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HAWAI`I EARNS EIGHTH FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE Second-seeded Hawaii defeated seventh-seeded Georgia Tech (34-4) 32-34, 33-31, 30-24 and 30-25 in front of a crowd of 9,412 in the NCAA Regional Finals, giving UH a trip to the NCAA Championships for the third time in the past four years. The Rainbow Wahine move to 36-1 with the win.
Senior Kim Willoughby had a strong match with 36 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and a .394 hitting percentage. Lily Kahumoku also came up big with 25 kills and 19 digs. WAC Freshman of the Year Kanoe Kamana`o set a rally-scoring record for UH with 71 assists in a four-game match, while Melissa Villaroman posted a season-high with 25 digs. Nohea Tano added 10 kills and nine digs while Lauren Duggins posted eight kills, three blocks and 13 digs.
All-Region TeamLynnette Moster, Georgia Tech
Kanoe Kamanao, Hawaii
Alexandra Preiss, Georgia Tech
Lily Kahumoku, Hawaii
Kele Eveland, Georgia Tech
Kim Willoughby, Hawaii (Most Outstanding Player)
DEJA VU The Rainbow Wahine started the season hosting the State Farm Volleyball Classic/NACWAA in August. Three of those four teams, Hawaii, USC and Florida are in the Final Four. USC defeated Florida 31-29, 30-17, 30-25 and the Gators have not lost since. The Women of Troy defeated the Rainbow Wahine 30-22, 30-26, 31-29 and Hawaii has not fallen since.
TELEVISION COVERAGE ESPN2 will show the first semifinal (USC vs. Minnesota) on tape delay on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 10:00 p.m. (CT). The second semifinal (Hawaii vs. Florida) will be televised Friday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The championship match will be televised live on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. (CT).
HAWAII IN THE EARLY ROUNDS No. 2 Hawaii moved on to the NCAA Regionals with a sweep of Brigham Young Cougars, 30-19, 30-23, 30-22 in front of 7,081 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kim Willoughby led the way with 16 kills and three aces. Karin Lundqvist came up big in relief of Maja Gustin, who missed the match after spraining her ankle, putting away 12 kills and two blocks while hitting .556. Lauren Duggins also came up big in the middle with 11 kills, three blocks and a .476 hitting percentage while Melissa Villaroman led the way in the back row with 12 digs.
HAWAII IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT Hawaii is one of the nation's most successful NCAA Tournament teams. The Rainbow Wahine are playing in their 22nd tournament, missing only in 1992, and have compiled a 54-18 (.750) overall record. This is their eighth appearance as a WAC member, compiling a 23-7 (.767) mark. Hawaii has won the NCAA title three times: 1982, 1983 and 1987. The Rainbow Wahine finished second in 2000, 1998 and 1996. In 2002, Hawaii lost to Stanford in the semifinals in New Orleans, La. The Rainbow Wahine defeated Western Kentucky, Washington, North Carolina and Nebraska en route to their seventh Final Four appearance. The win against the Cornhuskers broke a 29-match winning streak and was Nebraska's first home loss since 1999. This season, the Rainbow Wahine have played all their NCAA matches in Honolulu with wins over Idaho and BYU in the early rounds. Hawaii defeated Illinois and Georgia Tech to reach the national semifinals.
THE WAC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WAC teams are a combined 114-88 (.564) in the NCAA Tournament since 1981. Current WAC teams are a combined 62-38 (.620) in tournament play. Four of the current league teams have competed in the tournament, including Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and San Jose State. Since the WAC began the sponsorship of women's athletics in 1990, WAC teams are 22-13 (.629) in the NCAAs. Since 1990, the WAC has had at least two teams compete in the NCAA Tournament every year except 1999. The last two seasons, three teams have advanced to the postseason. This is the most since six teams advanced in 1998.
AGAINST THE FIELD Entering the NCAA Tournament, Hawaii is 7-1 this season against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament with the lone loss coming against No. 1 seed USC on Aug. 23. The, 3-0, loss is the Rainbow Wahine's only setback of the season. Hawaii has won 31-straight matches since the loss to the Women of Troy.
Hawaii's wins include fifth-seeded Stanford and eighth-seeded UCLA. Other wins came against No. 13-seeded Minnesota, Loyola Marymount, Arizona, Santa Clara and Louisville.
FINAL FOUR TEAMS USC senior April Ross led with 19 kills as the top-seeded USC defeated UCLA, 3-1 (24-30, 30-26, 30-17, 30-17), to win the NCAA Central Regional. With the victory, USC broke the NCAA record for consecutive wins, which was previously held by Penn State (Aug. 31, 1990, through Dec. 7, 1990). The Women of Troy, who improved to 33-0 on the season, have won 45-straight contests dating back to Nov. 2, 2002, when they lost in five games to Stanford at home. USC has also won 34 consecutive matches on the road.
The Rainbow Wahine are 18-16 (.529) all time against the Women of Troy. The Women of Troy have a 3-2 lead in postseason play. Earlier this season, USC handed Hawaii its only loss of the season on Aug. 23, 3-0, in the Rainbow Wahine's second loss of the season.
Third-seeded Florida earned an appearance in the NCAA Final Four for the second-straight season and seventh time in school history after defeating No. 10 Penn State, 3-0. (30-21, 30-24, 30-16) in the East Regional final in Gainesville, Fla.
Florida advances to the national semifinal match without losing a game during the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The crowd of 3,175 is the largest crowd at an NCAA Tournament match in Gainesville.
Florida and Hawaii are tied 2-2 in their season series. In their last meeting, the Gators defeated the Rainbow Wahine, 3-2 on Dec. 11, 1998. Florida and Hawaii are 1-1 in postseason play.
No. 13 seeded Minnesota advanced to its first ever NCAA Final Four with a heart-stopping 3-2 win over the Washington Huskies in Long Beach, Calif. Minnesota will now face the USC Trojans (33-0) in the NCAA National Semifinal. The Golden Gophers became the first fourth-seed in a region to advance to the Final Four, as they defeated top-seed Pepperdine and the third-seed Huskies. Minnesota also is the first Big Ten team since 2000 to make a trip to the Final Four.
COMMON OPPONENTS Hawaii and its national semifinal opponent, Florida, have played five of the same teams this season. The Rainbow Wahine are 4-1 against those teams, while the Gators are 6-1. Both teams lost to USC in the first tournament of the season. At the same tournament in Hawaii, the Rainbow Wahine and Gators beat Kansas State. Both teams also have wins over Minnesota, another national semifinalist, Stanford and Kentucky. The Gators beat the Wildcats three times, including the SEC Tournament.
USC and Hawaii have played four of the same opponents. USC is 7-0 against those team, while Hawaii is 4-0. The Women of Troy also handed the Rainbow Wahine their only loss of the season, 3-0, on Aug. 23. Both Hawaii and USC have wins over Arizona, Loyola Marymount, Stanford and UCLA. USC defeat the Wildcats, Cardinal and Bruins twice.
Minnesota and Hawaii have played two of the same teams this season, both in the first two weeks of the season. Both matches were played in Honolulu. The Gophers fell to Louisville and UCLA, while the Rainbow Wahine went undefeated. Hawaii also defeated Minnesota in three games on Aug. 29.
HAWAII WINS FOURTH-STRAIGHT WAC TOURNAMENT Hawaii defeated San Jose State, 3-0, to take home its fourth-straight WAC Tournament title at Virginia Street Gym in Reno, Nev. The Rainbow Wahine earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were the surprise team of the tournament, knocking off third-seeded Fresno State and second-seeded SMU en route to the championship match.
San Jose State started out strong, pushing the Wahine to the edge in the first game, but falling 30-28. Game two was no different for the Spartans, as they again fell in a close game, 30-26. With the momentum fully on the Wahine side, they cruised to a 30-20 win and the conference title.
Senior Lily Kahumoku hit .318 for the Wahine on her way to the tournament's MVP. She posted 17 kills on 44 attempts versus San Jose State. Senior Kim Willoughby led all players with 21 kills, hitting .333. For the Spartans, Kimberly Noble was outstanding again, posting 19 kills for the team high.
The all-tournament team was announced at the conclusion of the tournament. Kahumoku earned the tournament MVP, leading the Wahine to a fourth-straight title. The following is a complete list of the team.
SHOJI EARNS REGIONAL HONOR;FIVE EARN AVCA REGIONAL HONORS The WAC placed five players on the 2003 American Volleyball Coaches Association's all-West Region. Hawai'i head coach Dave Shoji was also named West Region Coach of the Year, while UH freshman Kanoe Kamana`o was named West Region Freshman of the Year.
Three-time WAC Player of the Year Kim Willoughby led the way along with teammates Lily Kahumoku and Kamana`o. Fresno State's Kristen Fenton was also named to the team. This was the Bulldog senior's second all-region honor. Rainbow Wahine senior Lauren Duggins earned honorable mention all-region honors. Willoughby and Kahumoku were both named all-West region for the third time.
Willoughby is third in the nation in kills per game, averaging 6.49 kpg. The All-American is also 18th in the nation in hitting percentage and 15th in service aces. Kamana`o is having a stellar freshman campaign. She is currently 14th in the nation, averaging 13.33 assists per game. Senior Kahumoku was named MVP of the WAC Championship. The senior is fourth in the WAC, averaging 5.21 kpg.
Fenton was nationally ranked in kills per game all 13 weeks this season, including a current No. 20 ranking (5.21 kpg). In addition, Fenton was the fifth player in the nation to tally a 40-kill match this year with 41 against CS Northridge on Nov. 12 and the ninth player in Division I rally scoring history (since 2001) to reach the 40-kill plateau.
Shoji has propelled Hawai'i into the NCAA National Semifinals with a 36-1 record, the school's 15th 30-win season. Hawai'i has passed last season's win total (34) with six returning starters and three AVCA All-Americans on the roster. The Rainbow Wahine have won 33 straight matches with their only blemish being a loss to USC in the second match of the season. Shoji was named AVCA All-Region Coach of the Year for the sixth time (1987, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2003).
WAC TOURNAMENT RECORDS Several records were broken at the 2003 WAC Tournament. Fresno State outside hitter Kristen Fenton set the record for attempts with 96 in a five-game loss against San Jose State in the quarterfinals. The previous record was 78 by San Diego State's Martina Vitkova-Engels against Wyoming. Fenton also tied the record for service aces in a match with four against San Jose State in the quarterfinal on Nov. 21. In team records, both Louisiana Tech and SMU tied the team record with five ball handling errors in their quarterfinal match on Nov. 21.
ACADEMIC AWARDS Several WAC volleyball players were honored with district academic awards.
Fresno State's Tina Brennan was named to her first Academic All-District VIII Team, as voted by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Brennan was named to the six-member First Team All-District VIII Team, which encompasses the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the province of British Columbia. Majoring in liberal studies with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, Brennan has been an integral part of the Bulldogs' defense since her arrival in 2001.
Catherine DuPont, Rebeca Pazo and Rebecca Kainz were named to Academic all-District VI teams as selected by CoSIDA. This is the second first-team honor for DuPont, as she was named to the district team last season, and was also named a third-team academic all-America in 2002. Pazo was a second-team all-district selection last year, and this is the first honor for Kainz. DuPont, a junior, owns a 4.00 grade point average in sports medicine and Spanish. Pazo is an economics and Spanish major with a 3.417 GPA. The junior is a two-time all-WAC selection, and was twice named to the academic all-WAC team. Kainz owns a 3.442 GPA in English and policy studies.
Nevada outside hitter Christine Harms has been named to the Academic All-District VIII second team. Harms carries a 4.00 grade point average in Civil Engineering.
SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS Several WAC players are among the single-season leaders this season. Hawaii senior Kim Willoughby is second in total kills with 731. She holds the No. 1 spot 850 in 2001 and the No. 3 spot with 688 in 2002. The senior is also second in kills per game with a 6.65 average. She holds the top spot, averaging 7.20 kpg in 2001. Willoughby is currently tied for sixth in aces with 68.
San Jose State freshman Jessie Shull ended the season tied for fifth with 473 digs. SMU's Beth Karasek was sixth with 468 digs. In digs per game, Shull ended the season second averaging, 4.30 dpg with Karasek ending the season sixth with a 4.11 dpg average. Rice's Rebecca Neal avergaged 4.00 dpg, good for eighth.
Hawaii setter Kanoe Kamana`o is tied for fifth with SMU's Tara Hatfield in assists per game with a 13.70 apg average. Several players are among the leaders in kills per game and hitting percentage.
CAREER LEADERS Kim Willoughby is among the leaders in several WAC career categories. Willoughby is first in the WAC in career total kills (2,577) and kills per game (5.92). Rice's Rebeca Pazo has moved to third in kills per game with a career average of 5.02 kpg. Hawaii's Lily Kahumoku is fifth with a career average of 4.43 kpg. Willoughby is third in total service aces with 191, second in service aces per game with 0.44 sapg, third in total digs with 1,422 and 10th in digs per game with 2,17 dpg..
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS The WAC is 91-67 (.576) against non-conference opponents. The WAC is 9-7 against ranked teams. Hawaii is 9-1 with wins over Louisville, UCLA, Kansas State, Stanford, Minnesota, LMU and Santa Clara. The Rainbow Wahine added wins against Illinois and Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament. San Jose State fell to No. 20 Santa Clara, and Nevada fell to No. 15 Long Beach State. Boise State and Louisiana Tech also have losses to ranked teams. Rice lost to formerly ranked Ohio State, and Fresno State lost to No. 23 Long Beach State.
WAC POSTSEASON AWARDS Hawaii left side hitter Kim Willoughby earned her third-straight WAC Player of the Year honor. The senior is the first three-time winner of the honor. Hawaiis Kanoe Kamanao is the fourth Wahine to win Freshman of the Year honors, while SMUs Lisa Seifert captured Coach of the Year accolades.
Six different schools were represented on the first team and eight overall. Hawaii, the first seed in the WAC Tournament, had six players named to the first team and one to the second team. Third-seeded Fresno State had two named to the first team and added two more on the second team. Second-seeded SMU had one player on the first team, while placing four on the second.
For the eighth-straight year, Hawaii boasts the Player of the Year. Willoughby has been among the nations leaders in kills per game, hitting percentage and aces all season. The senior finished conference play leading the WAC in kills per game (6.24 kpg) and service aces with 27 (0.79 sapg).
Hawaiis Kamanao earned the schools fourth Freshman of the Year honor, finishing second in the WAC in assists per game with 12.92. She guided the Wahine, who as a team, are ranked in the top five in the nation in both hitting percentage and kills per game.
This is the first Coach of the Year honor for Lisa Seifert, as she led SMU to its best season in school history. The Mustangs posted 22 wins to only six losses during 2003. They were 11-2 in conference play, a turnaround of five wins, earning them the Eastern Division Championship. SMU earned the second-seed in the conference tournament, defeating both Fresno State and Nevada, both of whom were 2002 NCAA Tournament participants.
AROUND THE COURT News and notes from around the league:
Boise State played its final match of the season losing to Fresno State in three games. The Bulldogs upped their record to 21-6 overall and 10-3 in the conference with the 30-18, 30-26, 30-23 win. Kelsey Young led the Broncos with 10 kills. Cameron Flunder and Christina Moore each added nine kills. Christina Melvin added 34 assists. Megan Tranter had seven digs.
Fresno State junior Kristen Fenton was named to her second straight WAC all-tournament team. Pounding out a match-high 35 kills to go along with 14 digs, two assists, four service aces and four blocks, Fenton tallied her 28th consecutive double-figure kill match, third 30+ kill performance and 15th double-double of the season. Senior middle blocker Carrie Hartt and Fenton were named to their second-straight first team all-WAC team, while junior middle blocker Tiffany Bishop and sophomore setter Robyn Keune were selected second team. This marks the fourth time in the history of the Bulldog volleyball program in which at least four all-conference selections were honored in the same season as well as it being the third time under head coach Lindy Vivas in which at least four Bulldogs were honored.
Hawaii advanced to its third NCAA Final Four in four years, dropping only one game in wins over Illinois and Georgia Tech. The Rainbow Wahine will take to the road for the first time in the NCAA Tournament after playing four matches at home. Hawaii will join USC, Florida and Minnesota in the Final Four.
Louisiana Tech finished the regular season at the WAC Tournament. The seventh-seeded Lady Techsters fell to the second-seeded SMU Mustangs, 3-0. For the second-straight season, the Lady Techsters finished the season with at least 15 wins. It is also the second-straight season that Louisiana Tech has finished with a winning record (16-15).
Nevada junior Salaia Salave`a was named to the 2003 all-WAC tournament team. It was the second consecutive year Salave`a was named to the team. The Wolf Pack went 1-1 in the tournament hosted at Nevada's Virginia Street Gym this past weekend. The Pack won 3-0 over Rice on Nov. 21 and fell 3-0 to second-ranked and top-seed Hawaii on Nov. 22. Salave`a averaged 4.17 kills, 1.17 blocks, 1.17 digs and hit .321 in the two tournament matches. In the Rice match she had 13 kills, five digs, five blocks and hit .417. She followed that with 12 kills, two service aces, five digs, two blocks, and a .241 attack percentage versus Hawaii.
Rice had a five-match win streak stopped at the WAC tournament. With a 30-18, 33-31, 30-21 victory on Nov. 21, Nevada ended Rices volleyball season in the first round of the tournament. Rice entered the match looking for its first win in the WAC tournament since the 1998 season, when the Owls defeated New Mexico in the first round.
San Jose State became the lowest seeded team to reach the finals, as the sixth-seeded team faced Hawaii in the WAC Tournament final. The Spartans defeated No. 3 Fresno State in five games and No. 2 SMU in four in games to reach the finals. Senior Kimberly Noble led the Spartans, ending the tournament with 73 kills and 37 digs in three matches. Noble and teammates Jessie Shull and Allison Dillion were named to the all-tournament team.
SMU completed one of its winningest regular seasons since the program's inception, eight years ago. The Mustangs are 23-7, 11-2 in WAC play. The last time the Mustangs won 20 games was in the 1999 season. SMU fell to San Jose State in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
UTEP wrapped up its season last week as it was swept by the SMU Mustangs. In failing to win at least two games over its final two matches the Miners did not make the 2003 WAC Tournament in Reno, Nev. UTEP finished the season 8-22, 2-11 in the WAC. Although the Miners had three points during the season to tie Tulsa, they were edged from the tournament due to the WAC tie-breaker.
Tulsa ended its regular season on Nov. 28 with a loss to Arkansas, 3-1. Tulsa's loss in the WAC Tournament was the first time Golden Hurricane had lost in the first round of the tournament. Tulsa now holds a 1-2 record in two tournament appearances. The Golden Hurricane were 1-1 in the 2001 tournament held in San Jose, Calif. Tulsa did not advance to the 2002 WAC Tournament.