Thursday checkin
Previous thread had asked what I’d do now that Mitchem is back.
Well considering that Sibley is out (flu) at least for Friday, I’d do what Shoji is planning to do. Mitchem moves left, at least that’s what he said.
Said he didn’t want to move Taylor to the left. Originally, before Sibley was out, he said Mitchem was going middle. But either way, she is only playing 3 front row rotations.
so I’m guessing Friday they start Mitchem and Granato left, Castillo and Maglio middle, Taylor at Opp, Iosia and Kahakai.
Anderson comes in for Maglio, not sure where Greeley fits in now since she was back row for Sibley. I would put Smith in for Mitchem and maybe rest Greeley. But much depends on where the passing is at.
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Ma’afala is redshirting but she is dedicated to being in shape. During practice, she runs the stairs and concourse Her sister joined her today.
And Happy Birthday to Robyn Ah Mow-Santos.
A flu? Feel bad for Sibley as she played so well against Washington. Think Mitchem will do well at OH and can’t wait to see her finally play at MH. Think we are finally starting to gel just in time for conference play. We are still missing Greely but it is what it is – so don’t fret Kalei as the shoulder will let you know when it is ready.
While Long Beach will always be good, Cal Poly and Santa Barbara are now really solid. The Gauchos, in particular, are currently playing dangerously good. Wahines will have to be playing really well to beat these three teams.
If AM is subbed MG will not be subbed, unless EM plays back row . Concern is NT on tips, if elbow is re-injured. NB might end up in the middle and CC at OPP.
Too bad KS has the flu, used to be flu shots were free for students. Helllllo, beats being sick (hindsight is 20-20.)
Maybe Pepperdine, being a church based school (Church of Christ), will show a little compassion and cut us some slack. 🙂
Sympathetic for NT, if the elbow will always hurt when hit, pro-ball is out. May be the last time she plays volleyball; at least it’s her senior year. (Brittany Hewitt was not so lucky.)
Speaking of a church based school, a mild upset at BYU, Utah 3, BYU 2.
hollycow…. hollycow, I am watching the replay!
After ( for myself personally) the two most anticipated matches with Wisconsin and UCLA, I’m really looking forward to seeing Annie in action (finally) and on the leftside at that!
I like Ma’afua’s energy. I watch her during the sets! lol. One night she literally knelt and bowed. Her facial expressions and body language is fun to see. She IS working hard. She has even been the ball girl during early sets during the tournament. She has already shown she is a team player.
BTW, there IS a doctor on the sidelines. At least there was during one match. She was waving her cell phone around during a set and was causing temporary blindness for one of the fans who had a migraine. Security had to tell her to stop.
@4 & 5:
Another fast offense conquering a ranked team. This is what Shoji used in 2004 to go 27-0 with only 1 returning starter, Kanoe Kamana’o. It evens the playing field for less talented teams to compete with elite teams.
Ma’afala.
UH’s female doc is always on the side standing with UH players.
I have come to believe that the Wahine volleyball team will win a national championship this year, provided they mix up the plays. Fast sets and high slow sets. As they say it all starts with the passing plus getting everyone healthy.
Predictability of the coaching style has been part of the reason they have not been able to win another national championship. If that is not the case bottom line is that the caliber of the athletes are not the cream of the crop. May have one or two a year but this year they have 4 to 5 players that can do it provided they are at their top physical shape during the end of league play going into the post season.
5) Washington def. Maryland 25-17, 25-21, 25-17
9) BYU lost to Utah 25-27, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 13-15
3. Pepperdine is not a church-based school It is closely aligned with the Church of Christ but is not run by CC. They ask students to attend enough conclaves during each semester for credit so that at the end of four years, students have a Religion credit.
Don’t know if Sibley officially has the flu. It was something Shoji said in passing She came to practice and sat waiting for Shoji to tell him she wasn’t feeling well.
7. curious as to who you say is the doctor on the sidelines and that said person would be waving a cell phone.
10. disagree that coaching style is a reason that UH hasn’t won a national championship as of late. It’s hard to win one these days, especially by a non-power five conference. The odds of teams from those conference have a very slim chance of even getting to the final four given how the brackets are and how many teams from the Power conferences get in.
10,11. The primary reason Shoji has not won a championship is because of the lack of top recruits. Recruiting game is much more competitive these days. Questionable if UH would get a Willougby today, someone from a far off place who would move to Hawaii. This year’s team when healthy is a top five team. Unfortunately we may need to wait until the post season to see their potential.
12. Recently won a championship, to be clear.
Utah vs. BYU match was more a tale of match-ups than style of offense. For BYU it’s a rebuilding year, they are very young (12 freshman and sophomores). They graduated the school’s all-time leader in kills (Alexa Gray), their all-time leader in digs (four-year starter at libero, Ciara Parker) and setter Camry Willardson, who was third all-time in assists. They have three new pin hitters this year and are breaking in a sophomore setter.
For Utah Utes, in terms of size and athletes they matched up well with BYU, except the Utes have Adora Anae, and right there is pretty much the end of the story. Anae is a Junior this year and having another good year. Last year she had 501 kills, 388 digs, 22 service aces and 555 points. Against BYU yesterday, she carried the Ute’s offense with 73 attacks and 31 kills. Utah goes as Anae goes. Their style of offense is far less important than whether or night she is on floor. Take her out of the Utah mix and it’s kind of like Hawaii without Taylor. Wouldn’t matter much what they tried to run out there.
Very timely article in the advertiser by Cindy today. Told us all we have wanted to know about the status of Annie, including her own and others expectations. She sounds like the addition we have been hoping for. Great read!
@14
The commentators, in the Utah vs BYU match, even said several times that Utah wants to use that fast offense to the outside.
Apparently, you are not familiar with the Wahine 2004 squad. Other than Kanoe Kamana’o, no elite athletes or stars, no Fab 50, no starters from the previous year, no All Americans, no All Conference selectees.
It was the fast offensive system (i.e. Utah) that allowed them to beat #3 UCLA, enroute to an unbeaten regular season. Feel free to contact Shoji himself to verify the facts.
Rather than wonder why Shoji hasn’t won a championship recently, we should be more so amazed by the fact that he has kept UH relevant over all these years especially with the shift in college athletics with $$ and the constantly growing separation between the power 5 and non-power 5 schools. Sure Long Beach and BYU have their years, but there was a long stretch where they weren’t. UH is pretty much the only non-power 5 school that has been consistently in the rankings. You can’t really blame him or the program for recruiting as its difficult to compete with schools with exponentially larger budgets and better facilities.
#16 Yeah, they had a great setter in Kamana’o, a 4x AA and AVCA National Freshman of the Year, but the team did have a 2nd Team AA MH in Victoria Prince. And I believe OP Boogaad, OH Hittle, OH Arnott, and MH Thomas were all on their respective Fab 50 list. So, while excellent setting was big part of the 2005 team’s success, it was also due to having recruited a very good team.
#16 – We get it. We’re blu and you’re blu in the face. And, yeah, yeah, you and Coach Shoji “communicate”. ‘Nuff already….sheesh.
Utah funnels their offense through Adora Anae. She’s a 6’1″ Opp, so doesn’t hit over as many blocks as she does around. Of course they try to get it to her quickly to help her find seams. But she is a premier athlete and unarguably one of the best hitters in the PAC12, so Utah finds her in the offense whenever they can however they can.
I lean toward the view that your personnel, their skill set and the match-ups they’ll face are deterministic of what your offense can run. Obviously that’s Shoji’s view. With that view, it’s not a question of fast vs. slow, it’s what can you run that will give you the most success.
Choose tempo and fast sets, but there is a risk-reward point, beyond which the greater number of passing, setting, and hitting errors, and the lower tighter to the net sets, will outweigh the reward of maybe catching the opposition out of position defensively. Likewise, chose slower higher sets more off the net, and you can tolerate more passing and setting errors and likely have fewer hitting errors, but the opposition will have greater opportunity to position itself to defend.
As noted, teams without height, or multiple offensive threats, or a dominating hitter, almost don’t have a choice against teams that do; teams at the short end of the talent stick have to try to pass, set, and hit faster than the opposition can position themselves or forget it, they’re done. However teams with athletes who are tall, or with multiple offensive threats, or a dominating hitter, those teams need to play to their advantage and avoid shooting themselves in the foot with an offensive style that pushes them to make too many errors and doesn’t give their premier athletes every opportunity at a hittable ball.
For every team, there will be a tempo and setting style that will suit them best given the match-ups they’ll face. Generally, teams go as fast a tempo and set as they can and still give their best hitters the best opportunity with a hittable ball. If you have an Emily Hartong or Nikki Taylor, you find them on the court and give them the best set you can, high, low, fast or slow. Fast is good, but not beyond the point of forcing errors and denying your premier hitters opportunities.
Word noblesol! Well said. Mahalo.
15. thank you. think i’ve mentioned my pet peeve. It is NOT the Advertiser. It is the Star-Advertiser. Having been a proud reporter/editor for the Star-Bulletin for 30 years before the Star-Bulletin bought the Advertiser … want to keep the Star in there.
17. agree. Think it’s sad that people here don’t always recognized the job Hawaii does in maintaining a top program year and year out. Ask any opposing coach. They agree that it has been done against a lot of odds.
Cindy, some times I forget my own kids names, goes with the territory of becoming a senior citizen. I will remember next time!
Ron. You are describing us super senior citizens. Don’t forget the “super”, I believe we qualify. Hope all is well with you and yours. I hit the jackpot after the last match, at our table sat Annie, Casey, Emma, Norene, McKenna R. and Rika. Great girls, very comfortable like sisters, picking on each other’s plate. Missing you there.
#20 Totally agree. For me, Taylor needs more air under her ball so she can set her feet and pick her shot. Iosia will learn this in due course.
What happened to Chiaka Ogbogu of Texas?
26. She is academically ineligible for this season.
Roofer you are making me so jealous. The only thing I really miss about Oahu is getting to meeting the team members, going to the Stan and talking volleyball with my knowledgeable friends like you. I also miss the great Medical Systems they have there, but Maui is improving on that front.
I think we have been lucky to have had Dave for so long. He made the program what it is to this day. His teams have made me a volleyball fan. From young Dave to old Dave his teams have been fun to watch.
http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=39293
new thread up
Long Beach over USD in 5.
23. thanks Ron. Miss you.