A tale of two cities comes to town this week for Big West volleyball matches, Dickensesque stories that could easily be entitled “Hard Times” (UC Santa Barbara) and “Great Expectations” (Cal Poly).
The Gauchos (3-13, 2-2) and Mustangs (15-2, 5-0) face host Hawaii (10-5, 4-0), the Rainbow Wahine’s own novel bearing the title “The Old Curiosity Shop.”
The Rainbow Wahine returned home from their first road trip of the season feeling lucky to still be unbeaten in conference play — Hawaii was eight points away from being swept at UC Riverside before rallying to win in five on Saturday — and searching for a way to put the brakes on what has become a roller-coaster ride.
“Our lows are really low and our highs are really high,” junior hitter McKenna Granato said as the Wahine prepared for back-to-back matches this week. “We need to find a steady in-between.
“It is hard not to look past (to Saturday’s match with Cal Poly) but we need to focus on Santa Barbara. Every team matters.”
The tough part of this week isn’t playing on consecutive nights, it is seeing two fresh opponents within 24 hours. There is a scheduling inequity for the Wahine, the “lone wolf” in the conference, that has them being the only match of the week for any Big West team, home or away, with rare exception.
However, that isn’t as much of a concern to Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos as is the frustrating inconsistency of her own team.
“We’ve got to take care of our side,” said Ah Mow-Santos, whose return to Hawaii was delayed a day after her early Monday flight out of Las Vegas was canceled because of the mass shooting Sunday night. “These two teams coming in … it’s going to be a good weekend. There’s talent on the other side.”
First up are the Gauchos, who have struggled with injuries — six players have been out at various times — and finding a rhythm, especially when sophomore hitter Lindsey Ruddins has been out of the lineup. UCSB opened the season 0-11 but has won three of its last five in part to Ruddins, who leads the Big West in kills (5.53 kps), second in the country.
“Lindsey certainly can take over a match and, as our kill leader, it was difficult to have her miss matches,” Gauchos coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “When she wasn’t available, the key and difficulty was finding enough kills from her teammates.
“We’re looking forward to playing Hawaii. They are a more balanced team than in the past few years and, at any given time, a different player can carry them so you have to be able to defend everyone.”
The transfer of sophomore hitter Torrey Van Winden from UCLA has helped Cal Poly become an effective multi-pronged offense, one that features Van Winden’s older sister Adlee, a junior hitter. The Mustangs lead the country in kills per set (15.52) and are second in assists (14.41 aps), with senior setter Taylor Nelson No. 2 nationally (12.22 aps).
“The addition of Torrey, as good as she has been for us, is the ancillary bonus for the players around her,” Cal Poly coach Sam Crosson said. “Teams have focused on her and it has opened it up for our other players. And, when Taylor has been setting, it has changed us more into an offensive team rather than a defensive team.
“Our mantra has been that our offense will keep us in matches and our defense will create the separation.”
It has worked for all but two matches for the Mustangs, who spent the first five weeks on the road waiting for classes to start. Their only losses were sweeps against ranked teams, at then-No. 8 Washington and, five days later, at then-No. 14 Oregon.
They’ve won 10 straight since the Sept. 7 match with the Ducks, including a five-setter over then-No. 23 Wichita State at the Oregon Nike Classic. Cal Poly has only dropped one set since playing the Shockers, that coming at Long Beach State in a 3-1 victory last Friday.
Note
Saturday’s match is “Dig Pink Night,” with the Wahine wearing pink uniforms in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fans are asked to wear pink, and H-Zone will be selling pink apparel at the arena.
