This was the crowd Kanani Danielson deserved, with roars that matched her thunderous kills. The senior All-American who had carried Hawaii on her shoulders all season found an extra lift from one of the largest crowds — if not the largest — to witness a second-round match in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament (7,861).
Considered the best all-around player to wear a Rainbow Wahine uniform in coach Dave Shoji’s 37 years, Danielson simply took over Friday night.
Roll shot. Angle. Tip. Cross court. Off speed. From the left, the right, behind the 3-meter line.
It was a repertoire that, for most of the 114 minutes, Colorado State had no answer for.
The Kamehameha Schools product put down 22 kills to go with 20 digs for her 20th double-double in propelling the 10th-seeded Wahine to a 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18 victory over the Rams. Hawaii (31-1) advances to next Friday’s regional semifinal against the winner of tonight’s match between seventh-seeded USC and surprising Tulsa.
"The crowd was just amazing tonight," Danielson said. "They had our backs, were loud and proud. I love when they make their different sound effects.
"What I love most is how they respect the opponents. They came to watch good volleyball. I really appreciate playing in front of a crowd this big and it’s been only for the first and second rounds. It’s as big as at the elite eight, maybe the final four.
"We wanted to win for them."
Danielson made sure of it when putting down two of the Wahine’s final four points, her last kill bringing the fans to their feet for "aloha ball." A Rams hitting error ended it moments later.
CSU coach Tom Hilbert had called Danielson a phenomenal player Thursday. She did not disappoint Friday night, he said.
"I think our blocking shocked her early, but she made the adjustments," Hilbert said. "She’s got such range, has the ability to do so many things."
And a number of things that don’t show up on the box score.
"You can’t look at the stat sheet and appreciate everything she does," Shoji said. "You can see her digs per game, but not the passing numbers. The plays she makes are just uncanny. I don’t know how she processes things. She seems to be in the right spot to make the play almost every time. That is rare in a player.
"I’ve said this before, but I think we’ll appreciate her more when she’s gone. But we plan on riding her for a few more matches."
Danielson, one of seven Wahine with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, is savoring Hawaii being at home for a regional for the first time since 2003.
When the pressure to make it to next Friday’s regional semifinal surfaced Friday night, she squashed it, much as she did when stuffing CSU middle Megan Plourde twice on step-out moves. That when giving away 5 inches to the 6-foot-3 Plourde.
"What I liked about tonight was we hung in there and stayed together," she said. "There was tremendous pressure to finish the second round this time. We finished strong tonight."
