The pieces are on the table.
The process of putting the puzzle together continues in the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team’s home debut this weekend.
After dropping three matches in the Texas A&M Invitational last weekend, the Rainbow Wahine face Texas State today at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in the first of three more opportunities to find the combination that will bring the overall image into sharper focus.
“We have depth,” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said. “We just have to jell it all together.”
The Outrigger Volleyball Challenge opens today with West Virginia taking on No. 23 UCLA at 4:45 p.m. with the Texas State-Hawaii match to follow at 7.
West Virginia and UCLA return after playing in the 2019 Outrigger Challenge, which was also the last full version of the event. Outrigger sponsored a two-match series with USC last year with no fans allowed in the arena.
Ah Mow said the Wahine benefited from facing the caliber of competition in College Station last week and defending against the high-tempo offenses of Texas A&M, No. 10 Pittsburgh and No. 15 San Diego. Upon returning to campus, they focused on cleaning up some of the issues that contributed to costly lulls during last week’s stay in Texas.
Ah Mow said limiting errors was a primary takeaway from the road trip. Sharpening their first touches on the ball — whether on serve receive or in transition after a touch at the net — would also be an emphasis for the week.
“The first touch is always going to be the most important, especially for us,” UH assistant coach Nick Castello said. “We’re undersized, so ball control is a huge factor for us. We had some easy ones that we weren’t really taking advantage of in Texas, so it’s another opportunity for us to clean it up.”
Ah Mow praised the play of Tiffany Westerberg in her move back to the middle this season. Westerberg led the Wahine with seven blocks in representing UH on the all-tournament team last week.
“She’s a new woman now,” Ah Mow said. “She’s one to those, ‘whatever need me to do, I’ll do it.’ Great attitude, works hard. We give her the information and she tries to do it in the game.”
The UH floor defense often featured libero Tayli Ikenaga and defensive specialist Talia Edmonds sharing the back-row responsibilities.
“The first time we practiced together it was, ‘whoa, it feels weird that we’re playing together.’ We never actually get to be on the same side together,” Ikenaga said. “Being able to build that chemistry and build that relationship of having two DS’s in the back row made our defense stronger. I feel like that communication and being able to take control of the back row was really helpful.”
The Wahine had a different kills leader in each match last week. Outside hitter Riley Wagoner put away a career-best 21 against Texas A&M, Westerberg’s nine led UH against Pitt and fellow middle Amber Igiede posted 11 against San Diego. Igiede enters UH’s seven-match homestand with 31 kills and just four errors in 76 swings.
Freshman Caylen Alexander may have been the most consistent of the pin hitters with 22 kills and seven errors in 66 attacks last week.
“I thought she did a great job,” Ah Mow said. “She stayed nice and calm. She didn’t show too much nervousness, although she was nervous, she said. But I thought she did pretty good for her first go-around.”
Setter Kate Lang posted two double-doubles in three starts last week. Senior Mylana Byrd rotated with Lang in the third sets against Pitt and San Diego and Ah Mow said using both setters “is definitely an option. But we just gotta get back into practice and see.”
Texas State Bobcats (3-0)
Today, 7 p.m.
>> Coach: Sean Huiet (third season)
>> Conference: Sun Belt
>> Outlook: The Bobcats swept through the Cardinal Classic in San Antonio with a four-set win over Houston Baptist and consecutive sweeps of Incarnate Word. Texas State went 20-21 last season with a 14-2 mark in conference play, but saw its three-year reign atop the Sun Belt Conference snapped by a loss to South Alabama in the conference tournament title match. With a veteran lineup returning, TSU received votes in the AVCA preseason poll and in this week’s voting. Setter Emily DeWalt, a sixth-year senior, became the first player in program history to earn AVCA All-America recognition as an honorable mention selection last year and its first Sun Belt Player of the Year. The four-time Sun Belt Setter of the Year distributed 100 of the Bobcats’ 121 assists last weekend to lead at attack that hit a collective .329. Jada Gardner, a 6-1 graduate student who spent four seasons at Maryland prior to last season, leads the team with 3.90 kills per set on .385 hitting.
West Virginia Mountaineers (2-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
>> Coach: Reed Sunahara (eighth season)
>> Conference: Big 12
>> Outlook: Sunahara, a Hilo product, led the Moutaineers to the program’s first NCAA Tournament last season and added another Hawaii connection when he hired Fiona (Nepo) Fonoti as an assistant coach in February. Fonoti, a graduate of University Lab School, was an All-America setter at Nebraska and coached at Punahou, Pearl City and McKinley before entering the college ranks. The Mountaineers won their first two matches against Loyola and Duqeusne before falling to Penn State in four sets last week. Adrian Ell, a 6-3 outside hitter, carried the heaviest load with 40 kills in 113 swings over three matches. Ell was an All-Big 12 honoree last year after transferring from Florida State and led the team with 3.47 kills per set last week. Tierney Jackson, a 6-3 freshman MB/OH, has 15 blocks through three matches and put away seven kills in each.
No. 23 UCLA Bruins (1-1)
Sunday, 5 p.m.
>> Coach; Mike Sealy (13th season)
>> Conference: Pac-12
>> Outlook: The Bruins entered the fall at No. 12 in the AVCA coaches poll but dropped a season opener for only the fourth time in program history with a four-set loss at Utah State last Friday. UCLA’s 20 blocks in the match were countered by 35 attack errors, which led to a .076 hitting percentage. The Bruins bounced back with a 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Cal Poly. The Bruins’ 4.29 blocks per set over the opening weekend topped the nation with 6-4 sophomore Francesca Alupei sending back 12, including five solo. Anna Dodson, a 6-5 middle MB, was a first-team All-Pac 12 pick last season and turned in the team’s most efficient performance with last week with 18 kills on .349 hitting. OH/opposite élan McCall leads the Bruins with 23 kills (3.29 per set). Georgia Tech transfer Matti McKissock, the ACC Setter of the Year in 2019, had 70 assists in her first two UCLA matches. Freshman setter Mokihana Tufono was voted No. 3 on the Star-Advertiser Fab 15 last year for ‘Iolani. She didn’t see action last weekend.
Outrigger Volleyball Challenge
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Texas State (3-0) vs. Hawaii (0-3)
>> When: Today, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
Tournament schedule
Today
West Virginia vs. UCLA, 4:45 p.m.
Texas State vs. Hawaii, 7 p.m.
Friday
UCLA vs. Texas State, 4:45 p.m.
West Virginia vs. Hawaii, 7 p.m.
Sunday
Texas State vs. West Virginia, 2:45 p.m.
UCLA vs. Hawaii, 5 p.m.
DAY OF GIVING
Today has been designated the “Wahine on the Rise — Day of Giving” as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rainbow Wahine athletics and the passage of Title IX.
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.
