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The Hawaii volleyball team, it seems, cannot find relief from the schedule from heck.
The matches against Brigham Young tonight and Saturday night mark the fifth consecutive two-match series in which the Warriors face a top-four team.
In a month’s span, the Warriors have played back-to-back matches each against No. 2 UC Irvine, No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 Southern California and No. 2 Stanford. BYU is ranked fourth.
"What’s the saying? If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger," UH coach Charlie Wade said.
This run is perhaps the most brutal in college sports because all have been Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches. It would be rare for any NCAA league to have five top-four teams during a short period.
"It would be hard, historically, for that to happen to any team in the middle of your league schedule," Wade said. "You know the league is tough. You know it’s a quirk in the schedule at how it worked out."
The Warriors were 3-3 in the MPSF before this stretch. They lost seven in a row before defeating Stanford in the final of a four-match road trip last week.
The Warriors enter the BYU series in ninth place with a 4-10 MPSF record. There are eight league matches remaining. The top eight qualify for the MPSF’s postseason tournament.
In past years, 10 league victories were enough to qualify for the tournament. But with five teams with at least 11 MPSF victories, there is enough separation that a team could qualify with fewer than 10.
"This year, 10 (victories) might be sixth place," Wade said. "You might be able to get two teams with less than 10."
It won’t be easy for the Warriors, who face the improved Cougars. Three of BYU’s best players have conquered injuries. Middle blocker Futi Tavana was cleared last month after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon in the summer. Opposite attacker Robb Stowell is back in form after recovering from fractures to both wrists suffered in a pick-up basketball game. And outside hitter Taylor Sander, last year’s MPSF freshman of the year, is healthy again after suffering a broken hand.
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