Rainbow Wahine want to keep the future in the future

Whiteout or wipeout?

As much as a volleyball may resemble an opaque crystal ball, there just is no way to predict the outcome of tonight’s Big West match between Hawaii and No. 11 Cal Poly. The stakes are high for both teams in what could decide the conference’s champion as well as whether it is a one- or two-bid league in this year’s NCAA tournament.

It is also designated “whiteout night” for those in the Stan Sheriff Center, who will witness either the Mustangs’ 18-match winning streak or — potentially — Hawaii’s postseason hopes wiped out. The Rainbow Wahine continue to be in a must-win mode every time they take the court.

“I think for us going into this game, we are all of the mind-set that there’s nothing to lose,” Hawaii senior setter Faith Ma’afala said. “If we give it our all, if the entire team gives everything we have emotionally, physically and spiritually, we’ll come out with a win.

“I believe in my team. If there is a word for the week it is ‘fight.’ We’ve been fighting every day in practice this week. That’s what Friday is going to be all about. Being ready to put up the good fight.”

Part of that preparation included getting a glimpse of the future in last week’s road matches at UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton. Hawaii had little trouble while sweeping the Highlanders in 89 minutes and the Titans in 75, controlling the latter match so completely that coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos began substituting 11 points into Ma’afala’s 17-0 opening service run in Set 1.

All 14 Wahine on the travel roster saw the Titan Gym court, including freshman Trinity Castaneda. Playing in front of family and friends, some of whom drove two hours from her hometown in Indio, Calif., the outside hitter put down her first career kills on consecutive swings, putting Hawaii up 21-7 in Set 2.

“It was exciting to finally be out there,” said Castaneda, who had very brief appearances in two previous matches. “There wasn’t a lot of pressure, we were so far ahead. It was more about having fun out there and feeling all the support of my teammates.

“What I saw (with the younger players on the court) was we have a lot of growth and potential to do well. It was a snapshot of what we could be eventually. We’ll keep working hard and, hopefully, we’ll be out there.”

That future could be as soon as tonight. The non-starters got valuable experience that — in theory — should help avoid deer-in-the-headlights scenarios.

“We were happy to get them in, give them real experience in a game, in case we need them to come into a big game like (today) and be ready,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “It’s not easy, coming in off the bench and all of a sudden you have to be ‘on’ after you’ve been sitting.

“What I saw (with the reserves) is they did what they do on our practice court. The scores are tight between the ‘A’ and the ‘B’ said. You want to see that confidence.”

Confidence also is how Ah Mow-Santos described the serving at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. The Wahine had a season-low one service error and a season-high 13 aces, a program record for a three-set match. Ma’afala finished with a career-high six, four straight during her 17-0 serving run, and there were three aces in four serves for senior hitter McKenna Granato; the two were the only servers for Hawaii in Set 1.

Another two aces came from sophomore defensive specialist Rika Okino, being looked at as a possible replacement for senior Tita Akiu at libero next season. She has the most experience of all the non-starters, having played in all 19 matches this season.

“It was very promising that there wasn’t much of a drop-off when the younger girls came in,” said Okino, who has 112 digs this year. “The only thing that changes are the faces.”

The faces will change soon. There are six seniors finishing their eligibility and at least five new players expected to sign next month.

“It’s bittersweet when I think of the future,” Ma’afala said. “I watched Trinity and when she got her first kill, the bench went crazy.

“Watching the ‘babies’ … you cherish moments like that. We got to celebrate it. Not only did we get a glimpse of the future, but so did she.”