Tougher tests for Wahine

Week One of the 2011 Rainbow Wahine volleyball experience offered an ideal mix of challenges, which exposed 10th-ranked Hawaii’s weaknesses, and success, which nurtured its confidence.

Warmups are over. This week the ranked teams come to Stan Sheriff Center.

The Wahine take on 22nd-ranked Ohio State on Thursday’s opening night of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic. The Buckeyes, one of seven Big Ten teams in the poll, are coming off four sweeps at the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational. Their longest match was 90 minutes and their largest crowd, by far, was 500 in the finale at the 14,000-seat WVU Coliseum.

No. 12 UCLA meets 23rd-ranked Long Beach State in Thursday’s first match at 5 p.m. The Bruins, one of six Pac-12 teams in the poll, swept three matches last week with Bojana Todorovic chipping in 13 aces. The 49ers, who return starters at every position but setter, were serving for a 2-1 lead over seventh-ranked Washington Saturday, but ended up losing in four.

"We could be 6-0 or 3-3 after this weekend," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "We just have to play and try to win and get better."

After coping with much frustration in the first two matches of the season, a calm came over the Wahine in Sunday’s smackdown of Arizona. Seniors Chanteal Satele and Kanani Danielson sensed it especially from their younger teammates. Satele credited that calm to helping new setter Mita Uiato feel more comfortable and Danielson liked the composure she saw from Jane Croson.

"She’s just trying to be herself as a freshman," Danielson said. "She has to start and play a big role. She has to be that strong person and she’s doing well. She seems very calm. I don’t know if she’s freaking out in her head, but she doesn’t look it. … She has way more to bring to the table. There’s no need to be worried about her."

The seniors were also happy with the way their team was able to "grind it out" during difficult times. Those will be more common this week and Hawaii’s block has to at least make an appearance against three teams that are perennially in the postseason and have won six NCAA titles.

The Buckeyes have not contributed to that total, but went 24-12 last season and reached the NCAA regionals. Four senior starters are gone, but all-region middle Kelli Barhorst is back and UCLA transfer Mari Hole is anchoring the offense with nearly four kills a set. The 6-foot hitter is from Norway and her mother is former Wahine Gunnvor Aase — the first European player to play for Hawaii.

"She opened our eyes to another source of players," Shoji said. "There were very few foreign players in college sports at that time. Now, it’s pretty common."

Long Beach State’s libero is ‘Iolani graduate Lauren Minkel, who needs 447 digs to become the 49ers’ career leader. Long Beach also returns seniors Caitlin Ledoux and 6-foot-6 Haleigh Hampton, third nationally in blocking last year. Hampton has 14 stuffs this year — five fewer than the Wahine. Ledoux, junior Janisa Johnson and Hampton were 1-2-3 in kills last year and all-tournament last week.

"They are big,just a good team," Shoji said. "They took a game off Washington and should have taken two and then maybe the match. They are very competitive. They really came on last year and now they are pretty good."

The Bruins, under former UH associate coach Mike Sealy, are unbeaten and unpredictable. The only starter they lost from last year’s 22-9 team was all-conference hitter Dicey McGraw, but they gained Minnesota transfer Tabi Love. Both returning middle blockers are recuperating from surgery and they used 16 players last week.

Sealy’s director of operations is former Wahine setter Cayley Thurlby.