Hawaii looks to outwork Washington

The memories are as special for Keegan Cook as the players he coached.

Potlucks, lei. Becoming part of the ohana.

As an assistant coach at his alma mater Saint Mary’s, Cook made three trips to the Stan Sheriff Center. Twice the Gaels’ roster had Hawaii prep products on it: Megan Burton (‘Iolani), Kapua Kamana’o (‘Iolani) and Chanteal Satele (Word of Life).

The outcome on the court wasn’t always successful — Saint Mary’s went 4-5 in three tournaments — still Cook wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. It was part of the reason that, in his second year as Washington’s head coach, he wanted his current players to share the specialness of playing volleyball in Hawaii.

“Scheduling is a beast and I know that this tournament had some changes,” he said. “But I kept telling Dave (Hawaii coach Shoji), ‘We’re in, we’re in, I don’t care who else is here, we’re in.

“There’s a couple reasons I wanted to come. One, I had the opportunity to work with several special players from Hawaii, wonderful players who introduced me to the specialness of this place. I felt so welcomed by the community and it had a big impact on me. I wanted my players to have that.”

In 2010, Saint Mary’s played Hawaii for the championship of the Outrigger Resorts Challenge, falling to the Rainbow Wahine 3-1. Today, it will be Cook’s sixth-ranked Washington against No. 14 Hawaii for the title.

While the Wahine (5-3) had Saturday off, the Huskies (7-0) remained undefeated with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-21 sweep of Northern Illinois in the second match of a doubleheader.

In Saturday’s opener, Utah Valley (4-6) outlasted NIU, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 15-11. The Huskies (5-4) went 0-3 in the tournament, playing all three matches within 24 hours; the Wolverines went 1-2 to finish third.

Washington brings a three-match winning streak over Hawaii into today’s contest, having ended the Wahine’s season in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 NCAA tournaments, all played in Seattle. Both coaches expect a postseason-like match today.

“Hawaii is going to push us to our limits,” Cook said. “They’re a good team and they’re getting better as they get healthier. I expect them to play great because that’s what they do. They’ll play their best when their best is needed.

“It’s one of the special places to play in the country.”

Washington is the third and last ranked team Hawaii will face before conference starts. The Wahine are 0-2 so far, with losses to then-No. 4 Wisconsin and then-No. 8 UCLA.

“There’s a lot at stake, it’s a big match,” Shoji said. “The girls know the history.

“We should have a good crowd. It will feel more like an NCAA game.”

Said UH sophomore middle Casey Castillo: “We’ll have to outwork them. They have size, but I think we have more ball control.”

Washington’s last trip to Honolulu was in 2008 for the Chevron Invitational. It was also the last time Hawaii came away with a victory, defeating the Huskies in five for the tournament title.

Coincidentally, the field also included Saint Mary’s. That tournament was the first time Cook said he ever saw Washington play.

Cook isn’t the only staff member who’s been in the Sheriff Center before. First-year assistant Jonathan Winder, the 2007 AVCA National Player of the Year at Pepperdine, remembers the battles with the Warriors during Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.

“We had some great matches, had a little rivalry going,” Winder said. “This is a great place to play.”