TONY AVELAR / SPECIAL TO STAR-ADVERTISER / 2017
Hawaii head coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos looks on from the sidelines during a volleyball match.
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The uncertainty of Hurricane Lane’s impact on Oahu is being mirrored by the Hawaii volleyball schedule. Depending on the weather situation, the Rainbow Wahine and Kansas State might play their season opener Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Or not.
UH athletic department officials announced late Friday afternoon that any potential match on Sunday would be closed to the public. Factors cited were the safety of fans traveling to and from the arena, and the lack of time needed to properly staff the arena on short notice.
“In the end, safety comes first, for our student-athletes and the community,” UH athletic director David Matlin said in a phone call from Fort Collins, Colo., where he is attending today’s Rainbow Warrior football team’s season opener against Colorado State. “You have to make a call at some point. Having a big arena, you want to have it staffed properly, and I’m not sure if it’s prudent to have extra traffic on the road with the uncertainty of the weather.
“Kansas State came a long way. Hopefully this happens, and will give them and our Wahine an opportunity to play.”
The department is working on online options for the match, including a single-camera video stream and live statistics. Radio station KKEA 1420-AM is scheduled to broadcast the match on several platforms, including on air, on espn1420am.com, Spectrum channel 884 and the Sideline Hawaii app.
No time for the potential match was given.
Fans who purchased tickets for this week’s Hawaiian Airlines Classic, of which the Wahine-Wildcats match was a part, have several options for either a refund or ticket exchange. The information is available at hawaiiathletics.com
Hawaii’s next scheduled match is Thursday against visiting Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m.