Hawaii, Nebraska to battle on Maui

Hawaii vs. Nebraska. It’s a match that many hoped would be played last December in the NCAA regional final at the Stan Sheriff Center. The host Rainbow Wahine and second-seeded Huskers with a final-four spot on the line.

It didn’t happen, with Nebraska not getting out of Lincoln when upset in five sets by Kansas State in the second round. Hawaii was eliminated one round later, also falling in five, to USC in the regional semifinal.

Three months and one island removed, the lineups are a little different and the stakes not quite as high. But one thing remains the same: Tonight’s sold-out exhibition at War Memorial Gym in Wailuku should be a battle.

It also will be a new experience for Hawaii’s three relatively inexperienced middles. Expected to start are redshirt junior Kristiana Tuaniga and redshirt freshman Jade Vorster, with two-sport freshman Kalei Adolpho off the bench.

"I’m excited. It’s going to be really good competition," said Vorster, the only one of the three also on the Wahine sand volleyball team. "It’s going to be a different atmosphere on Maui.

"For me, playing sand is paying off. Maybe not middle (blocker) specific, but it has helped my quickness and my strength. But we know we can always get better physically and mentally. What’s important is winning."

That and staying healthy, according to Tuaniga. Playing sparingly the past two seasons, mostly due to a chronic shin problem, she is ready for the challenge of replacing the blocking void left by All-Americans Brittany Hewitt (retired from the sport) and Emily Hartong (moved to left-side hitter).

"The three of us all have our own strengths that can make up for what we lost," Tuaniga said of herself, Adolpho and Vorster. "We have been taking care of business, trying our best in practice.

"I’m just happy to be healthy and I’m trying to stay that way."

Adolpho continues to get back into volleyball mode after three months with the Wahine basketball team.

"The footwork is different," Adolpho said, "but it’s more switching my mind-set back to volleyball."

Both Adolpho, a Molokai High graduate, and Kamehameha-Maui product Ginger Long, a redshirt freshman hitter, expect to have lots of family and friends in attendance. The limited number of tickets had both former Maui Interscholastic League standouts scrambling to fill the demand by using extra tickets from teammates (players get four each).

UH associate coach Scott Wong won’t be at tonight’s match, but not for lack of a ticket. After overseeing the team the past two weeks (head coach Dave Shoji returned from Europe on Thursday after watching son Kawika play professionally), Wong left on a recruiting trip. He’ll meet up with the Wahine sand team Sunday in Florida for next week’s two dual matches and the North Florida Tournament.

"What I’m telling Dave is that we’ve been training hard for two weeks, doing the right things at the right time," said Wong, the head sand coach. "We’re a young team that hasn’t played together much, but we’ve been practicing hard, both indoor and on the beach.

"Nebraska will be a good test. They always put a great team on the floor. They’re always tall, disciplined and a great blocking team."

The Huskers have been in Hawaii for a week, training in the mornings and "experiencing Hawaii in the afternoons," Nebraska head coach John Cook said. "For us, this is the only time that we don’t have school and boys around as distractions.

"We’ve tried to come here every four years, and if we were here in December, I don’t know if my (athletic director) would have let us come back here so soon. But I’m glad how it’s worked out. In the fall, you fly in, you fly out. In the spring, we’re doing fun things and we’re playing Hawaii in a sold-out gym. The only thing we know about them is Kanani (Danielson), a great player, is gone."

The Huskers lost two starting middles from last year’s 25-5 team but return first-team All-America senior hitter Gina Mancuso. Also back are three honorable mention All-Americans, including Cook’s daughter Lauren, a senior setter and 2009 national freshman of the year in her one season at UCLA.