Rainbow Wahine
take on a sputtering
Boise State teamThe Broncos, who haven't won
since Sept. 25, face Hawaii and
its 74-match WAC win streak
There is no trick to this week. One match against a fairly weak opponent.
WAC volleyball
Who: No. 2 Hawaii (23-1, 9-0) vs. Boise State (5-19, 1-8)
When: Tomorrow, 7 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
Series: Hawaii leads 5-0
Tickets: $3-$12
TV: Live, KFVE (Ch. 5)
Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM
And, if all goes according to plan, there will be a treat. A rare weekend off.
That's the game plan for the Hawaii women's volleyball team. The No. 2 Rainbow Wahine were back in the gym yesterday after a draining trek to the mainland where they won three matches in three days in three states.
This week, Hawaii is concentrating on conditioning as well as keeping its Western Athletic Conference streak equally strong. The Wahine (23-1, 9-0) put their winning skein of 74 on the line tomorrow night against Boise State (5-19, 1-8).
"When you're on the road, you do a lot of sitting around, and we're out of our normal training routine," said Hawaii coach Dave Shoji. "And a lot of the matches just aren't competitive enough to stay in the shape. We haven't had a chance to condition in a while and this is a good week for that.
"It's time for us to get in a couple of days of weight training and, hopefully, take the weekend off."
The Broncos aren't expected to give the Wahine much of a challenge tomorrow. Boise State has lost its last nine matches, including Saturday's defeat by UTEP, which gave the Miners their first WAC win of the season.
The Broncos haven't won since Sept. 25, when they defeated Louisiana Tech in the WAC opener for both schools. Boise State is fighting for a spot in next month's WAC tournament and is tied with LaTech and UTEP for the last berth.
Hawaii is already guaranteed to make the Nov. 21-23 tournament in Reno, Nev., and can clinch the top seed with two more wins. Following tomorrow's match, the Wahine close out the regular season at Nevada and Fresno State, and with Senior Night against San Jose State on Nov. 15.
Hawaii got one of its seven seniors back yesterday when a well-rested Lily Kahumoku joined the team for practice. The senior All-American hitter missed last week's road trip with a sore back.
"It was nice to get the rest and get caught up on school work," Kahumoku said. "I'm ready to be back. It was good to catch up, but I missed being with the team."
Hawaii didn't miss a beat without Kahumoku, defeating Rice, Louisiana State and Tulsa in straight sets, and running its winning streak this season to 22. The Wahine also stayed among the national leaders in team hitting (fifth at .333), kills (fifth, 17.61 kpg) and assists (third, 16.81); last season, they were the first team to ever lead the country in all three categories.
Notes: Today is the anniversary of Shoji's first win as the Wahine's coach. The team defeated UC Riverside in four on Oct. 29, 1975. ... Senior Maja Gustin's mother Jasna will arrive from Slovenia tomorrow night to watch her daughter's final matches. This will be Jasna Gustin's first trip to America. ... Kim Willoughby needs 64 kills to move to seventh place on the NCAA career kill list. She leads the country in kill average (6.62 kpg).
WAC Standings
TP: Tournament points. One point for win within the division, two points for wins outside the division.
Western Division W L Pct. Overall TP Hawaii 9 0 1.000 23-1 14 Fresno St. 7 2 .778 17-5 11 Nevada 5 4 .556 11-12 9 San Jose St. 5 4 .556 7-13 8 Boise St. 1 8 .111 5-19 2 Eastern Division W L Pct. Overall TP SMU 8 1 .889 17-5 12 Rice 5 4 .556 14-9 7 Tulsa 2 7 .222 11-11 3 LaTech 2 7 .222 14-12 2 UTEP 1 8 .111 6-17 2
