It’s not traditional but also not unheard of. The 6-2 offense in volleyball has been around for decades where a team keeps three attackers in the front row at all times, alternating two setters in the back row for three rotations each.
What is rare, however, is how Hawaii is using it this season. The Rainbow Wahine are running a modified 6-2, a hybrid where junior Norene Iosia is the setter when she is in the back row and, when she rotates to the front, she becomes an outside hitter while senior Faith Ma‘afala is in the back row (they play opposite each other in the lineup).
“I think it’s working because we talk to each other strategically,” said Iosia, a first-team all-conference setter her first two seasons. “When I’m the setter and running the offense, I’m not seeing what Faith is seeing (from the bench). She’s seeing the whole court and when she’s in, we talk about that.”
“It helps that we’re really close off the court,” Ma‘afala added. “We know what works for each other. There’s a lot of positive feedback.”
The end game is to generate offense, creating options for a Hawaii team that is somewhat undersized this year. Whatever it takes to win, according to coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, even if it seems unconventional.
“We know we can run a 5-1 (one setter),” she said. “And if our middles can pick it up offensively then we can go back to that.”
It likely won’t happen this week when Hawaii (6-5, 2-0 Big West) hosts two of the three teams that have yet to pick up a conference win: Cal State Fullerton (6-10, 0-3) tonight and UC Riverside (5-9, 0-3) on Saturday. The Wahine continue to look for consistency on offense, particularly from the outside hitting position, where senior McKenna Granato takes the majority of swings.
One answer to that hunt for production has come in the surprising form of the 5-foot-11 Iosia, who has continued to showcase her all-around skills. She is second in assists to the 5-8 Ma‘afala (533 to 749), but also second in aces (10), digs (133) and blocks (21), and third in kills (90).
Iosia has two triple-doubles (kills-assists-digs) this season and eight double-doubles (assists-digs). Most impressively, Iosia has been doing it while taking few reps in practice as an outside hitter. In pre-match warm-ups, “She’s only taking swings in the minute after serve-and-pass,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “The rest of the time, she’s setting balls.
“She’s doing a good job. She’s very smart, knows where to place balls. I think it’s very impressive.”
Iosia said it hasn’t been hard “letting go” of running the team full-time. She has found the change a good one and “I enjoy hitting,” she said.
“And Faith is an amazing setter. The best thing about her is her willingness to do anything for the team. She’s the type of player if you asked her to play middle (blocker) she’d go play middle.”
Former Wahine coach Dave Shoji never used a true 6-2 in his 42 seasons, but did use a two-setter system when changing setters in the back row. It most notably happened in the 34-2 season of 2002, when seniors Jen Carey and Margaret Vakasausau alternated for three rotations. That was a season when Hawaii had plenty of offensive options, including Lily Kahumoku, Kim Willoughby, Maja Gustin and Lauren Duggins.
“What Robyn is doing is dictated by her talent,” Shoji said. “She doesn’t have two true opposites (right-side hitters). What you’re seeing is how effective Norene can be on any given night. She is such a good volleyball player with high volleyball IQ and a great arm.”
Ma‘afala sets Iosia an average of 20 times a match, but it is rare that Ma‘afala takes a swing from the back row. She has 11 attempts this season, her lone kill coming on a dig that scored in the second match against Oregon.
“It’s all about having more offense,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “Norene’s giving us that right now and there’s something about having Faith on the court, her demeanor and the way she leads.
“I don’t know if it makes us harder to scout, but I would think so.”
