UH’s Ross rises up despite her size

Fear can come in many forms.

Sometimes it is an intimidating 75 inches tall, wearing green and gold, and the No. 11. That was what McKenna Ross — who is listed at 5-foot-10 but concedes to being “about 5-9” — saw last Saturday in the form of Cal Poly outside hitter Torrey Van Winden.

Fear also can wear determination and heart. That is what Hawaii saw in Ross, its shortest front-row player in the Big West volleyball match in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The junior hitter, initially recruited as a defensive specialist, used her lack of height to an advantage entering Set 3 with the Rainbow Wahine down 2-0 against the then-No. 13 Mustangs.

Ross, who touches 9-8, made up for the 6-inch height difference with volleyball IQ and the inner belief that she was a big dog, too.

She didn’t block Van Winden, who finished with a career-high 29 kills, but Ross did enough to alter how Van Winden attacked, touching and slowing down the attempts that helped Hawaii to take Set 3 and nearly Set 4, in a 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 27-25 loss.

“When you’re blocking, everyone knows it’s not about getting over (the net) as much as it is in being in the right spot,” said Ross. “I didn’t think she was that tall until I was in front of her. She’s a true 6-4. (Cal Poly lists Van Winden at 6-3.)

“I think because I’m a lot shorter, she couldn’t see my hands. I’d put them up at the last minute and that’s how I could help my team.”

To say that Ross was born to be a Wahine would not be a stretch. Her father, Jason, played football (1993-94) and baseball (1994-96) for the Rainbow Warriors; aunt Nohea Tano was a middle-outside hitter (2001-03) on two of Hawaii’s final four teams.

“It was always a dream for her,” her mother, Kiana, said in a telephone call from Aliso Viejo, Calif. “She went to the (UH summer) camps, she said that was what she was going to do, but we thought UH was out of her league.

“She was persistent. She reached out to Dave (then-Wahine coach Shoji) and, oh, my gosh, it happened. She always thought it was going to.”

McKenna Ross has always been athletic, her mother said. Even more athletic than her older sister Kyla, the only gymnast ever to win a gold in the Olympics and World Championships, as well as an NCAA individual and team title at UCLA.

“I think we have a lot of (athletic) genes on our side of the family,” Tano said. “But her dad is a really good athlete, so we can’t take full credit.

“What I like when watching her is she brings such good energy. She works hard and has a lot confidence. Sometimes the best thing is to be underestimated for your size.”

“McKenna’s always played with girls taller than her, but she thinks she’s one of them,” Kiana Ross said. “It’s kind of her thing. She’s like 5-8 but doesn’t act like it.

“What she does best is coming in off the bench, getting that fire going. It’s a lot of pressure to do it when your team is losing, but she thrives on that.”

Wahine coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos sees that in “Rossy” as well.

“Everyone knows she’s thought of as being undersized,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “But not to us as a coaching staff. She’s vocal. She leads on the ‘B’ side.

“When she comes into a game, I know she’s’ going to go all out. That’s what she brings. She shows everyone that you’ve got to believe in yourself.”

Ross has only played in 23 sets in 10 matches, but the past five matches were in conference play.

She came off the bench for a career-high 11 kills with nine digs in a five-set win at UC Irvine on Sept. 23.

Hawaii (9-6, 5-1) likely will have to win out to make the NCAA tournament this season. Up first is Long Beach State (11-6, 3-3) at 7 tonight, with Cal State Northridge (6-12, 2-4) on Saturday to conclude the first half of Big West play.

“I think we have a great chance,” Ross said. “We have to take care of our side of the court, have that fight from the beginning.

“Everyone has to have their ‘A’ game on. We need to focus and the rest will come.”