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Girls just wanna have fun.
Cyndi Lauper’s song may not be blaring on the speakers during this week’s Big West beach volleyball tournament at Queen’s Beach, but it’s sure to be playing in the heads of Hawaii’s No. 4 pair of Amy Ozee and Ari Homayun. The Rainbow Wahine duo (29-6) has won 21 straight, crediting their similar sense of humor and enjoyment of playing the sport at the highest level as keys to their success.
“For me and Ari, we just want to keep having fun,” sophomore Amy Ozee, a Seabury Hall product, said. “It can get pretty stressful this time of the season. Some pairs just want to have time away from each other.
“We actually hang out a lot. It’s weird. We’re like a happy married couple, on and off the court.”
Ozee and Homayun, a junior from Woodland Hills, Calif., haven’t lost since March 18, when they lost in three to Jo Kremer-Jenna Belton of then-No. 3 USC. All of their losses have come in three, except one on March 8 at current No. 1 UCLA.
If it weren’t for teammates Emily Maglio and Ka‘iwi Schucht, Ozee and Homayun would have set the program record for most consecutive wins. Instead, they are two wins behind the active streak held by the Flight 1 duo of Maglio-Schucht.
Both skeins are on the line today when two-time defending Big West champion Hawaii (32-3) takes the sand at noon. The third-ranked SandBows (32-3), who have won a program-best 27 in a row, face the winner of the 10 a.m. dual between fourth-seeded Cal State Northridge (17-6) and fifth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield (6-16).
Homayun has been named to the All-Big West second team twice, each time with a different partner. She and Carly Kan were 31-5 last year, setting the program’s single-season record (since broken by Maglio-Schucht’s 32) and went 22-9 with Hannah Zalopany as a freshman.
“Ari can play with anyone,” Hawaii coach Jeff Hall said. “She is one of these unique individuals who can groove with anyone. Whatever their strengths or weaknesses, she fills those gaps.
“I think (Ozee-Homayun) have incredible chemistry, and that is so important in our sport. Plus they’re having fun. They are always smiling. They take it seriously, but they keep it light, not over-thinking it. That’s nice to see.”
While the focus is on helping Hawaii to a third consecutive conference title, Ozee and Homayun are looking forward to Sunday’s inaugural Pairs Tournament. The 16-team single-elimination field has a SandBow pair in each quadrant of the bracket, with Ozee-Homayun seeded 12th.
“I’m really excited about the pairs,” said Homayun, whose 11 a.m. opponent is Cal Poly’s Samantha Manley-Emily Sonny (26-4), the fifth-seeded duo that normally plays at Flight 2 for the Mustangs. “It’s time for me and Amy to step up, rise to the occasion.
“Because of where we are (Flight 4), we get to play a team we don’t normally get to see. It’s going to be interesting. I can see all four of our teams making the final four. Can No. 4 win? No. 4 sure can.”
The SandBows know that if they win the conference title, they are all but guaranteed to advance to next week’s NCAA tournament Gulf Shores, Ala. Lose and their at-large fate is in the hands of the selection committee.
Given what happened to the Rainbow Warriors volleyball team Sunday — not getting an at-large berth — there is motivation on the SandBows’ side of the court.
“We’re really close to the guys, and what we saw, how your world could get turned upside down just like that,” Homayun said. “We need to keep the decision in our hands and not in the hands of the committee by winning.”
Notes
Ozee-Homayun are one victory away from reaching the 30-win mark. Already there are Maglio-Schucht (32-3) who are 23-0 at Flight 1 and 9-3 at Flight 2, and Morgan Martin-Lea Monkhouse (31-3) who have alternated between Flight 2 (16-0) and Flight 3 (15-3). … Freshman Paige Dreeus, missing the past five matches due to the concussion protocol, has been cleared and is expected to again partner with Zalopany at Flight 5.
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