STANFORD, Calif. >> Ana Oglivie’s military duties meant tracking her younger sister’s volleyball career from afar.
Until this weekend.
Oglivie, a West Point graduate and now an Army lieutenant, is stationed in Kansas but spent the past year in Poland. She recently returned from her assignment and had a window in her schedule for a trip to Northern California to watch Elena Oglivie help Stanford advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament.
“I’ve been watching her through a screen for the past four months, so I’ve been able to see the growth from the beginning of the season,” Ana Oglivie said after the Cardinal’s sweep of LSU in Saturday’s second-round match in Maples Pavilion.
“We’ve communicated a lot and she’s always trying to get better. … I’m just so impressed. It’s nice to be able to sit back and watch her perform and lead on the court.”
Elena Oglivie, an ‘Iolani graduate who is now a Stanford junior and the Pac-12 Libero of the Year, led the Cardinal defense with 17 digs in a four-set win over Pepperdine on Friday and posted 19 more in a 25-11, 25-15, 25-21 victory over LSU on Saturday.
She also had an ace and helped feed an attack that hit .364, led by 6-foot-5 opposite Kendall Kipp’s 24 kills in 33 attempts in a .667 hitting performance.
“I think our team came out very defensive minded and did a really nice job of defending LSU, putting pressure on the serve and blocking defense was really good,” Stanford coach Kevin Hambly said.
Along with Ana making the trip for the subregional, their parents, Septimus and Helene, are also in town and will follow Stanford’s run through the tournament, which they hope will include a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the Final Four. Stanford (26-4) will again host the regional rounds this week and face Houston on Thursday.
“It’s very comforting to see them,” Elena said. “They didn’t get to come to a lot of matches during the season, so it’s definitely nice.”
As Ana Oglivie now keeps tabs on her sister’s career, Elena’s path to a starting role with one of the No. 1 seeds in this season’s NCAA Tournament bracket began by trailing her older sibling into the gym.
“She was a big part of me even getting into volleyball to begin with,” Elena said. “I kind of did everything she did and followed her around.
“It’s nice to have her support and she’s my best friend in the world.”
They played one season together at ‘Iolani in 2016 — Ana as a setter and Elena an outside hitter — and helped the Raiders win the program’s first state championship since 2001. Elena had a match-high 23 kills and 22 digs in the final against Kamehameha, while Ana dished out 49 assists with 15 digs.
“My senior year the quote of the year for ‘Iolani was ‘legacy,’ ” Ana Oglivie said. “And I said I want my legacy at ‘Iolani to be a state championship … and to do it with Elena meant the world.
“I still feel the ball coming out of my fingers and going into her hand. That connection was great.”
Ana went on to play four seasons, also as a libero, at Army, before entering active duty. She does some volunteer coaching in Kansas but said she doesn’t have to coach her sister … much.
“I try to play the sister role as much as possible. Sometimes the sister role includes coaching,” Ana said, drawing a laugh from her family. “I look up to how she plays, she inspires me.
“I love volleyball and respect volleyball so much and so does she, so we speak the same language.”
Other Hawaii players in the round of 16 include Texas’ trio of Saige Ka‘aha‘aina-Torres, Keonilei Akana and Devin Kahahawai and Pittsburgh setter Lexis Akeo.
“It’s just exciting to be a part of the volleyball community in Hawaii because it’s such a special thing,” said Elena Oglivie, an ‘Iolani teammate of Ka‘aha‘aina-Torres’.
“Those girls are my friends too, so it’s really nice to see them have success and move on in the tournament.”
Baylor assistant coach Josh Walker, a former UH men’s player and assistant, helped the Bears advance in the Louisville Quad.
Former UH men’s libero Alfee Reft is an assistant at San Diego, which will make the trip north to Stanford for this week’s regional round. The Toreros, the second seed in the regional, next face third-seeded Kentucky.
