Wahine picked second in Big West poll | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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ANDREW LEE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER / 2018

UH’s Norene Iosia slammed a point past Cal Poly’s Jessica McRoskey, left, and Madilyn Mercer during the fourth set of their match at the Stan Sheriff Center. Both Cal Poly players return for the Big West favorite.

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Performance matters, not polls.

That Hawaii again was ranked second in the Big West women’s volleyball preseason poll is of no importance to Robyn Ah Mow.

“When I was a player, I never thought about polls. As a coach, I’m not going to think about polls,” the third-year Rainbow Wahine coach said Wednesday. “It’s get in there, the team plays and we’ll see what comes out after.

“It’s not a big-headed thing. As I said (Tuesday, when the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 was released), polls don’t matter.”

Wednesday’s poll was as close as it could get with, as happened last year, a one-vote difference between defending conference champion Cal Poly (5) and runner-up Hawaii (4). There also was a one-point difference in points, the Mustangs with 77 and Wahine 76; last year, there was a two-point difference.

When winning the conference the past two seasons, the Mustangs have gone a combined 31-1, the lone loss coming last Oct. 26 to the Wahine at the Stan Sheriff Center. Three of the teams’ previous four meetings have gone to five sets, the lone exception being a 3-1 victory by Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo last Oct. 6.

UC Santa Barbara (59) was picked third, followed by UC Irvine (52) and Long Beach State (46). Rounding out the nine-team poll were UC Davis (39), Cal State Northridge (27), UC Riverside (18) and Cal State Fullerton (11).

Cal Poly, ranked No. 23 in Tuesday’s American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason Top 25, is now coached by former associate head coach Carolina Walters. The Mustangs return five starters, including reigning Big West player of the year in senior All-American opposite Torrey Van Winden.

Hawaii, which received votes in the AVCA poll, opens the season Aug. 30 against No. 21 San Diego in the Hawaiian Airlines Classic. The field also includes No. 13 Washington and St. John’s.