Power, endurance contribute to success of Wahine volleyball

For Tommy Heffernan, the correlation is undeniable.

"The warriors in the weight room were always the warriors on the court," said Heffernan, the University of Hawaii’s strength and conditioning coordinator.

Over two decades working with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball program, Heffernan can cite past All-Americans such as Kanani Danielson, Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Kanoe Kamanao, Kim Willoughby and Emily Hartong among those whose dedication to strength training contributed to dominance on game nights.

So perhaps it follows that a UH team he’s quick to praise for its work in the weight room has ascended into the top 10 in the national polls this season.

"The spring is actually when we pay our dues to be good in the fall," Heffernan said.

Heffernan coordinates with head coach Dave Shoji on the strength program and implemented the team’s weight-room warm-up — which incorporates dynamic movements, stretching and speed and agility work — into the pregame routine this season.

Opposing coaches have noted UH’s fitness level from across the net and Heffernan said a year in the program for the younger players and the examples of the returnees have accelerated their progression.

"They have to buy into what we’re doing and they have to believe that we’re trying to make them better volleyball players and not weight lifters," Heffernan said.

"We have good leadership this year. We have Tai (Manu-Olevao), we have Nikki (Taylor) who had a tremendous spring. You look at her spring and how much stronger she got and the year she’s having now. The other girls seeing her working hard, that’s a big part. … And then you have Tai and Savanah (Kahakai) who are pit bulls in the weight room."

Kahakai, a sophomore libero, set the program record with a 317-pound squat in the spring and could threaten several other marks.

A typical Monday during the season will focus on explosive movements with the players following warm-ups and core work with power cleans, dead lifts, squats and leg presses. They’ll finish with a quick series of sprints on the court.

When middle blocker Olivia Magill transferred from Arizona, UH’s program of Olympic lifts was "a huge transition."

"Back at Arizona, it was machines, it took 20 minutes. Here it takes an hour, 30-plus sometimes," Magill said. "So it’s really long and you have to stay engaged the whole time. You can’t mess around."

Magill said she can feel the benefits in overall strength and in her spring off the floor. Heffernan noted when sophomore middle Emily Maglio arrived she "was barely (touching) 10 feet on her approach. Now she’s like 10-5, 10-6."

The Rainbow Wahine (18-1, 8-0 Big West) are in a bye week, but the time off from competition doesn’t mean a break from 7 a.m. weight room sessions with Heffernan and assistant Tony Cox.

While the Wahine work to maintain their strength and stamina, rest and recovery are also priorities with two more home matches and a six-match road trip looming and several players dealing with injuries.

"If we were super healthy we would be pounding the weight room and getting some strength back," Heffernan said. "But I think this week and at this part of the season the recovery aspect is what’s more important than trying to get strong. We need everyone to be fresh, especially for that long road trip."