GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team huddled up yesterday at the season's first official practice at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Players excited
to get back to work

They were so excited about the first day of practice, some members of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team almost showed up a day early.

Yesterday was the first official day of practice for the No. 4-ranked University of Hawaii. It began at 6 p.m. in the Stan Sheriff Center, but half the team was there a half-hour early, and some nearly came on Monday.

"Everybody's really excited," senior Victoria Prince said. "A couple of us thought it started yesterday and we were all excited and we found ourselves saying, 'We have to wait one more day.' We have 17 days until our first game and we can't wait."

"We've been waiting for this all spring," added Sarah Mason, a junior transfer from Oregon who grew up in Hilo. "All we talked about was practice, our first game against Nebraska, our season and how great it was going to be this year."

Present were 14 returnees, two newcomers and five walk-ons trying to make a squad that wants to go farther in the postseason than the one that fell to Wisconsin in last year's Sweet 16.

"We couldn't wait for this day to come," junior setter Kanoe Kamana'o said. "Especially leaving off where we did last year. A lot of us felt like we fell short. We're very happy to come back into the gym and start working hard again."

Associate coach Charlie Wade noticed the team's level of energy less than 30 minutes into the workout, and praised the Wahine during a 4-on-4 workout routine. Some of the players have been training on their own since their season ended last December, and all the returnees stayed over the summer to train.

"Everyone's mind-set was just to go hard every chance we get," Kamana'o said of the offseason training. "That's basically what we've been doing -- pushing each other and ourselves to go harder than what we can do right now."

"We've had a lot of our players stay (in previous seasons)," Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji added. "I don't think we've always had 100 percent stay."

Shoji said the dedication over the summer has already benefited the team. He feels the Wahine are in "really, really good physical condition" and the time together has helped team chemistry.

"People have a chance to get to know each other, and practice and play in a relaxed situation," Shoji said. "It's been a good summer for us."

Shoji's approach to this season won't be any different than previous years. He will go at a faster pace since his team starts its season earlier than usual at the NACWAA Volleyball Showcase in Omaha, Neb., on Aug. 26 and 27.

"We're still going to be a real solid ballclub and work on our fundamentals," Shoji said. "I think we'll get to some team things earlier since we have a veteran group."

Mason, who prepped at Hilo High before transferring to nearby St. Joseph her senior year, was one of two newcomers yesterday. The other was freshman Jamie Houston of Huntsville, Ala.

"I always wanted to be here," said Mason, who enrolled at UH this past spring semester. "I just felt it the whole time I was at Oregon."

With a deep roster, Mason thinks playing time will be shared. But that talent will now make players work harder in practice.

"Everyone is just so good and it makes us all better players because you have to compete so hard in practice," Mason said. "We force each other to get better."

The team will also get to know each other better after camping out overnight in the arena.

"You get the best night's rest at home on your bed," Prince said. "But it's a good team-bonding thing, spending time together and getting to know the newcomers."

While the season is only one day old and the first game yet to be played, there is one thing everyone is going after this year -- a national title.

"We try not to think ahead of our games," Kamana'o said. "We do want that national championship in our hands. But first we want to take care of business, each game at a time, take care of the preseason and the WAC (Western Athletic Conference). Our preseason is really tough, but that's something we look forward to."