Everything old is new again when starting a season, even if it is one’s final year. The key is keeping the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens from the past where they belong … in the past.
For Hawaii seniors McKenna Ross and Kirsten Sibley, part of the old is in being the oldest members of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team, being two of the four who have been in the program for four seasons. They also are the last to have played under retired coach Dave Shoji.
The new is in it being a new team — a very new team — with nine newcomers on the 16-player roster. Besides five freshmen, four transfers are among those competing for starting roles when Hawaii opens on Aug. 30 against No. 21 San Diego.
There’s also a part of “new” for the two outside hitters, Ross at 5-foot-10 and Sibley at 6-2. There’s a re-new-al of purpose when knowing how quickly the next four months will go.
“It’s gone crazy fast so far,” Ross said. “I remember the start of freshman year like it was yesterday.
“My mind-set hasn’t changed. It’s always been about showing what I have and showing my heart. It’s that it’s my last year to do so.”
Ross was originally recruited to play defensive specialist, but her explosiveness was part of the reason she was in the front row and behind the 3-meter line (60 matches, four starts). Sibley has battled injuries to get on the court (45 matches, four starts).
Both recognized that this gym is the most competitive in their time in Manoa.
“As the coaches have told us, we’re all the same team, but we’re also competing within the team for a starting spot,” said Sibley, a graduate of Campolindo High, the same Moraga, Calif., school as teammate Janelle Gong, a redshirt sophomore defensive specialist, and Rainbow Warriors Patrick Gasman and Gage and Joe Worsley.
“There’s definitely been an improvement in everyone’s skills,” said Ross, whose father, Jason, played football and baseball for Hawaii, and aunt Nohea Tano volleyball for the Wahine.”I think we have a little more pressure on us now that we have to have a lineup by the end of the week.
“We’re already playing so well as a team. In the past, we were still trying to figure things out in the scrimmage (the traditional end of two-a-day practices). This scrimmage, we’ll be able to go hard the whole time. It makes things more competitive, puts more pressure on everyone to get better. That’s a good thing.”
There’s always optimism at the start of a season. After all, every team starts at 0-0.
But there is realistic optimism that this will be the best season in coach Robyn Ah Mow’s three years. Will people be surprised?
The two seniors, in unison, said:
“We’re going to be great.”
Note
Due to construction in the Stan Sheriff Center, the Wahine’s annual Green-White scrimmage will be in Gym I, where there is no seating. Friday’s scrimmage is closed to the public.
