Wahine coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos on overcoming family obstacles

Nothing worth having comes easy.

One doesn’t go from Honolulu to Sydney … to Athens … to Beijing … and back home to Honolulu with just any kine passport. This one is stamped with sweat marks — lots of them — as well as the invisible intangibles of determination and heart.

Although 10 years removed from her third and final Olympic Games, Robyn Ah Mow-Santos has never forgotten what got her there: love of volleyball, love of hard work, love of not just getting better but of being the best.

It’s why she wanted the job that surely wasn’t going to come easy but definitely would be worth it. Replacing a legend after 42 years, not to mention that it was her former coach in Dave Shoji, would be daunting but also doable.

Year II of the Ah Mow-Santos Era officially begins Wednesday morning with the first of double-day practices. The former University of Hawaii All-America setter is ready.

The question is: Will the Rainbow Wahine be?

“One thing I’ve hammered into them since last season is they have to be in shape,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “We had to play catch-up (nine matches went five sets) and that took a lot. The fight was there at the end. It was too late.”

Hawaii (20-9) dropped six of the nine matches that went to five sets, including the NCAA tournament first-round contest against Illinois in Seattle. It was the most losses in a season since the 1993 squad went 19-11; the Wahine were 66-4 in Ah Mow-Santos’ final two seasons.

Disappointing isn’t the right word for the setter the last time Hawaii was in an NCAA title match (1996). Yes, the Wahine didn’t realize the potential that the coaching staff saw every day in the practice gym, but there were positives.

“I don’t think anyone thought we’d make it out of the Big West,” she said of a postseason bid. “We came in second (losing to champion Cal Poly twice in five).

“I know we’re going to compete this year. The coaches are working their butts off and I’m really happy with our staff.”

The staff returns intact, including Ah Mow-Santos’ favored connection as a player at Hawaii: four-time All-America middle Angelica Ljungvist. The biggest problem for the Wahine likely is the loss of another All-America middle in the graduated Emily Maglio.

“The thing is ‘Mags’ was a baller, but she was leader, a quiet one,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “Where that leadership comes from … we’ll see.”

Ask the McKinley High product what she has learned in the 18 months since taking the job and she laughs. Not only was she coming into the position late with some players she didn’t recruit, she was dealing with having to separate her family — active-duty military husband, 15-year-old son and her ailing father have remained in Las Vegas while she is here with daughter, 6, and special needs son, 21 months.

“I knew it was going to be hard with the family,” she said. “The hardest thing with the team was getting them to want to play, not just be here.

“A lot of colleges got through that, but that’s OK because their benches are 3-4 deep. That’s not what we have now. With what’s going on in college right now, it’s hard to stay elite.”

The Big West, Hawaii’s conference, is a mid-major with major obstacles in remaining competitive. The battle includes recruiting where the Wahine are nearly set for 2019 but had few prospects available for this coming season.

With players committing as early as high school sophomores, Hawaii has filled most of its 2018 pukas with transfers. The one-and-done seniors are Angel Gaskin (6-1 opposite, Maryland), Tita Akiu (5-2 defensive specialist, Texas Tech) and Sarah Liva (6-1 hitter who last played volleyball in 2015 at Portland State).

“We look at the top recruits, but we are not their top three,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “We’ll keep looking … we’re always looking … but that is what is hard and frustrating.

“I can’t say we’re done for this year. There are people still moving (looking to transfer). As of right now … maybe.”

Just as frustrating has been the restrictions on practices. Unlike football, which started last Friday in preparation of its Aug. 25 opener, volleyball begins Wednesday with its opener Aug. 24. Players are allowed to participate in open gym during the offseason, but there is no coach supervision or contact.

”I don’t understand why we can’t be like football,” she said. “We are limited to 40 hours with 3-4 hours a day. It’s not enough.”

Scheduling has been an issue. With the emphasis on the strength of schedule for postseason selection, the non-Big West schedule is crucial.

Traditionally there have been three tournaments, but with Pitt and Utah deciding to opt out of their travel commitments, it left Coastal Carolina and Oregon coming in for a Thursday-Friday series.

“It is what it is,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “And we get to play at home.”

And there are no regrets.

“It is rewarding,” she said. “I get to do what I love doing. Coaching is the next best thing to playing.”

She is ready for Wednesday. It is worth having.