Nihipali comes home
to rock unbeaten UH

Fresno State brings its own brand
of aloha spirit to tonight's match

Volleyball standout Mounia Nihipali had two major reasons for attending Fresno State:

Hawaii's Bulldogs Per game averages through Wednesday Name G Kills Digs Blocks Tuli Peters 83 2.67 3.69 0.77 Mounia Nihipali 46 1.57 3.48 0.24 La'akea Campbell 21 0.43 2.14 0.38

» "I wanted to get off the rock and experience living in a new place and doing new things -- get away from my parents, take care of myself, be independent."

» "I went to Fresno because they play Hawaii, and I wanted to play against UH."

She has been "off the rock" since August, and she returns to play against No. 2 Hawaii tonight.

Nihipali, an all-state outside hitter for Kamehameha the past two years, has started the last 10 matches for Fresno State (since Oct. 2). She has climbed to sixth in the WAC in digs with 4.05 per game in conference matches and, in Wednesday's win at San Jose State, she set a school record for digs in a four-game match with 37.

Getting better each week, Nihipali has had double-figure kills in four of her last five matches and double-figure digs in seven of her last nine.

Trying to describe her feelings about coming home to play as a collegian for the first time wasn't easy.

"Oh my God, you have no idea," Nihipali said. "I am really excited and so happy ... mostly to beat UH (it would be a first in 34 times for Fresno), and then to see my family."

She expects lots of family members to be at tonight's match. Her family is "pretty big on my dad's side ... so big I don't even know half of them," said Nihipali, who grew up in Laie and now lives in Aiea.

She said that some of her friends attended UH said they will be at the match and "I told them I better see you there," she said.

Another incentive for beating UH is that Nihipali played for club teams coached by Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji and assistant Kari Anderson Ambrozich. She played on a national championship Junior Olympics team for Ambrozich when she was 13.

Sophomore Tuli Peters (Kahuku '03 of Laie) also starts for Fresno State. Reserve junior hitter La'akea Campbell (Iolani '02 of Kaneohe) and UH's Kanoe Kamana'o and Raeceen Woolford were on Iolani's state championship volleyball team in 2001.

"It has been really easy for me because of Tuli and Kea being here," Nihipali said. "I played with or against them (in club and high school).

"They showed me what to do and what I can't do, who to hang out with and who not to hang out with."

Peters leads the team in kills and is second in digs. She has had 12 double-double (kills and digs) matches, including Wednesday (18 kills, 16 digs) when she became the first Bulldog to amass 300 or more digs in two successive seasons.