UH volleyball hits the road
Ashley Nonaka
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Sports
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After a promising start in the 2007 Western Athletic Conference regular season, the Rainbow Wahine (8-3, 2-0 in the WAC) moved up two spots in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll. The Rainbow Wahine, now ranked No. 13, set out on Tuesday night for their first road trip of the season and will be playing three matches in the next five days, starting with the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on Thursday night.
"The first (game) is difficult because we get there Wednesday and play on Thursday," said UH head coach Dave Shoji. "I think (this weekend) is going to be very difficult. It will definitely challenge us."
The Rainbow Wahine lead the all-time series against the Techsters 9-0. In their last meeting, Hawai‘i defeated Louisiana Tech in three games. The Techsters are 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the WAC, with five consecutive losses.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we have the skills we need," junior right-side hitter and team captain Tara Hittle said. "We just have to lock in and focus and have a purpose and do our thing."
On the Techsters' side, senior outside hitter Shannon Phillips leads the team, averaging 5.14 kills and 3.24 digs per game, while senior setter Jill Walker averages 11.04 assists, 2.33 digs and 0.53 blocks per game. In the last 49 games that Walker has played in, she has been called 44 times for ball handling errors while setting the ball.
The rematch against the Aggies
Though Hawai‘i holds the all-time series lead at 20-1, their single loss against the Aggies of New Mexico State University is one that the Wahine returnees won't soon forget.
The last time the two teams met at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Aggies broke UH's 114-game WAC winning streak. Over the past few years, the Aggies have demonstrated a desire for good competition with the Rainbow Wahine, proving to be one of the more difficult teams that UH is scheduled to face.
"New Mexico State is really good," Shoji said. "We lost there last year. They have a big crowd, and they're a good team."
The Aggies currently sit at 2-0 in the WAC and 10-2 overall, the two losses coming against No. 1 Nebraska and No. 6 Texas. Their early-season performance has moved Mexico State into the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll this week at No. 25. In November of last year, UH defeated the Aggies in four games after losing in Las Cruces.
Junior outside hitter Lindsey Yon, a transfer from Texas A&M, leads the Aggies in kills (4.68) and digs (2.42) per game. Also aiding the Aggies is fellow outside hitter Krista Altermatt, a sophomore who earned the WAC player of the week last week. She averages 3.18 kills per game. Also in on the action are middle blockers senior Kim Oguh and junior Amber Simpson. Oguh has racked up 1.20 blocks and 2.20 kills per game, to go with a .353 hitting percentage. Simpson has a .410 hitting percentage and averages 3.10 kills and 0.83 blocks per game.
The final matchup: Spartans vs. Rainbow Wahine
Hawai‘i will conclude their three-game road trip with the Spartans of San Jose State University. UH leads the all-time series 56-4, the most wins that UH has over a single opponent.
In their last meeting, the Rainbow Wahine defeated the Spartans in three games. The Spartans sit at 6-5 overall and 0-1 in WAC. This past week, in their first conference match, they fell to Utah State.
Leading the Spartans is senior outside hitter Jennifer Senftleben, who averages 3.98 kills and 3.05 digs per game. Senior middle blocker Keri Anglin is the top blocker on the team, averaging 1.33 blocks, hitting .337 and averaging 2.22 kills per game.
The Spartans also have some local ties. Moanalua High School graduate and freshman outside hitter Brianna Amian has made a prolific showing, averaging approximately 2.30 kills, 1.76 digs and 1.03 blocks per game. Spartan sophomore libero Kristal Tsukano, a Kamehameha graduate, averages 4.37 digs per game.
All three matches are scheduled to air live on ESPN Radio or over the Internet on www.sportsradio1420.com. Blaine Kauwe will be handling the play-by-play.
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