The waiting and watching ends today.
While the other 19 programs ranked in the AVCA beach volleyball poll opened their seasons over the past two weeks, No. 6 Hawaii continued to prepare, braving wind and rain blowing through recent practice sessions in Manoa.
So after the uncertainty following last year’s midseason shutdown and the transition of an offseason coaching change, a bit of chilly weather in Northern California won’t cool the BeachBows’ enthusiasm for today’s season-opening matches with No. 19 Stanford and host UC Davis.
“It definitely means a lot, especially with how I think we’re probably the only beach volleyball team who hasn’t started the season yet,” UH fourth-year sophomore Pani Napoleon said.
“It’s definitely fun trying to keep up with all the teams and stuff like that, but it just comes back to thinking about what it’ll look like with us out there playing and getting a taste of real competition.”
Today’s matches also mark the head coaching debut of Angelica Ljungqvist, a former Rainbow Wahine All-American and current associate coach with the UH indoor program.
Ljungqvist was installed as head coach when UH combined the indoor and beach programs last August. Her post-UH playing career included stints as a member of Sweden’s beach volleyball national team and on the FIVB World Tour.
“It’s been a long time since I was in the beach game, so it’s been really fun,” Ljungqvist said on the eve of her debut. “It’s fun working with them, they’ve been working hard. I probably brought in some new things that they might have thought were weird or different, but they’ve been open to it and embracing it, and it’s a great team and everyone’s meshing together.”
Ljungqvist leads the BeachBows into a hectic trip that includes matches against No. 11 California and UC Davis on Tuesday and a run of five matches against Big West opponents in a two-day round-robin tournament on Friday and Saturday in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
“She cares so much about this program and it’s great knowing that she has experience in beach and a lot in indoor, so anything that she gives us pertaining to skills or fundamentals of any type of volleyball, ‘we’re all yours,’ ” Napoleon said. “And she’s very organized, on top of everything … and I know she works hard. So it’s nice because we trust her.”
The BeachBows were 7-2 and ranked fourth in the country when the 2020 season was canceled and were fifth in the preseason poll released in late January. They held that spot through the first two polls of the season before trading places with Cal Poly (6-3) last week.
Napoleon is among six returnees who competed for UH last year. She played with Morgan Martin at the No. 3 flight in 2019, when she was named Big West Freshman of the Year, and at the No. 1 flight for all nine matches last year. Brooke Van Sickle, an outside hitter for the indoor team, went 7-2 at the No. 3 flight with Amy Ozee last year. Freshman Ilihia Huddleston is also a returning starter after going 8-1 with Hanna Helvig. Martin and Ozee were seniors last year and Helvig did not return to UH.
Ljungqvist and returning assistant Evan Silberstein spent the practices leading up to the opening week evaluating various combinations in coming up with a lineup among the 12-player travel roster, which she’ll keep under wraps until the Wahine report for their match against Stanford today.
“It’s been a challenge, but it’s also the fun part of it, finding what you think is gonna hold up and be the best options across the board,” Ljungqvist said.
“For sure you see different things coming out depending on who’s next to them. So it’s been fun seeing and hopefully we’re getting it right.”
Van Sickle is among seven members of the UH indoor team on the 18-player beach roster. While the BeachBows are on the road, the indoor team opens spring workouts this week.
