The schedule didn’t quite line up for a family reunion in East Texas, but Braelyn Akana is still looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces this weekend.
Island volleyball ties will be in relative abundance in College Station, with all three of Hawaii’s opponents in the Texas A&M Invitational having a connection to the state, whether on the roster, the coaching staff or, in Pittsburgh’s case, both.
For Akana, a Rainbow Wahine outside hitter, Saturday’s matchup with No. 6 Pitt offers a chance to share a court again with longtime friend and teammate Lexis Akeo.
Akana and Akeo, a senior setter for the Panthers, played club volleyball together growing up and formed an All-State combination at Kamehameha before separating for college.
“Lexis is one of my best friends,” Akana said Tuesday. “I’m used to having her on my side of the net and I’m really excited to get to see her. I know she’s been loving Pittsburgh and I feel it’s a really healthy competition. It’s good energy.”
UH’s season-opening trip is part of a Texas convergence for the Akana family. Keonilei Akana, Braelyn’s younger sister, transferred from Nebraska to Texas in the offseason and has been training with the Longhorns in Austin.
Alas, Texas opens the season at Ohio State this weekend, probably precluding a pregame meet-up.
“She was like, ‘I’m only an hour away, I may just drive by and see you,’’” said Braelyn, who was in Columbus, Ohio, last December for the Final Four matchup between Nebraska and Pitt.
Akana said her father, Brandyn, went up to Texas ahead of the Wahine earlier this week and will also head to Ohio for Keonilei’s debut series with the Longhorns.
The Rainbow Wahine figure to have significant support in College Station for the program’s first season-opening road trip since 2005. Setters Mylana Byrd and Kate Lang grew up in Texas and expect to have friends and family in Reed Arena. UH’s deep south duo of middle blocker Amber Igiede (Baton Rouge, La.) and freshman outside hitter Caylen Alexander (Alpharetta, Ga.,) also have family members meeting the team in Texas.
The Wahine departed on Tuesday after a final on-campus practice in preparation for the tests presented in facing host Texas A&M on Friday, Pitt on Saturday and No. 25 San Diego on Sunday.
Akana is part of a class of fourth-year juniors — along with Igiede, Riley Wagoner and Tiffany Westerberg — that UH coach Robyn Ah Mow credited for helping keep the team on track in the summer and through training camp.
“All of them are definitely in the running for starting positions. They’ve definitely grown and took a step in leadership roles,” Ah Mow said. “It was mainly with them in the summer that held the team together and going in the right direction.
“I think that’s why we’re not spending so much time on skill work and we can go toward more six-on-six, because of that core group.”
Akana started 11 matches as a right-side hitter last season and has also been working on the left side and in the middle during camp.
“The good thing about Coach Rob and the coaching staff is they’ve really pushed me to see (how) much I can do,” Akana said. “They’ve really helped me see that I can do more than I ever thought I could.”
Westerberg has played a similarly versatile role in practice as Ah Mow and the UH coaches consider their lineup options.
“They definitely had a good two weeks of training,” she said. “It’s just putting the pieces together and seeing who jells.”
Ah Mow is still sorting out the setter situation, with Lang, Byrd and freshman Jackie Matias competing in practice.
“It’s the setting,” she said of the challenge of defining a lineup, “and what setter can be consistent with all the different hitters and play defense.”
Texas A&M Invitational
At Reed Arena; College Station, Texas
>> When: Friday-Sunday
>> Radio: UH matches on 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Online: Friday UH match on SEC Network+/ ESPN+
>> UH schedule: Friday—Texas A&M, 6 a.m.; Saturday—No. 6 Pittsburgh, 11 a.m.; Sunday—No. 25 San Diego, 5 a.m.
HAWAII’S OPPONENTS
A look at the teams Hawaii will face in the Texas A&M Invitational.
Texas A&M Aggies
Friday, 6 a.m. (SECN+)
>> Head coach: Laura “Bird” Kuhn (fifth year)
>> 2021 record: 14-14 (7-11 SEC)
>> Hawaii connection: Outside hitter Mia Johnson played in 11 matches for UH last season and transferred to Texas A&M after the spring semester. Johnson posted a season-high 14 kills in a 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 Wahine sweep of the Aggies in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.
>> Outlook: The Aggies welcome 10 newcomers — split evenly between freshmen and transfers — to a roster that lost its top six point scorers of last year. Outside hitter/opposite Destiny Cox leads the returnees with 62 kills (2.38 per set) in 11 appearances last season. Notre Dame transfer Carolina Meuth, a 5-11 outside hitter, was a two-time All-ACC pick and was third on the Irish with 2.40 kps last season. Setter Elena Karakasi, a 6-foot graduate student, led Syracuse with 1,035 assists in 29 starts for the Orange. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, a 6-foot-2 middle, was a first-team AVCA High School All-American last year. The Aggies closed their preseason with a five-set loss to Baylor in Waco on Saturday.
NO. 6 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
Saturday, 11 a.m.
>> Head coach: Dan Fisher (10th year)
>> 2021 record: 30-4 (15-3 ACC)
>> Hawaii connection: Setter Lexis Akeo was a three-time Star-Advertiser Fab 15 selection at Kamehameha. Her sister, Kamalani, preceded her as a Pitt setter and is now the Panthers’ director of operations. Fisher played for the UH men’s team in 1995 and was the Warriors’ associate head coach from 2009 to ’11.
>> Outlook: Fisher has elevated the Pitt program to national prominence while leading the Panthers to 109 wins over the past four years, the most in the nation over that span. Pitt has won three ACC titles since 2017, reached the Elite Eight the past two years and finished last season in the Final Four. The Panthers were voted second in the ACC Preseason Poll behind defending champion Louisville. Lexis Akeo led Pitt with 644 assists (5.11 per set) while splitting time last season. Fellow setter Rachel Fairbanks is an All-ACC preseason pick. Middle blocker Serena Gray put away 2.34 kills per set on .417 hitting. Courtney Buzzerio, a 6-5 right side hitter, averaged 4.07 kps last season at Iowa, where she was a second-team All-Big Ten pick.
NO. 25 SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Sunday 5 a.m.
>> Head coach: Jennifer Petrie (14th year)
>> 2021 record: 20-8 (14-4 WCC)
>> Hawaii connection: USD associate coach Alfred Reft was a standout libero for the UH men’s program from 2004 to ’06. He was an AVCA first-team All-American in 2005 and set a UH single-season record with an average of 2.67 digs per set.
>> Outlook: USD opens the season back in Texas after closing last year with a loss to Rice in the NCAA sub-regional in Austin. The Toreros may be the tallest and most experienced lineup UH will face on opening weekend. They return their top four kills leaders of last season, led by 6-5 opposite Grace Frohling and 6-2 outside hitter Katie Lukes. The duo combined for 27 kills in a 25-13, 25-17, 25-19 sweep of Hawaii in Salt Lake City last season. Frohling also led USD with 35 aces and ranked second on the team with 101 total blocks (0.98 per set). Leyla Blackwell, a 6-4 middle, led the West Coast Conference with 133 total blocks, including 19 solo. Setter Isadora Tercariol, a 6-foot junior, averaged 9.11 assists per set a year ago.
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Compiled by Jason Kaneshiro, Star-Advertiser
