HAWAI`I TO REPRESENT WAC IN STATE FARM-NACWAA CLASSIC Fifth-ranked Hawai`i has been selected as one of four teams to participate in the season-opening State-Farm - NACWAA Volleyball Classic, slated for Aug. 24-25, at the Alex G. Spanos Center on the campus of University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. Joining the Rainbow Wahine will be 2000 NCAA Champion Nebraska out of the Big 12, Final Four participant Wisconsin from the Big Ten and Regional participant Pacific out of the Big West. Hawai`i will face top-ranked Nebraska on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (PDT) in a rematch of last season's NCAA championship semifinal. No. 12 Pacific, faces No. 4 Wisconsin in the second semifinal match at 7:00 p.m. (PDT). The consolation match will be played Saturday at 5:00 p.m. (PDT) followed by the championship match at 7:00 p.m. (PDT). The matches are tentatively scheduled to air on ESPN2. Highlights from Friday's matches will air on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 10:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. (EDT) and the Championship match will be shown on Monday, Aug. 27, from 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. (EDT).
Hawai`i also participated in the State Farm-NACWAA Classic during the 1996 season, defeating Nebraska to claim the championship title.
WAC EXPANDS TO TEN After just one year as a nine-team league, the WAC expanded to 10 for the 2001-02 season. The Boise State Broncos and Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters joined the conference July 1, 2001, while TCU left for Conference USA.
VOLLEYBALL FORMAT There are two divisions for the 2001 season: Western and Eastern. The teams in the Western Division consist of Boise State, Fresno State, Hawai`i, Nevada and San Jose State. The teams in the Eastearn Division consist of Louisiana Tech, Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa. Each team plays each other twice, home and home within each division and plays each team from the other division once.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM The WAC volleyball coaches selected their 2001 preseason award winners and earning preseason Player of the Year honors was Hawaii sophomore middle blocker Maja Gustin. Hawaii, led all schools with three players on the All-WAC preseason team. Nevada, which is picked to finish third, placed two players, along with UTEP and Fresno State. Boise State, Rice and SMU each placed one player to round out the team. Other All-WAC honorees that return from last season include Nevadas Suzanne Stonebarger (1st team), Hawai`is Jennifer Carey (2nd team) and Kim Willoughby (2nd team, Co-Freshman of the Year), Nevadas Michelle More (2nd team) and UTEPs Jacqui Nosan (2nd team).
2001 WAC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
Name School Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown (Previous School)
Jennifer Carey Hawaii S 6-1 Jr. Newport Beach, Calif. (Newport Harbor)
Tara Hatfield SMU S 6-0 Jr. Coppell, Texas (Coppell)
Maja Gustin Hawaii MB 6-2 So. Maribor, Slovenia (HS of Economic)
Jacqueline Heler Boise State MB 6-1 So. Palo Alto, Calif. (Gunn)
Leigh Leman Rice OH 5-9 Sr. Magnolia, Texas (Magnolia)
Shauna McQuaid Fresno State MB 6-1 Sr. San Diego, Calif. (Madison)
Michelle More Nevada MB 6-1 Jr. Torrance, Calif. (Crossroads)
Nicki Mosher UTEP RS 6-3 Sr. Rockford, Ill. (Stillman Valley)
Jacqui Nosan UTEP MB 6-2 Sr. Cleveland, Ohio (Villa Angela)
Suzanne Stonebarger Nevada OH 5-9 Sr. Linden, Calif. (Linden)
Kara Verwey Fresno State OH 6-1 So. Kerman, Calif. (Kerman)
Kim Willoughby Hawaii OH 6-0 So. Napoleonville, La. (Assumption)
Preseason Player of the Year: Maja Gustin, Hawaii
NATIONAL POLL WATCH Hawai`i is the only WAC team to receive mention in both the USA Today/AVCA and Volleyball Magazine polls, coming in at the fifth spot in both polls. San Jose State also received three votes in the USA Today/AVCA poll, ranking 49th.
WAC TOURNAMENT TO SAN JOSE For the first time, the Event Center on the campus of San Jose State University will serve as the site of the 2001 WAC Volleyball Tournament. The tournament will be held from Nov. 15-18 and will involve all 10 teams. A point system will be utilized when seeding for the tournament.
PERSONNEL CAPSULE Every team returns at least three starters for the 2001 campaign. Nevada and San Jose State return the most starters with five, while Hawai`i, Rice, UTEP and Tulsa each return four. The following is a breakdown of each teams letterwinners returning and lost and starters returning and lost.
Team LR LL SR SL
Boise State 6 6 3 3
Fresno State 9 8 3 3
Hawai`i 8 4 4 2
Louisiana Tech 7 4 3 3
Nevada 9 4 5 2
Rice 9 4 4 2
San Jose State 9 2 5 2
SMU 7 4 3 3
UTEP 6 3 4 2
Tulsa 7 4 4 2
TOP STAT LEADERS The following are the returning statistical leaders in the WAC in 2001. In hitting efficiency, four of the top 10 hitters are back, led by Hawai`is Maja Gustin (.370) and UTEPs Jacqui Nosan (.359), who finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the WAC, respectively. Fresno States Shauna McQuaid (.288 - sixth) and SMUs Janna Newsom (.281 - eighth) also return. Four of the top 10 kill leaders are back, as San Jose States Brianna Blair ranked sixth (3.97 kpg), followed by Rices Leigh Leman (3.83 kpg - seventh), McQuaid (3.81 kpg - eighth) and UTEPs Jennifer Abbruzzese (3.44 kpg - 10th). SMUs Tara Hatfield is the top returner in assists (13.70 apg) and finished first, followed by San Jose States Savannah Smith (13.17 apg - second) and Hawai`is Jennifer Carey (12.92 apg - third). Six of the 10 blockers return, including Gustin, who led the league averaging 1.60 per game. Also returning is Rices Briana Cook (1.38 bpg - second), Nevadas Michelle More (1.20 bpg - fifth), Nosan (1.18 bpg - sixth), McQuaid (1.12 bpg - tie-ninth) and Newsom (1.12 bpg - tie-ninth). Six of the top 10 servers return as well. Abbruzzese averaged 0.31 sapg, an average that ranked second in the WAC. Also returning are Gustin (0.30 sapg - tie-fourth), San Jose States Christina Lukens (0.30 sapg - tie-fourth), San Jose States Liz Hudson (0.28 sapg - seventh), Carey (0.27 sapg - tie-eighth) and Tulsas Kara Hindinger (0.27 sapg - tie-eighth). Nevadas Suzanne Stonebarger led the league in digs last season, averaging 4.13 per game and is back for her senior campaign. Also returning are Leman (3.83 dpg - second), Smith (3.11 dpg - fifth), Hawai`is Kim Willoughby (3.02 dpg - eighth), SMUs Kristen Peterson (2.96 dpg - ninth) and Hidinger (2.95 dpg - 10th).
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS Of the seven first-team All-WAC players in 2000, three return for the 2001 season including Hawai`is Maja Gustin, Nevadas Suzanne Stonebarger and UTEPs Sarah Davis. Six of the second-team All-WAC performers will return this season, including Hawai`is Jennifer Carey and Kim Willoughby, San Jose States Brianna Blair and Christina Lukens, Nevadas Michelle More and UTEPs Jacqui Nosan. Gustin and Willoughby were the WACs Co-Freshmen of the Year.
SHOJI AND STURM MOVING UP NCAA LISTS Since taking over the coaching duties at Hawai`i in 1975, head coach Dave Shoji has won 741 matches and boasts an .842 winning percentage, both which rank among the all-time leaders in NCAA coaching history. His overall record stands at 741-131-1, placing him third all-time in winning percentage and fourth in wins among active coaches. Boise State head coach Fred Sturm ranks 55th with a .628 winning percentage (211-122-3).
HAWAI`I ENDS 2000 SEASON AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Hawai'i fell to top-ranked and eventual NCAA champion Nebraska (3-15, 12-15, 15-9, 10-15) in the national semifinals in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 14, 2000. The Rainbow Wahine completed the season with a 31-2 overall record and as Western Athletic Conference Champions with a 16-0 league mark.
Hawai`i struggled in games one and two before dominating Nebraska in game three. But Nebraska's blockers proved to be too strong and the Cornhuskers came away with the victory. Nebraska notched 41 total blocks compared to 12 for Hawai`i. The Wahine were led by sophomore Lily Kahomoku who notched a team-high 18 kills and added seven digs. Freshman Kim Willoughby added 15 kills and 15 digs while senior Jessica Sudduth ended her career with 13 kills and 15 digs.
It was Hawai`i's first NCAA Final Four appearance since the 1996 season and the school's sixth overall. In 1996, the Rainbow Wahine lost to Stanford in the championship match, 3-0. It was Hawai`i's first season as a WAC member. Hawai`i has won the NCAA title three times: 1982, 1983 and 1987. In 1982, Hawai`i defeated USC in Stockton, Calif., the 1983 title was over UCLA in Lexington, Ky., and the 1987 crown came against Stanford in Indianapolis, Ind. The Rainbow Wahine finished second in 1988 and 1996.
SAN JOSE STATE LOSES IN FIRST ROUND In an opening round match of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 30, then No. 13 Long Beach State defeated San Jose State (17-15, 13-15, 15-11, 15-4) at The Event Center in San Jose.
Brianna Blair led the Spartans with 19 kills and hit .462. She and Joslynn Gallop each had six blocks in the match. Kimberly Noble added 14 kills and seven digs. Gallop, a first-team All-WAC selection, ended her four-year career at San Jose State as the school's and the WAC's all-time leader in kills with 1,966 kills. She is also the SJSU career kill attempt leader at 4,423 and the SJSU career blocking leader with 456 blocks.
IMPROVEMENTS FROM LAST SEASON Several WAC teams made great improvements in the win column compared to last season. TCU, 15-18, won its most matches in school history and won three more matches this season compared to last year. Rice, 17-16 won six more matches, Tulsa, 20-13, won 10 more matches and UTEP made the biggest turnaround from last year. The Miners, 16-15, had 11 more victories this season compared to last.
20 SOMETHING Three WAC teams reached the 20-win plateau, including Hawai`i (31), San Jose State (22) and Tulsa (20). It marks the third-consecutive season and the fourth under head coach Craig Choate that the Spartans have won at least 20 matches in a season. This is the first time in school history that Tulsa won 20 matches.
HAWAI`I LED NATION IN ATTENDANCE For the seventh-straight season, Hawai`i led the nation in attendance, averaging 6,986 fans per contest in 22 matches. In addition, Hawai`i owned 19 of the top 22 single-match attendance figures. The Rainbow Wahine drew 9,774 fans for their match against Long Beach State on Dec. 7, the second highest total in the nation this season.
HAWAI`I ECLIPSES 100,000 ATTENDANCE MARK Hawai`i's crowd of 7,017 against Fresno State on Nov. 4, shot the Rainbow Wahine over the 100,000 attendance mark for the sixth-straight year. The Rainbow Wahine drew 153,688 fans and is the only program in the country to draw more than 100,000 for six-consecutive years.
WAC VOLLEYBALL ON THE WEB The WAC site on the world wide web (www.wacsports.com) includes extensive volleyball information. It includes the latest notes, statistics, standings and Players of the Week.