Stanford sweeps Hawaii

The Rainbow Wahine lose, but Kamana'o makes an appearance

The biggest question is not: "Was this Hawaii's worst loss in the rally-scoring era?" (Yes).

Nor is it: "Was this the last appearance for Kanoe Kamana'o this season?" (Likely not).

Stanford   Hawaii 3 0 Next up vs.Cal Poly, Thursday

Nope. What begs an answer is:

"Just how did Stanford lose to then-unranked Brigham Young a week ago?" (Very good question).

The Cardinal more than showed that the gap between No. 8 and No. 9 -- at least for now -- is as wide as the Pacific Ocean after dominating the Rainbow Wahine for most of the 94 minutes last night. Sophomore Cynthia Barboza, the most outstanding player of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge, had a match-high 15 kills, hitting .412, to lead Stanford (6-1) to the championship via a 30-10, 30-22, 30-24 victory.

The Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 6,863 (8,213 tickets) saw a little bit of history -- 56 is the fewest total points the Rainbow Wahine (5-3) have scored in a match since rally scoring began in 2001 and 10 is the fewest points for a single game. Hawaii also avoided being part of Stanford's history: Washington State scored 42 points in a match last season and Oregon just nine points in a game in 2002.

Those are of little consolation for Hawaii, which has now lost to Stanford eight of the last nine meetings. The Wahine will be back in the gym tomorrow to prepare for the Thursday-Friday series with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, trying to find themselves.

"We had a mental breakdown on the court," said Hawaii senior hitter Sarah Mason, who shared team-high honors of 10 kills with sophomore Jamie Houston. "It mostly happened on the service line, where we'd get the momentum going and then shoot ourselves in the foot (with a service error).

"I don't know what to say about Game 1."

The less, the better. Moving on ...

Cayley Thurlby, who set Hawaii to wins the previous night, replaced Kamana'o -- still rehabbing a hip injury -- in Game 2.

"I saw frustration and fear out there," Thurlby said of Game 1. "We've got to take some accountability, take more ownership of what's going on.

"It all comes back to playing volleyball."

To the Wahine's credit, they didn't fold, making some good runs at the Cardinal, but they also continue to give up runs, as happened in Game 3 when 15-12 became 19-12 very quickly.

"I thought we had made great strides last night," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said of Friday's win over Northwestern. "We were just frozen in Game 1, couldn't do anything right, and when a team plays poorly, it's usually a reflection on the coaches. There is no one to blame but myself.

"Stanford's a heck of a ballclub. They forced us into playing poorly. Our players are trying their best, but it's not happening with these ball-control issues."

As for Stanford's loss at BYU ...

"It was a good reality check for us," Barboza said. "It kicked us into gear. It made us realize we had to play our game."

"All coaches have had these kinds of games," Stanford coach John Dunning said. "I can remember being in Klum Gym and losing 15-0 (with Pacific in 1989).

"Hawaii offers a lot of scary things and they have some team stuff to work through."

And some decisions.

Shoji said a decision will be made as soon as tomorrow on Tara Hittle. The junior hitter has been in a walking boot with an injury to the same foot that kept her out of several matches last season. Kamana'o said she's "about 90 percent " and expects to be ready to play next week.

In yesterday's first match, Northwestern (3-3) claimed third place with a 30-27, 30-22, 30-25 sweep of Fairfield (3-6). Brittney Aldridge put down 12 kills and the Wildcats survived strong challenges in Games 1 and 3 to down the Stags in 89 minutes.

Lindsey Lee (St. Joseph), one of five Hawaii prep products playing for Fairfield, had a match-high 17 kills.

All-tournament team: Sarah Mason and Jamie Houston, Hawaii; Foluke Akinradewo and Kristin Richards, Stanford; Kate Nobilio, Northwestern; Lindsey Lee, Fairfield.

Most Outstanding: Cynthia Barboza, Stanford.

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