Seven matches into this volleyball season, Hawaii continues to look for an identity. Whether the Rainbow Wahine find it this week with No. 12 Oregon coming in for two matches is the question.
“I think we have a few pieces in place,” Hawaii assistant coach Angelica Ljungqvist said. “We’re still figuring things out. It’s a process.
“It is a journey, and that’s the fun part.”
Hawaii (4-3) and Oregon (5-3) have taken very different journeys entering the Thursday-Friday series. While the Wahine’s three losses all have come at home against unheralded teams — two to Kansas State, one to Portland — the Ducks’ three defeats have been on the road to Nos. 2, 3 and 5 (Nebraska, Texas and Penn State).
The biggest difference is Oregon has a signature win, that coming last Friday when the Ducks knocked off then-No. 1 Minnesota in four at the Stanford-hosted Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge. Like the Wahine, the Ducks’ other four victories have come at home, all in straight sets, including one against Big West member Long Beach State.
“Oregon is a solid team,” Ljungqvist said. “They have solid middles who like to run the slide. They run a quick offense. Can we match that? We’re going to have to.
“We have to play smart. They’re going to play their game. The key for us is knowing what’s happening on the other side of the net but play our game. We can’t become a different team depending on who’s on the other side of the net.”
It’s a different Oregon team than last season. The Ducks have changed from a 6-2 (two-setter system) to a traditional 5-1 run by senior August Raskie. It has paid off for a pair of 6-foot-2 middles: senior Sumeet Gill and junior Ronika Stone.
Gill leads the Pac-12 in hitting at .438, which is 13th nationally, and averages 2.31 kills per set. Stone is hitting .390 and averaging 3.19 kps.
Left-handed junior opposite Willow Johnson leads Oregon with 3.31 kps. Sophomore Brooke Van Sickle, daughter of former college volleyball players Gary (Hawaii) and Lisa (Hawaii Pacific), had nine of her team-high 13 aces come in the sweep of Portland State.
The Ducks’ quickness is a concern, particularly with their athletic middles. The Wahine had trouble with that against Portland last Friday, when middle Shayla Hoeft had 16 kills with just one error, much of her success coming on slides.
Hawaii’s blocking will be tested, with pressure put on the three Wahine who have split time in the middle: 6-foot senior Sarah Liva, 6-5 junior Natasha Burns and 6-1 sophomore Skyler Williams. There is also the option of moving 6-3 senior hitter Casey Castillo back to the middle to utilize her height.
One key will be the performance of Burns, who had a combined 34 kills and 12 blocks as the Wahine finished second in last week’s Outrigger Volleyball Challenge. She is hitting .434, which leads the Big West.
“We’ve got to take care of our side of the net,” Burns said. “We’re doing lots of scouting. We’ve got to be prepared.”
Oregon’s last visit was a successful one, with a five-set upset of No. 20 Hawaii by the No. 22 Ducks in the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Classic. Oregon’s only other win over Hawaii in nine meetings came in the first round of the 1984 NCAA tournament, a five-setter in Eugene.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Stan Sheriff Center
>> No. 12 Oregon (5-3) at Hawaii (4-3)
>> Thursday & Friday, 7 p.m.
>> Friday alumnae match, 4:30 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Ch. 16/1016)
>> Radio: 1420-AM
>> Series: Hawaii leads, 7-2
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Hawaii’s record and matches played. The Rainbow Wahine are 4-3 among their seven matches so far this season.
