UH hopes Joe Sagula marvels at how women's volleyball has changed at North Carolina.
to leave UNC
feeling blue
Hawaii is facing a Tar Heels
team that has never been this
far in the NCAA tournamentBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.com
It was recently pointed out to the Tar Heels' coach that the women's volleyball season has lasted longer than the women's soccer season. To understand the full effect of that, you need to know that it takes both hands and feet to count the number of national championships (17) that the women's soccer program owns.
What: Central regional UH volleyball
Who: No. 2 Hawaii (32-1), No. 4 Nebraska (30-1), No. 11 North Carolina (32-3), No. 23 Miami (27-5)
When: Friday -- Hawaii vs. North Carolina, 1 p.m. Hawaii time, Nebraska vs. Miami, 30 minutes after the first match
TV: Live, KFVE (UH-UNC)
Radio: Live, 1420-AM (UH-UNC)
Friday's regional semifinal pitting No. 2 Hawaii and No. 11 North Carolina marks the farthest the Tar Heels have been in the NCAA tournament.
"That's pretty neat that we're the only fall team continuing to play right now," Sagula said. "It's allowed us to complement the many other programs North Carolina is known for.
"We know we're up to par with the rest of the athletic department and that's a good feeling."
The sport is budding at Chapel Hill, but has roots that can be traced back to Hawaii.
The Tar Heels came to Honolulu in 1997 and had the hurt put on them by Hawaii and UCLA in the Wahine Classic. But Sagula believes that it was then that the foundation was being poured for the program.
"Those matches back then were the steps that allowed this program to be where it is now, taking those chances and playing great teams," said Sagula, now in his 13th year at the helm. "To be on the same court with them learning how to compete, learning how to play better volleyball, allowed that legacy to start and to allow the next five years for it to flourish."
It's no coincidence that North Carolina hasn't missed an NCAA tournament since then, but playing good teams will only get you so far.
What cemented North Carolina's steady climb was Punahou product Erin Berg. Sagula said Berg is the most significant player to go through the program. Berg changed the way volleyball was played at North Carolina and elevated her teams to a realm unknown before.
"Building a foundation, you get one or two good players that help lay the foundation," Sagula said. "One of the most significant people was Erin Berg. She came in with a volleyball mentality that we can do this. She made people around her play well.
"Without question, (she was) the best leader. Probably not the No. 1 athlete on our team, but the No. 1 volleyball player on our team. No one would ever argue with what she brought to this program. ... Hawaii should be very proud for what she did for North Carolina volleyball."
Berg was recently named one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's 50 best volleyball players and is the Carolina career leader with 5,751 assists.
That record could be broken by current setter Eve Rackham, who has dished 5,707 assists in four years as the starter. The all-conference selection has distributed an even offense this season.
Rackham's main target is ACC Player of the Year Laura Greene, who is averaging 4.47 kills per game.
Senior outside hitter Molly Pyles contributes 3.50 kills, while right side Malaika Underwood and middles Holly Strauss and Aletha Green put away over two balls a game.
Sagula is counting on the experience of Carolina's four seniors -- Rackham, Underwood, Greene, and Green -- to see them through their initial inexperience of being at the Sweet 16. He knows that the Tar Heels haven't seen anything like juniors Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku.
"They're quite phenomenal for the program," Sagula said. "If we can play good defense against them and not let them control everything, it could be a good match. Hopefully we can let our hitters score a little bit against them.
"In some ways, we might be a lot like them because we have two very good outside hitters who have taken control of some matches for us during the year. It might be a great battle that way."
It is there the similarities end. The Rainbow Wahine have legitimate final-four aspirations. Anything less with such a talented team would be a disappointment. Hawaii's season ended last year in the regional semifinals against UCLA.
Should the Wahine win on Friday the 13th, and third-seeded Nebraska win in the second semifinal against upstart Miami, the Huskers would pose a large and intimidating block, literally, to sixth-seeded Hawaii's goals. But the players are trying to keep from getting too far ahead of themselves.
"You can't think about the final four until you get there," Willoughby said. "You can't think about Nebraska until you play North Carolina.
"We really need to realize that it's not even one match at a time. It's one point at a time. We need to keep one goal in mind and focus on it."
Notes: Stan Sheriff Center manager Rich Sheriff recently measured the arena for new championship banners for Hawaii's five national titles in volleyball (four women, one men). ... Former UH assistant coach Howard Wallace stepped down as the head coach of Creighton. Wallace is the winningest Bluejay coach (68-76) and just completed his sixth year. In a statement from the university, Wallace said he resigned to pursue other options for him and his family. ... Tickets for the regional at Nebraska Coliseum have already sold out. The Huskers have the second-best attendance in the nation after the Wahine, averaging about 4,300 per contest. KFVE will televise the NCAA regional semifinal live at 1 p.m. Hawaii time. Friday's match will also be live on the radio at 1420-AM with the pregame show starting at 12:45 p.m. ESPN will produce Saturday's regional final. If Hawaii advances, the match may be picked up by a local station. Details on Saturday's match will be available later this week. ... Three previously unranked teams are in the coaches poll after pulling off upsets last weekend. No. 23 Michigan State defeated 16th-seeded Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were dropped from the poll this week. Central regional semifinalist Miami is No. 24 after beating Wisconsin at Wisconsin. Temple is No. 25 after shocking No. 15 Penn State.
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