Wahine wrap up ‘successful weekend’

Before a few hundred friends, family and tourists and one governor, Hawaii’s first and final sand volleyball homestand provided some answers. Many more questions remain in this emerging sport’s second season.

The fifth-ranked Rainbow Wahine may have edged eighth-ranked Florida International on Friday in a dual match, but in Saturday’s Hawaii tournament, UH’s top two teams clawed their way into the semifinals before falling to FIU’s top teams. Gov. Neil Abercrombie was a spectator Saturday at Queen’s Beach Sandbox in Waikiki.

The tournament format had 16 teams — from UH, FIU, Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade — seeded into a single-elimination bracket.

Top-seeded Kate Stepanova — a 2012 All-American — and Ksenia Sukhareva won the final 21-13, 19-21, 15-7 over third-seeded FIU teammates Jessica Mendoza and Maryna Samoday.

Second-seeded Katie Spieler and Ginger Long swept fourth-seeded Hawaii teammates Tai Manu-Olevao and Natasha Bell 21-10, 21-16, in the match for third.

The results were illuminating for UH coach Scott Wong and his players in a few broad areas. Now they have to sort out some specifics — soon — as they set their lineup for the long road trip that is the rest of their season.

Florida International, a first-year program from Miami, helped immensely. Its top two doubles teams came in with wins over second-ranked Long Beach State’s top pairs and a three-set loss at top-ranked Pepperdine.

They gave the Wahine a good look at how far they have to go at the top two positions. The rest of the weekend showed UH how deep it is.

"I thought it was a real successful weekend," Wong said. "I take a lot from this and I think our girls take a lot. Last year we were playing HPU, Chaminade and Nittaidai, and Nittaidai is not even close to FIU. We needed this. It’s helped us so much. … It’s huge that FIU is here."

Spieler, a 5-foot-5 defensive specialist from Santa Barbara, said simply that the first matches against unfamiliar faces "made it a lot more real." She and Long, a sophomore from Maui, learned most in their 19-21, 21-11, 15-13 quarterfinal win over FIU’s third team. Spieler had 22 digs and 17 kills and Long 25 kills and 11 digs in that one.

"We learned how to grind it out," Spieler said. "We weren’t playing our best and we just worked hard and won in three."

Her aunt is former Wahine All-American Lisa Strand-Maa, who explained that her niece’s name illustrates her devotion to the sand game. Strand means beach and Spieler is German for player. The little freshman has been playing on the beach since she was a tiny child.

That is a rare blessing in a sport where you are "constantly learning," according to Bell, a transfer from HPU.

"You can’t be a good player in one year, two years or three years," said Bell, who is playing on her first sand team. "It takes a lifetime to play this game."

She characterizes Spieler as "a ridiculous defender; small and moves so well. She is pure muscle, a beast."

But for now, Spieler, the fiery Long, versatile Bell and precocious Manu-Olevao, along with the rest of the Wahine, are chasing the elite players and more than holding their own with the rest.

"They’re seeing what the standard is out there," Wong said. "They need to shoot for that. We need to be more efficient. One of the things Katie and Ginger were not good at, and usually they are great, was ball control today."

Ali Longo and Karlee Riggs, who play No. 4 for UH, took a game off the champions early, falling 15-10 in the third of their quarterfinal. Wahine freshman Nikki Miyashita and sophomore Emily Mount both went

5-for-5 in exhibition matches during the nine-hour day.

Hawaii takes to foreign beaches the rest of the season. It plays USC and Nebraska on Friday in Los Angeles, then goes to Phoenix and back to Long Beach. The Wahine’s last two trips are also to Southern California.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association hosts the Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala., on May 3-5. The top six schools — of 29 — qualify along with the top 16 doubles teams.