It was never a certainty that the tournament championship would go to Hawaii. After all, the Rainbow Wahine lost in 1996 and 1997 to the Cougars. In 1998, the final year before the conference split, Hawaii and Brigham Young went five games in a thriller that is still the longest match in NCAA history (3 hours, 38 minutes).
The WAC tournament took a two-year hiatus after the conference split in 1999, and since then winning it or even playing in it hasn't had quite the same allure. That the more competitive teams have left for the Mountain West Conference has been one factor. But it is also the likelihood of facing a team for the third time in the season that can make for less than scintillating volleyball. Last season, in spite of a down year by Wahine standards, Hawaii took apart Fresno State and San Jose State pretty easily for the championship.
Expect something similar this year in Reno, Nev. In the world's biggest little city, fortunes can change in a heartbeat, but not for any of the other WAC teams. The Wahine shouldn't have much trouble reclaiming their WAC crown and the accompanying automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Regardless of opponent, the Rainbow Wahine should say aloha to everyone in three before Sunday's championship.
Top-seeded Hawaii opens the tournament tomorrow against eighth-seeded Louisiana Tech. The match begins at 10 a.m. Hawaii time.
The Lady Techsters clinched a trip to the postseason with a win over Rice on Nov. 9. Tech has made huge strides in its second year in the WAC with wins against Texas-El Paso, Boise State and Tulsa. This probably isn't the season for them to advance beyond the quarterfinals, but there is reason for optimism next year.
Hawaii will play the winner of the other quarterfinal, between fourth-seeded San Jose State and fifth-seeded Rice, on Saturday. The Spartans are usually the WAC's best at giving Hawaii a run for its money, but not this year. San Jose should be looking to next year with its sub-.500 season all but eliminating it from NCAA tournament consideration.
Should all the teams advance according to seed, Hawaii would face No. 2 seed Fresno State for the third time this season. The Bulldogs are definitely a solid team, as last week's five-game match with Hawaii indicated. But even when they play well, it might not be enough to beat the Wahine.
"It's funny, because at the break when we were down 0-2, we talked about how well we hit (.366 in Game 2) and the team was pleased with itself," said Fresno coach Lindy Vivas, a Punahou grad. "Then I told them how well Hawaii also hit (.514) and they just about died.
"It was kind of a light moment and I said, 'You guys are playing great, but I have to ask you to play better.' I didn't know if they could play any better. ... I didn't know how to tell them to play better since they were already doing well."
Reaching Sunday's championship could help Fresno or Nevada secure an at-large berth to the NCAA. Hawaii coach Dave Shoji thinks both teams should be in, but Vivas is a little more doubtful.
"If you don't get the automatic, if you're not the winner of any conference, then it's up to the selection committee," she said. "We've been there before, so we just have to continue to do well.
"We've had a great season. We've had some great matches, but you just never want to let up. You want to do everything you can to put yourself in the best position."
Putting themselves in good position for the postseason is exactly how the Wahine are approaching this tournament.
"It will be a good challenge for us to play a whole bunch of games on the road, which we might have to do later on this season," senior Jennifer Carey said. "I'd like to see Fresno State again. I'd like to see San Jose State. I think they pose good competition for us.
"They'll help warm us up for the next part of the season, especially Fresno. I think they want to see us again and I'd like to see them again."
There's not a whole lot left to be warm for after the WAC tournament. Hawaii goes to Utah next week for nonconference matches against BYU and Utah. The NCAA will announce the tournament brackets Dec. 1.
"Our overall goal is to win five matches," Shoji said. "We want to play at a high level. We want to shore up our blocking and slow down some outside hitters."
Notes: Junior Kim Willoughby broke Hawaii's single season serving record with her 59th ace of the year at Fresno State. The previous record of 56 aces was held by Joyce Ka'apuni. ...Junior middle blocker Karin Lundqvist will be traveling for this tournament. Lundqvist hasn't played since injuring her left knee during a match at Nevada on Nov. 1.
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