Positive signs

Dodgers fan Shoji picks up Bill Russell's autograph and a win

It's a story told by thousands of men. Of boxes containing what has become eBay-worthy, sale-able history, somehow lost.

Hawaii    LMU 3 0 NEXT UP NCAA tournament, TBA

Trading cards of Major League Baseball players from the 1950s and '60s. Every boy's dream -- never about the money, always about the memories.

Hawaii volleyball coach Dave Shoji had thousands of those cards, some more valuable than others, like a couple of New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle. Those were in a silver box Shoji kept at his grandmother's house in Upland, Calif.

"Never found those," said Shoji, who beat out Oakland A's great Rollie Fingers for the Upland High "Best Athlete Award" in 1964. "And I looked."

What Shoji, a three-sport high school athlete, did find this week were two cards of Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell. Shoji, a huge Dodgers fan, doubled his pleasure, picking up two wins and two autographed cards.

Russell is married to a friend of UH associate coach Mike Sealy's wife. Shoji had the cards signed Tuesday while Russell watched Hawaii's victory over Loyola Marymount at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Asked which pleased him more, his team's play Tuesday or the autographs, Shoji just smiled.

The No. 11 Rainbow Wahine (26-6) gave Shoji plenty to smile about last night by closing out the regular season with a 30-22, 30-24, 30-27 win over the Lions (16-13).

Jamie Houston may have been the show, with a match-high 22 kills, but there was no mistaking what last night was all about.

Middle Juliana Sanders made sure of that. Sanders put the "senior" in senior night, putting down her first 10 swings en route to 13 kills, and was in on five blocks as No. 11 Hawaii topped Loyola Marymont 30-22, 30-24, 30-27 to close out the regular season with its fifth straight victory.

It was also the fifth consecutive season that the Rainbow Wahine won their final regular-season home match, an event punctuated by a stirring kane hula kahiko that opened the postmatch celebration for Sanders, Kari Gregory, Raeceen Woolford and Caroline Blood.

Woolford (Iolani '03), who played sparingly in Game 2, launched an autographed volleyball into the stands, literally kicking off the night's festivities in soccer-style. Sanders (Castle '03), ran out waving a Hawaii flag and booted her volleyball into the end zone.

Of the four, Gregory took the longest to introduce her family, with some 20 relatives and friends making the trek from Las Vegas.

The Rainbow Wahine (26-5) will find out their postseason fate Sunday when the NCAA Selection Show is broadcast on ESPNews (3 p.m. Hawaii time). The Lions (16-13) will probably get a bid as well.

A Stan Sheriff Center turnstile crowd of 4,714 (6,597) saw Hawaii play as if it were the last home match, which it probably will be. Although UH has put in a bid to host next week's first and second rounds, most are expecting the team will be on the road for the NCAA tournament.

Inspired play in Game 3, led by seven of Aneli Cubi-Otineru's 13 kills, had the Wahine finish off the sweep in 99 minutes.

"I played for my family, my friends, the fans and the state of Hawaii," Sanders said.

"And of course the win tonight. It was amazing. Just doing it for the love of volleyball."

"She played with her heart for all of Hawaii," Sanders' grandmother Alberta said. "She made her last night her best."

Hawaii took control midway in Game 1, using a 9-3 spurt to take a 23-15 lead and never let up. The Wahine made good on their third attempt to end it, with Tara Hittle putting down her third kill.

Game 2 was tight until Sanders broke a 20-20 tie with her eighth kill. Sanders and Houston teamed to block LMU's Heather Hughes for a 22-20 margin, only to have Hughes return the favor when blocking Houston to bring the Lions to within 22-21.

LMU never got closer than that the rest of the way, with Houston putting down two kills and Sanders one to jump-start an 8-3 run that ended it.

Game 3 was much the same, with the Wahine finally breaking away at 26-24 on two kills by Houston. Houston's 22nd kill gave Hawaii match point, and one sideout later, Hittle ended it with her 11th kill.

Hawaii coach Dave Shoji was able to play all four seniors, with Blood getting in for the final two plays.

"I'm grateful for Dave letting me start," said Gregory, in on five of the Wahine's 12 blocks. "This was such a special night. Being able to be out there was so great, everything I thought it would be."

"It was an amazing ride," added Gregory's mother, Debbie.

Hawaii finished with a 46-37 edge in digs and a 12-6 advantage in blocks.

Christianna Reneau led the Lions with 13 kills, while Hughes added 12 and Emily Day 11.