Prince carries Hawaii
in WAC
The junior tops Kim Willoughby’s
record for hitting percentage
RENO, Nev. » The chill in the air -- and in the gym -- didn't bother Victoria Prince yesterday. After growing up in Kennewick, Wash., she is very accustomed to cold weather.
Bringing her own brand of heat, the junior set a Western Athletic Conference tournament record for hitting percentage by putting down 13 kills to help No. 2 Hawaii dispatch SMU in 88 minutes, 30-15, 30-27, 30-20. Prince hit .867, with no errors in 15 swings in the first-round match, shattering the year-old mark set by former Rainbow Wahine Kim Willoughby of .650 (14 kills, 1 error, 20 attempts).
Prince's efficiency combined with 14 kills by Alicia Arnott and 11 from Susie Boogaard added up to top-seeded Hawaii (24-0) advancing to today's semifinal against fifth seed Fresno State (3 p.m. Hawaii time). The Bulldogs (15-12) got 17 kills from Christianna Reneau and 10 from Tiffany Bishop to stop fourth-seeded Boise State, 30-27, 30-23, 30-23.
In the other quarterfinals, third-seeded Nevada defeated No. 6 seed San Jose State, 30-25, 30-24, 30-26, and second-seeded Rice eliminated No. 8 seed Tulsa, 30-23, 30-22, 30-25. The Wolf Pack (19-7) and Owls (25-3) meet in today's second semifinal, a meeting that could have NCAA Tournament bid ramifications.
"We don't care who we see," Prince said. "We'll be ready."
SMU (13-13), which took a game off Hawaii in Dallas last month, was prepared for the Wahine's multi-faceted attack. The Mustangs just never got a handle on Prince, the majority of her kills coming off the step-out, where she elevated over the SMU block.
"She's difficult to stop because she is so incredibly athletic and her arm swing is so fast," SMU coach Lisa Seifert said of Prince.
"Victoria is just an athlete," said Wahine senior Teisa Fotu, who hit .800 (four kills, no errors, five attempts) when playing in the front row in Game 3. "Watching her, for me, it's just amazing.
"The key is the block. There has to be a good touch on her and to keep it up to stop her. If they don't have anybody up on her, it's kind of impossible."
That has also been the scenario for Fresno State when facing Hawaii. The Bulldogs have never beaten the Wahine in 34 meetings.
"Coming into the tournament, this was the game we wanted," said Reneau. "We wanted a rematch with them. We're pumped up. We're prepared."
"We play well against Hawaii," added Bishop. "It's a matter of stopping their key players. No. 16 (Prince) and No. 7 (Arnott) are their best players.
"We need to get some touches, some blocks, slow them down and maybe we'll have a chance."
At least Fresno State will have a chance in a semifinal this year. Last year, the third-seeded Bulldogs were upset by sixth-seeded San Jose State.
"We'll just have to put our best match together," said Fresno State coach Lindy Vivas, a Punahou School graduate. "What does Hawaii do best? Besides everything? Hawaii's just solid. It's hard to find a weakness. They're playing this year with a better balance and everyone is contributing.
"They have a quick attack hitter in Prince and I think Alicia Arnott has done a great job. We'll have to slow her down."
The Bulldogs will also need sophomore Tuli Peters to be more of a factor than she was yesterday. The Kahuku High product had four kills with five errors in hitting negative .042.
However, Peters had three of the team's four aces and nine digs.
"The thing with Tuli is she didn't have a great hitting night, but she helps us in other ways," said Vivas. "She'll always get herself back in the match."
The Bulldogs have won five of the last six, the only loss coming at Hawaii two weeks ago. Peters had 13 kills in the three-game defeat; she had 14 when the Bulldogs hosted the Wahine in the WAC opener in September.
Right after Hawaii won in September, the Bulldogs lost Kristen Fenton, the preseason WAC Player of the Year. The team's kill leader quit for personal reasons.
"We had to shuffle our lineup, but once we got a consistent lineup, figured out our team, we started playing together," Vivas said.
SMU had a major shuffle in its lineup yesterday against Hawaii. The Mustangs were without junior setter Jessica Mihm, who was suspended for the tournament for disciplinary reasons. Seifert said she wasn't sure if Mihm would be allowed back on the team next year.
The Mustangs went with senior backup setter Jackie Erazmus, the team's usual libero. SMU's kill leader, All-WAC senior hitter Beth Karasek, was limited to digging and passing duties in the back row because of an injured hitting shoulder.
The lineup changes created severe passing problems for SMU, particularly in Game 1. The Wahine went on a 12-0 run midway to turn a close game into a blowout with Boogaard serving 11 in a row.
Seifert said she had seen improvement in Hawaii's game since facing the Wahine last month.
"I thought their ball-handling was better," she said. "Prince was more efficient (than the last time). They're peaking at the right time."
