Hawaii’s second sand volleyball season opens today on one of the world’s most famous beaches, with two top-10 teams and a hall of fame player now coaching.
Rita Buck-Crockett brings her first-year Florida International team, ranked eighth in the AVCA Preseason Poll, to play the fifth-ranked Rainbow Wahine. The dual match begins at 9:30 a.m. on the four courts at Waikiki’s Queen’s Beach.
Buck-Crockett was a two-time Olympian who won silver in 1984. Two years later, she teamed with Brazilian Jackie Silva to capture the World Beach Volleyball Championship. Crockett would later become MVP in the Italian League and finish her career as a player-coach in Switzerland at 40. She came home to coach, mentoring former Hawaii All-American Kim Willoughby along the way.
Last year Pete Garcia, Florida International’s "executive director of sports and entertainment," hired one of the sport’s most prominent names to run the Miami school’s newest team, and be assistant athletic director. Crockett was on the sand volleyball selection committee last season while FIU built its program.
"They had a plan, so when I came they were very receptive to things I needed," Crockett said of her administration. "They have been very supportive. They hired a professional and they expect me to help them create a successful program."
Supportive enough to send her team across the country, then across the ocean, in its first week of play. Earlier this week, FIU played top-ranked Pepperdine and No. 2 Long Beach State, who met in the emerging sport’s inaugural championship last year.
The Panthers lost both matches, but Kate Stepanova and Ksenia Sukhareva won in three on the No. 1 court at Long Beach and Maryna Samoday and Jessica Mendoza swept their match at No. 2. Stepanova, from Latvia, was an All-American indoors and on the beach at Florida State before transferring. Sukhareva is from Russia and Samoday from Ukraine. Mendoza is one of 11 Floridians on the roster.
"We’ve gotten better and we’re extremely excited about the experience we will have in Hawaii," Crockett said. "We’ve been in it one year, we’re learning, we want to win a national championship. The only way to do that is to come here and compete against the top teams. That means you have to play against Pepperdine, Long Beach and Hawaii, because those are the best teams in the country."
Crockett’s assistant is daughter Marrita, a graduate assistant at Hawaii Pacific two years ago. The Sea Warriors and Chaminade join FIU and the Wahine Saturday at Queen’s for the Hawaii Tournament. Pool play starts at 7:30 a.m. and the top two doubles teams play for the title no earlier than 4:30 p.m. — or about 10 coats of sunblock later.
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WAHINE SAND VOLLEYBALL
At Queen’s Beach Sandbox
>> Today: No. 5 Hawaii vs. No. 8 Florida International, 9:30 a.m.
>> Saturday: Hawaii Tournament, with Florida International, Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii. Begins at 7:30 a.m. Semifinals at about 1:30 p.m., third-place match about 3:30. Championship begins no earlier than 4:30.
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Hawaii won’t play at home again this season, and hopes to be practicing on its new on-campus courts next year. Coach Scott Wong has just three players back from last year, including All-American Jane Croson, who won a junior world beach championship in 2010. Ginger Long is also back, and she and 5-foot-5 freshman Katie Spieler are Wong’s No. 1 team.
"Katie and Ginger are the most consistent," Wong said. "Katie, her effort and just her mind-set to almost be perfect, and mentally grind, that’s her greatest strength. She brings that to the team. She stabilizes Ginger. You’ve got to beat them, they won’t roll over."
With 11 full-time sand players, depth is dramatically better this year according to Wong, who characterizes his top three teams as almost too close to call. Croson and Ashley Kastl could play No. 2, with Tai Manu-Olevao and Natasha Bell No. 3. Ali Longo and Karlee Riggs are set at No. 4 and Olivia Urban and Ku‘ulei Zalopany No. 5.
