[ WAHINE VOLLEYBALL ]
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Nohea Tano and the UH volleyball team hit the road to take on Nevada tomorrow and Fresno State on Sunday.
Hawaii will get
preview of WAC
tournament siteThe Rainbow Wahine travel
to Nevada for a match tomorrow
Familiarity breeds ... success. At least that's what the Hawaii volleyball team is hoping this week.
The No. 2 Rainbow Wahine face Nevada tomorrow at the Virginia Street Gym, the site of the Western Athletic Conference tournament in two weeks.
Becoming comfortable with the arena "is the best thing that can happen," said Hawaii senior middle Maja Gustin. "I think the more familiar you are, knowing the gym, the better it is. You don't have to adjust to things."
WAC volleyball
Tomorrow: No. 2 Hawaii (24-1, 10-0) at Nevada (12-13, 5-5), 5 p.m. HST.Sunday: Hawaii at Fresno State (18-5, 8-2), noon HST.
Radio: Both matches live, KKEA 1420-AM.
TV: None.
The biggest adjustment Hawaii might have to make is to the weather. There were reports of a possible snowfall -- the low was 22 degrees yesterday -- which would be just fine with Gustin.
"I love snow," said the native of Maribor, Slovenia. "I need snow right now."
What the Rainbow Wahine need is a challenge to keep them sharp as they start getting into postseason shape. The last thing they need is a loss, which would jeopardize their top-four ranking and the probability of Hawaii staying at home through the NCAA regional.
Reno has never been an easy place to play. In 1992, the five-game loss to the Wolf Pack helped keep the Wahine out of the NCAA Tournament for the first and only time in the program's history.
Last year in the WAC tournament final, the Wahine and Wolf Pack split the first two games with Hawaii winning the title in four. UH leads the series, 16-1.
"We've always had tough matches with Reno," said Hawaii coach Dave Shoji. "They've got a great home-court advantage and they're playing much better than when they were here.
"It's going to be challenging for us."
The Rainbow Wahine swept the Wolf Pack at the Stan Sheriff Center on Oct. 4. In that 90-minute match, the injury-plagued Wolf Pack hit .097 with no player having more than seven kills.
Salaia Salave'a, last season's WAC Freshman of the Year, had just six kills in hitting .077. The sophomore middle has had double-doubles in her last three matches, including 13 kills and 10 digs in the loss at Fresno State last Saturday.
A win by Hawaii tomorrow would clinch the top seed in the Nov. 21-23 WAC tournament. Nevada is trying to become the fourth seed; the Wolf Pack are currently tied with Rice and San Jose State for that spot.
NOTES: Except for Shoji, who has come down with a cold, the Wahine are at full strength for the trip ... The week includes Sunday's match at Fresno State, the first athletic event to be played in the new Save Mart Center ... Hawaii's WAC win streak is at 75 and its streak against unranked opponents is 166 ... Willoughby, who leads the country in kill average (6.62 kpg), needs 47 to move into seventh place on the NCAA all-time kill list. The senior All-American turns 23 on Friday.
