Wahine hook ‘Horns

Hawaii threw 13 players at NCAA champion Texas Friday. The Longhorns didn’t know what hit them.

The 11th-ranked Rainbow Wahine opened their volleyball season and the Chevron Invitational with a frenetic 25-19, 19-25, 27-25, 25-16 upset of top-ranked Texas.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 8,639 witnessed one of the biggest opening night upsets in the Wahine’s storied history. It set the stage for what could be more history this weekend.

Dave Shoji, starting his 39th season as the UH coach, could tie Andy Banachowski on Sunday as the winningest coach in Division I women’s volleyball. The former UCLA mentor has 1,106 wins and Shoji now stands at 1,104.

Which only made an incredibly sweet night for Hawaii even sweeter.

"I knew we were coming in as one," senior Ali Longo said. "The fact that everybody contributed to it and we came out the same way as we’ve been playing in practice is an incredible feeling."

The Wahine played a shockingly flawless first set and an extremely flawed second.

In the final two raucous sets they were simply better — wiser, quicker, more efficient and balanced — than the defending national champs.

The Wahine got 18 kills from All-American Emily Hartong and 18 more from middles Kalei Adolpho and Jade Vorster. Longo provided 17 digs and freshman Nikki Taylor made a remarkable debut with 10 kills, six stuffs and .500 hitting.

"It (starting Taylor) was just a hunch," said Shoji, who didn’t tell his team the starting lineup until Friday. "I felt like we needed a little more size against Texas. We didn’t give her a lot of responsibility, but what we gave her she came through with."

Ultimately, this was an all-in-the-ohana performance that frustrated the defending champs.

"To be honest, all of the preseason was this attitude that the coaches and players instilled that we’re not going to let up for anyone," Longo said. "No one is going to judge us before the season starts and we’re going to give it our all no matter what. We’re always going to be a smaller team. It’s just something we have to deal with, if and when we can get to the postseason and that last match."

Taylor gave the Wahine a much larger look, but it was their defense and precision that blinded Texas early.

Longo immediately dug Longhorn All-American Haley Eckerman — three times. Eckerman finished the night with .176 hitting.

Hawaii separated itself in the opening set when Longo served four in a row to make it 10-4.

From there, the Wahine never flinched, or changed expression. Hartong had six kills and Longo seven digs.

Eckerman and Khat Bell, an all-region selection last season, both hit .000 in the set for the ‘Horns, who hit 60 points below last year’s NCAA-best average for the match.

The Wahine used 11 players in the opening set and brought in a 12th — Ginger Long — in the next set, when they looked every bit like a team playing its season opener.

From the start of Set 2 their passing failed, with Tai Manu-Olevao struggling most. Only six missed serves by Texas made it close.

The ‘Horns hit .625 with only one error. Bailey Webster, Texas’ other All-American, added five more kills, giving her 10 without an error to that point.

But on the third serve of the third set, Taylor and Vorster stuffed Webster and the game was back on. This time, the Wahine would not go away.

"The main concern was Tai," Shoji said. "She had a rough time in Game 2, but she bounced back, which was really good to see. She’s a tough kid, but she’s not been in that situation much in a high-pressure game and they are serving you every ball and you have to hit these high balls against a big block … she just bounced back and had a really good third and fourth game."

After tying Set 3 for the fourth time, Hawaii went on an 8-2 run behind Taylor to pull ahead 18-12. Texas scored six straight to tie it, then got to set point at 24-22 on Webster’s 16th kill.

She hit out to erase the first set point, then Taylor and Vorster stuffed her to tie it.

Webster gave the ‘Horns another set point with one of many tips, but Manu-Olevao’s kill erased that one and a Taylor-Adolpho stuff gave UH its first serve for the set.

Hartong buried it from the back row to put the Wahine within a set of an opening-night shocker.

They clinched it with suffocating defense and a shockingly effective block that held Texas to .143 hitting in the set that meant the most.

"Hawaii kept us on our heels, dug a lot of balls, had good balance on offense," Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. "Freshman Nikki Taylor did a great job in terms of blocking on the right side and getting some attacks and scoring. They kept us guessing for sure."

In the first match, San Diego got 26 digs from Hawaii Baptist Academy graduate C’era Oliveira to hold off UTEP, 25-14, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20. It was Holly Watts’ debut as the Miners’ coach.

After an awful start, UTEP made it close behind all-conference seniors Malia Patterson, a Punahou graduate, and Xitlali Herrera, who had a double-double before the end of the third set.

Herrera finished with 15 kills and 12 digs.

The Toreros had five players in double figures, led by all-region middle Katie Hoekman, who had 18 kills and hit .708.

Hawaii and UTEP meet tonight at 8:30. Texas and San Diego play at 6 p.m.

The Longhorns and Miners play at 11 this morning.