No. 8 Hawaii 3, UCI 1
Taylor is in sweats and on the bench while team is on the court for warmups. Likely following concussion protocol.
Officially, it’s ‘not cleared to play.’
This snaps her starting streak at 38 matches.
Mitchem will start on the right
COMMENTS
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Even though I was excited to potentially see mitchem on the right, glad nikki may be ok!
Never mind, read the thread wrong
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, this is the right thing to do. Nikki’s health is paramount, especially when a concussion is involved.
Does that mean someone erred in allowing Nikki to re-enter the match?
Glad that they are playing it safe with Nikki. Looking forward to seeing Annie hit from the pin.
It appears that behind every dark cloud there has been a silver lining for the wahine this season. Can not recall another season like this where replacements at the last leg of the season were so highly anticipated. Must be the volleyball gods…Dave is blessed to have his bench.
I couldn’t understand on the pre-game show who was considered to have the nicest voice. Can someone give me the answer?
4. no one erred in her re-entering Friday. Taylor convinced the trainer she was fine and she played. But I did ask last night about the concussion protocol which is similar to football. That’s what they are following today after re-evaluations.
Think Koelsch has a bigger bump on the shin than Taylor has on her head.
Looks like UCI Bubica is going to play tonight. She’s only played 65 of 68 sets this season. large brace on right knee.
Big West scores Saturday
UC Santa Barbara def. CSU Fullerton, 20-25, 25-12, 25-19, 25-10
Long Beach State def. CSUN, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16
Cal Poly def. UC Riverside, 25-7, 26-24, 25-19
With so many new players, I hope the passing holds up. Could be interesting.
That it will Alex. Not sure yet if Greeley is back in there or if it will be Granato again.
11. TV said Greeley was out tonight again.
thanks. That’s what Shoji said last night but she was warming up. They are going with Granato.
LOL @ Cindy. What does that say about a hard head. funny stuff.
So Kölsch, Granato, Mitchem, Magillo, Manu-Olevao, Kahakai and Magill.
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen so many injuries occurring at the same time. If anyone goes down tonight, we’ll be in real trouble.
14. Actually Koelsch said she was more bruised from running into the signage against The Beach.
16. not sure about that. Higgins is available. you have Castillo.
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=98973
stats available at above link
Not at home, so just looking at the stats. What kind of serve is Mitchem using?
Three kills by Manu-Olevao. UH up 12-7 TO UCI
Tai the difference so far.
Magill with a kill. UH up 18-11. TO UCI
Mitchem jump serve.
Mitchem doing a nice job.
Manu-Olevao aced.UCI Closes to 21-17. TO UH
Annie doing a nice job in the back row.
UH wins 25-17.
Mitchem leads all players with 8 digs.
Interesting. Higgins in for Koelsch. UH trailing 4-0
Looks like maybe a 6-2 tonight. Koelsch back in.
Come on KENDRA!
Her sets have been off. Hopefully she can right the ship.
Bit of confusion on the back row attack between Mitchem and Manu-Olevao. gives UCI 15-14 lead at the TTO
I am really liking Mitchem on the right side. She also adds another much needed aggressive serve to the line up
Brandon, Higgins is setting right now.
What a set by Clare.
Anderson with a save set from the ground, Manu-Olevao puts it down. UH up 18-16. TO UCI
Posted that when Kendra was setting
UH with their 8th block. It’s 21-19. TO UCI
sorry Brandon. think there was a delay.
Higgins doing a nice job.
Wahine need to finish.
And just like that. UCI closes to 23-22. TO UH
Maglio ends it 25-23
Difference right now are UH’s middle attack and blocking. OHs having a challenging time, but then again we have two subs starting, one in a different position. At least the team is pulling out set wins.
What happened to Paula Weishoff?
Magill owns the middle.
Someone tell OC Sports, we want to watch the player introductions like before. This game and last, they only showed Kanoa and Chris commenting. We hear them enough during the telecast.
48. Agree. Too much yapping early on.
Wow. Too close for comfort. To be expected with so many new players.
Higgins really steadied out the setting that last set. Kendra’s sets are not as accurate as they were last night.
46. See:
http://www.cuieagles.com/news/2015/5/14/MVB_3176.aspx?path=mvball
48. Agreed. Another minor issue is that often the replays and graphics run over into the next play, so serves and quick kills are often missed.
Granato with an ace, UH on a 4-0 run. Up 9-5. TO UCI
51. From DI to DII…Interesting…
Up ref is off tonight.
UCI has closed to 12=11. TO UH
Agree that Hall missed that lift. Good call on Kahakai shot being outside the antenna.
Don’t think Higgins should be in…the team seemed to be in a better groove with Koelsch…Higgins sets better with the original starting lineup…
2 blockers just sitting on Granato.
54. Besides her being a former coach there, she is moving from a middling Big West program to a recent powerhouse. However, this year, the team is faring relatively poorly.
Too many sets to the outside. The passing is shaky and the middles aren’t getting swings.
What happened to #4 as the designated server and back row. Think 4 is better that #1 all around?
UCI with 14 blocks, 3 in their last five points. Eaters up 18-15. TO UH
Higgins has been out of practice, can’t fault her for the inconsistent setting I believe
Yeah, see that bump set by # 4
It’s not the setting our outside is too short. Why not try Castillo. We need Greeley and Taylor back.
62. Anderson (No. 4) came in when it was her usual time.
64. Higgins has been practicing the last few days
Their outside are not big like Pac 10 and BIG Ten
teams…We getting blocked too easy…Big prevails
UCI wins 25-21.
Irvine quicker right now.
Clare has been coming in for Mags.
Cindy, so #4 can only sub selectively and #1 has her own rotation? Or can #4 be the designated server sub all the time? Which means that #1 does not enter at all.
Maybe time to try Castillo in place of Granato?
Uh was a little sloppy that set and UCI blocked well. on to Set 4.
Missing Nikki.
Think I get it per #72z. She subs for Mags, so when it is Mags serve #4 is the sub. #1 subs for another front row when they rotate back to serve. Appreciate the tutoring
UH flopped its lineup a little. don’t think that Higgins against Bubica is a good match.
Magill with a rare slide.
Castillo in for Mitchem
2 blocks by UH and Wahine close to 7-6. TO UCI
Not enough sets to the middle.
Come on #10, steady out on your service receive, most of the serves targeting her when she is in the back row. Her hitting is really good.
UH on a 3-0 run, ties it at
It’s crunch time…
UCI has tied it at 22. and now 23. Mitchem hits win. UCI serving for the set at 24-23
Again, no sets to the middle, even when the pass is good… I don’t get it.
So many of our players are having off nights.
Finally Magill!
Whew! Just squeeked by that one.
what a finish. UH wins 26-24. Mag
Wow! Heart Attack City!
Higgins finally set the middle!! Phew, close one.
Pretty exciting match at the end. Clearly losing two starting OHs is a big deal for any team, even one with UH’s depth. But this was great experience for the subs.
Wow, a lot of subs stepped up tonight. A loss would have been devastating towards goal of hosting in the post season. Props to #10, improved service receive and hitting tough.
Did Annie hurt her hand?
Good job by Annie stepping in for Nikki. Her connection with the setters wasn’t great — not surprising given her lack of reps at the position — and so she didn’t always hit the ball with velocity and was dug a lot. But at least with her height she was rarely blocked. I think with more playing time at OH she could become pretty effective there.
Good interview with Tai…seemed pretty comfortable in front of the camera…cracked me up…
Nice interview with the shy girl, Tai Manu-Olevao. So they are trying all they can to raise money to be able to travel to Oahu on Senior night. Hotels are expensive there. If they don’t have relatives in Oahu, one way to save on accommodations is to book a private room as soon as possible at the Youth Hostel near University Street. There are three beds in that room so it can accommodate a couple and one more person. Please let Tai know about this possibility.
Heart Attack is right! # 7 Kekauoha (Irvine) has a wicked left arm. I think Irvine did a nice job to identify the smaller block. Hats off to Granato in filling in for Greeley. Mitc and they wete quicker than us tonite. Annie has great potential as an OH too. I still not convinced that Castillo cannot replace as an OH for Olevao or Granato especially when they struggle pct.wise and blocking purpose. Great to see Higgins nice touch but I do love Kendra Koelsch energy and blocking. She may not possess the touch like Higgins but she is always playing above the net. Higgins and Koelsch both need to share duties equally and go with the flow of which player overall is being productive for that particular match. They both have strengths and weaknesses but come postseason you have to go according to size of opponents. Our great blocking intimidates and frustrates opponents. What we got away with in this game could would be a different outcome postseason. It is still great to see our bench get more action…
Is there any way we the public can help Tai’s family without violating NCAA rules?
Maglio is money !
I agree with 101. Or…can we at least LOAN money? Can boosters or Hawaiian Air do anything. I also think it is WRONG that the water polo team wins the championship and has to hold plastic cups to raise money to go to the next game.
I love Annie Mitchem but I think someone reads here and reports back to the coach. She needs to watch the service line. The refs here don’t call it but they will in play offs.
Down two outside starters and still squeaked this one out. i don’t think we’re as deep as we think we are though we won. Bringing in Castillo for blocking was a smart move. The road now seems a bit more scary seeing our close calls at home.
As for the setting i agree Bleachercoach on what Kendra brings all-around.
going to give up trying to use numbers to reply.
Ron and others contact the booster club for donations.
be back in a minute
Scot Robbs was saying that he thought Sananah was the most improved player on the team and she has been very solid. My vote would go to Maglio because I agree with islandman she is money in the bank. Missing Nikki was big but I thought that the loss of Greeley was also just as big. She is such a smart player and so dependable.
My main concern is that Greeley’s injury is long term. I think Granato can fill in against smaller teams, but even with a healthy Greeley, these road games can get hairy. Maybe Mitchem or Castillo can be used when more size is needed at the net. I hope they continue to work with Mitchem on the right or left in practice. She needs to be ready in case Greeley or Nikki can’t play.
Maglio was really great tonight. She gets better week after week.
103. First time Mitchem has served all season. Shoji kept telling her to move. back. She got away with one foot fault. Hall called her on one. Incorrect for you to say the ‘refs here’ when the up refs are brought in from the mainland. and the local linesmen have called FF several times this season.
As for the water polo team, their expenses to the NCAA tournament were paid by the NCAA. Not sure what they were raising money for.
Mitchem did hurt her hand at the end. We had asked for her for postgame interview but they were taking her to the doctor.
Though Annie played great for being thrust out there for the first time at D1 level with couple days of practice. When sets were there, she pounded it. If given more reps, you can see that she will become very effective. She also dug very well and kept the ball in play with soft hands – totally unexpected and very impressed. Understandably, she was trying too hard to keep the ball in play instead of hitting away. Great job Annie!
104. I think it depends on how you define depth and your expectations of the subs. Difficult to expect non-starters to perform as well as starters (including one all-american), and I don’t know of any team in Division I that has had its two top OHs and starting setter go out (although Higgins did play tonite). That we have a middle that can transition to the right speaks for our depth (I like Castillo’s potential/upside, but she didn’t play that much tonite). And we still had 18 blocks without Taylor and Greeley’s 1.6 blks/set. Weak point was the OHs, but UH was starting one true freshman, one out of position right who played decent considering the circumstances, and TMO, who had an off hitting pct. night but still tallied a team-leading 19.5 points. Imagine how the team would perform without Mitchem or Granato or Castillo. Not clear UH wins without them. Ugly win, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise given the injuries and adjustments.
109. Mitchem has played this season. It’s just that this was her first start as an OH
110. Completely agree…Tonight’s match was a struggle because UCI just got their best hitter back & UH had to play without two of its best hitters…Still won…
Think the bye week is coming at a good time.
Shoji said he went with Higgins because he felt that Koelsch’s sets were off tonight. Given that today’s early practice was the first time they saw that lineup, thought it was ragged but a gutsy win.
Irvine’s schedule has been relatively tough. They played Texas and Minnesota. They beat Oregon St. and San Diego….They might be one of the better 4 overall wins team in the nation.
Heading home. thread will stay open.
will check in tomorrow.
114. UCI is 8-11. They have the 97th rated strength of schedule. UH’s schedule is rated 151.
Big island BV fan #7: Tai Manu Olivao was named by the players as having the best singing voice.
Cindy, when I said refs here I meant the refs at the SSC tonight.
I didn’t see Annie called on her service lines. I’m glad they noticed. I am also not that schooled on VB in terms of when their foot can hit the court.
I give kudos for them for coming out a second night playing a fresh team (although they may be a bit jet lagged). I know they did three in a row for preseason but it’s still hard.
A win is a win and being 18-1 is something to be proud of….Every BW team looks at just winning a set versus an 8th ranked team a major accomplishment . Who in their right minds wouldn’t want to play their best when they play us? They want to talk about how the David’s dethroned the Goliath’s . So they will bring their best effort because they have nothing to lose right? Every match especially after our last home matches on the road( (6 matches) will not be a cake walk.. Especially Cal Poly and Long Beach St….Maybe we can add UC Irvine to that list
116…yes you are right my facts of 4 wins overall is incorrect…but they did have a very tough preseason schedule for BW teams…thanks for the correction
I just don’t see much difference in the setting of Koelsch and Higgins at all, even with Higgins having a year of experience starting over Koelsch. Seriously hope Shoji just plays Koelsch in the front, she brings so much more to the table up at the net.
And I hope Annie is okay. UH does not need more injuries.
120. Agreed, that’s why I gave UH’s SOS for comparison.
McKenna Granato came of age this match. She put the ball down at key moments. I was at the Stanley watching this entire match. Olivia Magill also I felt starred as well as Emily Magill. The very key moment in the match and possibly this season was when The Wahine fell behind 23-24 in the fourth set. It was very possible that The Wahine could have been saddled with their 2nd loss, and from then on, who knows? Nikki Taylor’s clutch performances in past matches this year were sorely missed, and in her place, for about three or four times, McKenna came through and tonight a Star was Born. McKenna is not a freshman anymore. She is a Sophomore in training. Congratulations, and yes Dave these were trap matches, and we can see now how valuable Nikki is to the team. However, McKenna, Olivia and Emily came through, as well as all who played. For a moment, I thought we were going to have a repeat of Albuquerque, you know, becoming Chow Mein?
#123 Reggie. Sorry, McKenna was not born a star tonight. More to the point, with a win on the night, she escaped being a goat. Against a taller Irvine team with a good block, they exposed her as too small, too limited in shots, and not a five set front row player, not even a four set player against a larger more physical team. Maybe a two and a half set player than call in the reinforcements (e.g. tonight that was Castillo). I lost count of the times they hit over McKenna and around her like she wasn’t there in the front line blocking at all.
And then Irvine had 17 blocks, against who exactly? Re-watch the game and count how many were against McKenna; at least 5, maybe more. She had 7 hitting errors and hit .057 in her natural position that she has played all year. Annie had one day to practice in the lineup they used in the game and almost out hit her at .034. Annie served for the first time this year and had two aces. McKenna served for her 20+ something set and had two aces. Annie out-blocked McKenna. Annie out-dug McKenna. Sorry, I like McKenna too and think she has upside and a ton of competitive heart, but you’ve got to keep it real. Annie has all the upside at this point, much more upside. (But lets hope Annie didn’t seriously injure her hand tonight; everyone say thank you for the bye week).
I hope we all realize sooner than later that Castillo likely will also have more upside than McKenna even if she will take some time to develop. Start developing her. In the meantime McKenna can be an effective role player in situational match-ups against the right teams and lineups. Continue to use her in the back row and for serving, but please don’t try to make her into a regular starting front line OH and blocker. Please don’t look to her to carry the team other than briefly.
A famous N Vietnamese General (NVRA), speaking after the KHE SAN Tet 3-month battle, quipped in his post memoirs about the essence of KHE SAN, “Your courage is defined by how hard your enemy fights you…each side honored the other”.
Last night UCI battled hand-to-hand with #8 ranked Hawaii with hearts and soul, with thunderous kills and big time blocks until the whistle blew ending the match.
Congrads to wahine! In the end it was a classic TEAM battle. Style points aside, our girls never let up and battled tooth and nail for every point. WOW! UCI victory by wahine defined this teams grit and heart to win when under severe adversity and against a team that was all in to upset Hawaii. Irvine put up an inspiring fight.
Props to ALL wahine. GREAT V.
Having said that, Shoji is confused and biased. While Granato has spunk and punch she is undersized in today’s game, unless she is a 6-foot Melissa Gardner, which she aint. Not yet. Perhaps in the future. She is a wahine warrior for sure. But we do have someone else available NOW with a 4″-bigger block and her name is Casey Castillo. I hardly call a cameo 4th set appearance an opportunity to audition. Still Castillo managed 2-blocks in an abbreviated appearance. Granato was shut down in blocks for the entire game!
As I mentioned previously. Wahine game is based on their BLOCK. From there our wahine play scratch game volleyball from pin to pin, from base line to side line. We are scrappy and relentless and win by virtue of hustle and muscle. But our game, start and ends with the BLOCK. No BLOCK, no win. BTW, UCI went block for block with the wahine and stayed close(17) to Hawaii’s 18.
Talk about Kendra being off set, HIGGs continues to block with concrete boots.
On one kill by UCI, her finger tips barely reached the height of the net as the ball sailed easily over her with room to spare as it whistled untouched to the floor.
It’s always amusing to hear the so called local pundits call out Kendra for being off the mark on her sets and when Tayler set one that was wayward, they were quick to say she was a little “rusty”. Sound familiar? Look, that type of subtle bias works in an oppressed N Korea but not around folks in Hawaii that know their VB and just want to see the wahine play their best.
Thank you Noblesol and Kimo for expressing so well my thoughts and feelings. I was also a little upset when Dave was critical of Kendra and added that Higgins is his number one setter in the post game interview with Scot. I felt he could have been a little more gracious toward Kendra for all that she has brought to the table.
Agree with many of the posters that Granato is too short to play the OH position.
Her blocking “skills” were almost non-existent against UCD (1) and against UCI (1)…and we have a 6’3″ Wahine OH on the sidelines? UCI had two blockers camped on Granato most of the night, which accounted for part of their 17 blocks. A great win for our “A-B” team against a good “A” team from UCD. Props to Magill and Maglio for being the glue last night, and Mitchem for playing all 6 rotations for the first time.
125, Wow I’m local and am framing your comments… +1.
Heres another VN quote that says: Có chí thì nên. “Where theres will theres a way”
sounds familiar… but Na Wahine willed their way last night. With the exception of TMO who has some hops, and with Granato and also Higgings, you can’t teach height. Rosenfeld, Dennis, and Bubica average 6-3 and had their way most of the night. UCI is a big athletic team and now scary team. By the way Shoji announced post game that Higgins is his starting setter so lets see what happens on the road.
Story about last night’s UCI match seems to be missing from the SA site? There’s a short breaking news story from last night. Earlier I saw a link for the main story, but when I clicked on it, I got a page missing error message. Now the link is gone too. Or am I just imagining things (very possible)?
Two words come to mind when I see Casey Castillo enter the line-up: weight room. She has a lots of potential, most would agree and her height at 6-3 is a great asset for an outside hitter. However, she does not come close to hitting with the power of McKenna Granato. By the way, the #1 team in the country, Southern Cal, has an undersized hitter, Alyse Ford, who is listed a 5-10, but TV announcers claim she is closer to 5-9. However, she is athletic, powerful, and can really jump high. Players like her, Amy Neal of Texas (5-10) and Kanani Danielson can succeed at the highest level, including Granato. Granato will have to learn how to hit smarter as Tai Manu-Olevao has slowly learned to do, finally as a senior.
Really enjoyed reading everyone’s views. And yes, the Anteaters exposed the Wahine without Nikki Taylor’s big blocking presence and kills. I like Koelsch because I feel she does a better job of managing the offense and adds so much with her blocking.
I cannot long on to my SA account. Error message says my account is logged on by another device. It’s Sunday. I wonder if their technical department works today?
46/51. Weishoff coached Concordia before UCI; won big, including 2 x NAIA championship appearances. She returned to Concordia after the last coach went on to Baylor. So maybe she just missed the school, program that she helped build.
73. Anderson is in the regular rotation as a serving sub for one of the middles. Most of the time it’s Magill, occasionally it’s Maglio. A player can only sub in for one player. Anderson can no longer sub in for others after she has subbed in for Magill. The same way, Magill cannot return to the court and replace someone else. She has to replace Anderson. Someone correct me if I’m mistaken. So once Anderson has subbed in for Magill/Maglio, they need Ponce or Guinasso to sub in if they need another back row specialist. And I’m glad all three have gotten their share of playing time since they’ve all shown that they’re really good and deserving of the time on the court.
Haven’t posted for awhile and won’t be for awhile.
125 I agree with you about Shoji being biased.
126 Agree with you about Shoji’s comment on Kendra.
Bottom line i really like the team and will continue to support them, however can’t say much for the coach. My friends feel the same.
Hope the injured recover for the month of November because i don’t think its going to be easy.
#127 IMO, the only measure of success is whether Granato executes the assignment given to her. After seeing McKenna played an entire match, I can now see why Shoji trusts her. She is a very skill and smart player – and knows how to execute the assignment given to her. Yeah, I too had concerns about her height but volleyball is a team sport – and getting players to execute a game plan is much more important. Great job McKenna!
Re: 134. Wow. this constant negativism about Coach Shoji and claims about his “favoritism.” You act like there is a clear distance in ability between Tayler Higgins and Kendra Koelsch, so much so that the coach’s bias is very evident. Sorry, each has her strengths that have been discussed ad infinitum on this board, re: setting, blocking, serving, and defense. So you have your opinion and everyone else theirs. What makes your opinion SO special that you have to bad mouth the coach so much? For one, I’m glad you have decided to stay off the board awhile; just too much negativity.
http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=33821
this is getting too long so new thread up.
however do have to disagree with the ‘bias’ Granato vs. Castillo
Granato is a better passer and they needed that with Greeley and Taylor out. Guess if there is a bias, it’s towards what is observed in practice.
just don’t get why people think Castillo is better when there’s been so little playing time to judge her.
127. On Mitchem serving. she had 2 aces and was lucky to get them because foot faults weren’t called. one finally did. if they all had been called then people would be questioning her serving
Didn’t catch what Shoji said on TV but he has made it clear all season that Higgins is his top setter. He also had to catch a plane to go recruiting last night and his comments to us last night sans TV were pretty short, to the point, without a lot of detail.
At the end they had one substitution left, which is why Magill served. Had he put in a DS at that point, like Anderson, and that set go longer than it did, the DS would have been in the front row. Didn’t have time to ask my I’m guessing he was saving the last sub for a setter substitution.