Amber Igiede was admittedly a bit envious as she sat in the stands last spring.
The University of Hawaii middle blocker and her Rainbow Wahine volleyball teammates had played in an eerily quiet arena for much of the fall of 2021. Even when fans were welcomed back to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, attendance was initially capped at 500 and entry tightly restricted for the remainder of the season.
Capacity limits had eased by the men’s volleyball season in the spring, allowing for the return of the atmosphere that had been a trademark of matches in Manoa.
“I honestly was a little jealous,” Igiede said Tuesday as the Wahine began preparing for Thursday’s home opener and the program’s first home match without limitations on attendance since 2019.
“I was so happy for (the Warriors) because you could see them feeding off of the crowd as well. Obviously I was envisioning, ‘Oh my gosh I can’t wait for this time in the fall.’ We see how well our boys play, especially with the crowd being here, so we’re so excited to see the energy they give us this coming weekend.”
Igiede and fellow fourth-year juniors Braelyn Akana, Riley Wagoner and Tiffany Westerberg were freshmen in 2019 and are the only members of this year’s roster who have experienced pre-pandemic crowds. The remaining 11 who joined the program since 2020 will get their first opportunity on Thursday when the Rainbow Wahine (0-3) face Texas State (3-0) in the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge.
“It’s going to be different (for that group),” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said. “And they’re just going to have to embrace it and love it at the get-go.”
After opening the home schedule against the Bobcats of the Sun Belt conference, the Wahine will take on West Virginia (2-1) on Friday and renew the program’s rivalry with No. 23 UCLA (1-1) on Sunday.
While Ah Mow said she got “chicken skin” at the thought of having crowds back, the Wahine were eager to get back in the arena for practice on Tuesday after dropping all three matches of their season-opening trip to the Texas A&M Invitational.
An undulating performance led to a five-set loss to the host Aggies last Friday and the Wahine were swept by Pittsburgh and San Diego, the No. 10 and 15 teams in this week’s AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, on Saturday and Sunday.
After returning to campus late Sunday night, the team had a day off before returning to the gym on Tuesday aiming to address the issues that arose over the weekend in College Station.
“We’re just hungry to get better,” sophomore libero Tayli Ikenaga said. “We want to continue to grow and be able to push ourselves to our full potential. I feel that energy is going to translate into today’s practice.”
Ah Mow reiterated the need to limit errors and “stringing good plays together” as the Wahine look for a breakthrough heading into their home debut.
“I know the girls are dialed and they want to come back and show what they can do,” Ah Mow said.
A celebration of giving
The celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rainbow Wahine athletics and the passage of Title IX continues with the “Wahine on the Rise” campaign, which starts Thursday.
The Wahine of the Rise — Day of Giving will be held Thursday in conjunction with the volleyball team’s home opener. Donations to specific UH women’s programs can be made online at hui.uhfoundation.org/g/wahine.
Wahine on the Rise — Field Day is set for Sept. 10 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex. The free event runs 4-6 p.m. and will feature interactive activities with Rainbow Wahine teams and the chance to receive tickets to that night’s UH volleyball match between UH and USC.
