The scales have been unbalanced when it comes to the series between No. 24 Hawaii and this week’s opponents Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.
There have been scares along the way — albeit few — but the Rainbow Wahine have a 31-0 record over both the Titans and Anteaters.
Hawaii (10-3, 2-0 Big West) goes for series win No. 32 against Fullerton and Irvine in its conference home openers. Success on both Friday and Saturday would give UH its 200th program win in Big West play over 14 seasons; the Rainbow Wahine are 198-34.
But no one is counting the volleyballs before they are served, especially not Hawaii coach Dave Shoji. Although the Rainbow Wahine returned from their first road trip with a pair of sweeps, neither victory was particularly pretty nor convincing.
"We weren’t particularly sharp at all," said Shoji, who now trails Penn State’s Russ Rose in all-time Division I victories (1,139-1,138). "We didn’t play consistently but we did manage to win the two road matches.
"We are not good enough to roll over teams. We’ve got to be ready mentally every play. Every team in our conference can ball-handle and serve. All are capable of getting on a roll. We know we can’t take anyone lightly. We are concerned about every match."
Friday’s match pits two of the top freshmen in the conference — Hawaii outside hitter Kalei Greeley, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Week, and Cal State Fullerton’s Niki Withers, who has won the weekly award three of the five weeks. Greeley, coming off her first career double-double against UC Riverside (12 kills, 12 digs), is third among Wahine in kill average (2.55 kps); Withers is second in the conference in kills (3.89 kps).
Fullerton’s lineup often includes three freshmen and two transfers, including junior setter Mackenzie Olsen, who was at Delaware last season. The team "is in the discovery mode of what is Titan volleyball," coach Carolyn Zimmerman said. "We have a very young team that is still in the development stage. There’s been some shades of quality volleyball and things that have been what you could call unpleasant.
"We need to be present and play focused volleyball. It’s about managing the emotions of playing in front of a great crowd, understanding why we are here, and that is to play volleyball."
The Titans’ last visit to the Stan Sheriff Center started off well enough with a close 25-22 loss in Set 1. Then the wheels came off as the Wahine scored a program-record 21 consecutive points, 20 on the serve of senior libero Ali Longo, and setting a rally scoring mark for fewest points allowed in a 25-5 win.
As for this year, Zimmerman said she knows it will be a different Wahine team on the other side of the net.
"But UH always fields a very competitive team and we know that," she said. "My first thought about Hawaii immediately is what a privilege it is to play in front of a large crowd that enjoys volleyball. Hawaii fans always are a class act, cheer for good volleyball on both sides. For our players, it’s exciting to be here and play in what is like a final-four setting."
While CSUF has lost its past three all in sweeps, Hawaii has won its past five, the past four in straight sets. The Wahine have won 15 sets in a row, their longest streak since 2010.
Saturday’s contest features two of the top serving teams in the conference and the country — UCI (91, 1.49 aps, 25th nationally) and Hawaii (76, 1.69 aps, 20th nationally). The Wahine also top the Big West in blocks, ranking third nationally at 3.17 bps, with junior middle Olivia Magill 10th in the country at 1.58 bps while hitting .417.
Notes
Freshman defensive specialist Savannah Kahakai is expected to be cleared by Friday. She has been sidelined with a sprained right knee suffered in the exhibition against Toyota Auto Body on Sept. 17 … The Titan roster features freshman middle Ally Forsberg, a teammate of Wahine setter Kendra Koelsch and libero Gianna Guinasso at Huntington Beach (Calif.) High.
