DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM A trip to the final four would allow Hawaii's Susie Boogaard to play in front of her family and friends.

Boogaard first,
at last

The Hawaii junior hopes her
patience is rewarded again
with a final-four trip home

GREEN BAY, Wis. » The footwork comes courtesy of years of dance lessons.

The athleticism is inherited -- dad John was an offensive tackle at Santa Clara, mom Susan continues to play competitive racquetball and was recently asked to race on a Dragon Boat team.

NCAA SWEET 16 At Green Bay, Wis.; all times Hawaii time Tomorrow » No. 6 Stanford (26-6) vs. No. 10 Texas (26-4), 1 p.m. » No. 2 Hawaii (30-0) vs. No. 22 Wisconsin (21-9), 30 minutes after end of first match Radio UH match live, KKEA (1420-AM) TV Both matches live on OC-16

As for the no-fear attitude, think dune buggies, water skiing and dirt bikes ... just a few of the outdoor adventures Susie Boogaard enjoys.

She was a force in youth-league soccer, a four-time prep all-star in basketball despite not taking up the game until her freshman year. But it is volleyball that has been her passion, a love that never waned while she had to wait her turn to start for Hawaii.

Patience goes by another name in Boogaard's dictionary. It's called faith.

The devout Christian filled in whenever and wherever she was needed the past two seasons for the Rainbow Wahine. A left-side-in-waiting behind All-Americans Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku, a right-side hitter if the situation arose ... Boogaard finally has a permanent starting spot to call her own.

The timing couldn't be more perfect.

The 6-foot-2 junior has helped carry Hawaii to a 30-0 record and a spot tomorrow here in the NCAA regional semifinal against No. 22 Wisconsin (21-9). Two victories and the Wahine will be in the final four in Long Beach, Calif., a 15- to 20-minute drive from Boogaard's Bellflower home.

"It would be just the best thing ever to get to play in Long Beach, to be able to play in front of my hometown friends and family," Boogaard said. "It would be my way of thanking everyone who has supported me. This year, there's been times when there's been up to 30 people coming to our road matches.

"It's so close. It would be great to bring this team back home with me."

There's no official theme to this NCAA tournament odyssey. There's no "Take Susie Home" as there was in 2002 when "Take Kim Home" was the goal in getting Louisiana native Willoughby to the final four in Louisiana.

But there is motivation for Boogaard, more than just getting to see her favorite minor league hockey team -- the Icedogs -- play next week. More than getting to enjoy her mother's specialty, carne asada.

She and the rest of the Wahine want to continue the magic that has been the 2004 season, a year that many thought would be a rebuilding year after the loss of seven seniors and three All-Americans.

"I can't emphasize enough how wonderful this team is," Boogaard said. "We are always there for each other.

"There's so much heart and love of the sport. Every single person is so hard-working. We stick together. We like spending time on and off the court together. That doesn't happen on every team."

Boogaard had her choice of colleges. The Fab 50 pick was ranked as the No. 10 recruit in the country coming out of Valley Christian High in 2002.

With plenty of time spent playing beach volleyball, Boogaard knew that sand was a requirement. That and the school had to have a football team, something that knocked Pepperdine out of the running early.

"When Hawaii contacted me, I was very excited," she said. "I took an unofficial visit during the summer and liked what I saw. It's a chance of a lifetime to be playing in Hawaii, with the support the fans give and the players being so great. I couldn't pass it up."

Boogaard originally had wanted to say close to her tight-knit family.

"Susie had a lot of schools talking to her and we thought Hawaii would be a great place," said her father, John. "And we knew that Dave (UH coach Shoji) was a Christian and that was important to me.

"A lot of times you go to a school and see that there isn't the solidness and goodness in a coach that Dave has. On the visit, he said, 'Susie, you're the girl we'd like to have. But take your time.' That was impressive, especially since the other schools were putting on the pressure."

John Boogaard said he felt good about his daughter's decision. He had fond memories of his one trip to Hawaii when playing against the Rainbow Warriors in old Honolulu Stadium in 1974.

The Broncos' quarterback was former Saint Louis School great Kaipo Spencer.

"I am Susie's biggest fan and was her first coach (soccer)," John Boogaard said. "She's always worked hard. Susie has been blessed and I hope she can achieve whatever she wants."

Boogaard has achieved very impressive numbers this season. Last week, she averaged 4.14 kills per game and hit .381 in the victories over Colorado and Purdue.

Shoji named region coach of the year COLORADO SPRINGS » Dave Shoji has been named Tachikara/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Region Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and for the seventh time in his 30-year tenure at Hawaii. Shoji was one of nine coaches so honored and is now on the ballot for National Coach of the Year. He wins the coach's award for the West region. Shoji led the No. 2 Rainbow Wahine (30-0) to an undefeated regular season and into the final 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He was named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the eighth time.

In the second-round match with the Boilermakers, Boogaard had 11 kills with no errors in 18 swings through Game 2. The first time Purdue stopped her all night came in the middle of Game 3. She finished with 13 kills and 10 digs, her 18th double-double of the year.

"Susie has waited a long time to make these kinds of contributions," Shoji said. "I'm not surprised. She's really stepped it up and she's done it by changing her shots. Against Colorado, she was isolated a lot and (against Purdue) she hit smart, hit high, flat shots."

Sophomore hitter Alicia Arnott shared Boogaard's situation last year, playing both right- and left-side, and waiting for a chance to start permanently.

"We know what Susie can do, she could do this last year but didn't get the opportunity to play and show people," Arnott said. "I don't know if anything has changed in what she's doing -- she's just getting more of an opportunity to play."

"I think that's a fair statement," Boogaard said. "If you get a chance to play more you're not so worried about being pulled after a mistake. You can work through it."

So far, it's worked out for Boogaard, who has started every match and was named all-conference second team and to the Western Athletic Conference all-tournament team.

But Boogaard still has some room in her trophy case, one that contains recognition for Valley Christian being the national champion in girls high school volleyball her freshman year. She considers that the greatest moment of her athletic career ... so far.

Going home next week to play would top that.