Rainbow Wahine move into top 10

After experiencing a postseason’s worth of emotions on opening weekend, Hawaii rose two spots to No. 9 in the first regular-season AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll Monday.

The 2-1 Rainbow Wahine are back in the AVCA’s top 10 — for the 346th week — but might already be out of wiggle room as far as hosting an NCAA tournament subregional.

After one week, this volleyball season resembles 2012 in so many ways.

Some, like the scintillating upset of NCAA champion Texas — Hawaii’s first win over a top-ranked team since 2000 — and Emily Hartong’s spectacular start, are overwhelmingly positive.

Others are decidedly dubious.

A year ago, the Wahine beat up on sixth-ranked Stanford opening weekend. A week later, they fell to 25th-ranked California in five, but still captured their first Hawaiian Airlines Classic championship since 2004.

Sunday’s loss to San Diego mirrored that night precisely. USD, which entered the poll Monday at No. 14, found a way to finish after letting a big one get away — against Texas — a night earlier. Hawaii went from flying high to profoundly frustrated.

Hartong was the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player, with no one else in the same air space. The Wahine won their Chevron Invitational, but it felt like a consolation prize.

"We just have to grow," said UH coach Dave Shoji, whose team has two days of practice this week. "That part of the maturity of the team only comes with adversity during games.

"You can practice hard, yell and scream, but it just comes down, in a match, to you’ve got to respond. It’s something you can’t simulate."

Which brings UH to this week’s Classic, starting Thursday against New Mexico State. Shoji is again going for his 1,105th victory, which would tie him with Andy Banachowski as the sport’s winningest coach.

If the Wahine beat their old — and often only— WAC rival, Shoji could break the record Friday against Santa Clara.

Then comes the annual showdown with now-10th-ranked UCLA (3-0), which won its own tournament last weekend. Former Wahine Monica Stauber started and shared setting duties with junior Megan Moenoa.

Stauber and Punahou graduate Rachel Inouye are not among the seven 6-foot-plus Bruins. That huge group includes 6-foot-4 Karsta Lowe, the "Hartong" of UCLA who has twice as many kills as any other Bruin.

Last year, UCLA beat UH in four. Hawaii wouldn’t lose again for nearly three months, but it wasn’t enough to earn a top-16 seed and a home subregional in the NCAA committee’s eyes.

In other words, the Wahine probably can’t lose again if they want to play in the Stan Sheriff Center in December.

"It just depends on how everybody’s RPIs play out," Shoji said. "If San Diego and Texas have great RPIs, we’ll be fine. We need to have a great preseason. Hopefully we don’t lose again."

That means the Wahine have to serve opponents out of their comfort zone. Their front wall has to block more than one ball a set. Hartong can’t be the sole source of Hawaii’s offense.

"Our mind-set for the game going in, every night, should have the same focus," Hartong said. "Like we’re playing the No. 1 team in the nation."

Nothing less is enough and the Wahine know it. They lived it last year.

"Nothing is missing," senior setter Mita Uiato insisted. "I think we just need to be better focusing in on the little things. I think my team knows how to win."

Shoji backs her up, and also has his team’s back.

"We do have issues with our game," he admits, "but it doesn’t have anything to do with our toughness. I thought we battled pretty well, it just came down to not serving well and blocking well."

There is still time, but a week into the season the Wahine, and especially their seven seniors, realize it is ticking away.

Notes

Hawaii senior Emily Hartong earned her fifth career Big West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week award for her MVP performance in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational. She averaged 5.17 kills and hit .356 in the tournament.

In the Wahine’s five-set loss to San Diego on Sunday, Hartong buried 30 kills — three off her career high — and added 12 digs for her first double-double of the season.

Junior middle Kalei Adolpho had a career-high 11 kills in Friday’s upset of Texas, which dropped to No. 6 Monday.