Humble and hungry.
That’s the mantra Hawaii packed for its trip to this week’s NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship at Gulf Shores, Ala. The third-ranked and third-seeded Rainbow Wahine (35-3) also brought along a 30-match win streak, tied for the longest active one with top-ranked UCLA (35-3).
“The chance to bring home the national championship for Hawaii is our motivation,” Emily Maglio, half of the SandBows’ Flight 1 pair said in a telephone call on Wednesday. “Everyone on our team is hungry to win.”
It’s especially true for Maglio and partner Ka’iwi Schucht, who saw their program-record 25-match winning streak ended during Saturday’s Big West tournament championship final in three sets against Long Beach State.
“I’m glad it was before nationals that we lost,” said Maglio, one of five SandBows whose career will end on the Alabama sand this week. “We beat South Carolina in March but they’ve switch up their pairs and we’ve changed our lineup.
“We know we can’t take anyone lightly.”
The SandBows open on Friday against the aforementioned Gamecocks (24-7), the No. 6 seed that Hawaii defeated 3-2 on March 24 in Columbia, S.C. The SandBows had already clinched the dual 3-0 before losing at the final two flights in three sets, including a rare defeat for the pair of Lea Monkhouse-Morgan Martin (34-3). They’ve won 19 consecutive since then.
The duo is one of three for Hawaii who has reached the 30-win plateau. The group includes Maglio-Schucht (34-4) and Ari Homayun-Amy Ozee (32-6), who extended their winning streak to 24 in Saturday’s 4-1 title victory over the 49ers.
A victory over the Gamecocks in Friday’s opener sends the SandBows into the second round against the winner of No. 2-seeded Pepperdine (24-3) and seventh-seeded LSU (26-12). A loss and Hawaii will see the loser of the Waves-Tigers in a loser-out match later Friday.
The SandBows are 5-3 against the field: 1-2 against the top-seeded Bruins, 0-1 versus No. 4-seeded Florida State, 2-0 against three-time defending national champion Southern California, the No. 5 seed; and 1-0 against both the seventh-seeded Tigers and eighth-seeded Panthers. Hawaii has not faced the second-seeded Waves this season but did see them in last May’s NCAA semifinals, a 3-0 loss that had the SandBows finishing third.
“I feel great about our bracket,” Hawaii coach Jeff Hall said. “I feel we can beat everyone here. But we also can be beat by everyone here. We just have to trust our training and our game plan.
“If we play our normal game, I look forward to seeing Pepperdine, if they are the ones to advance. I’m proud to be playing (Pepperdine coach Nina Matthies) in her final tournament. We hate to be the ones to end it for her but that’s our goal.”
Matthies, one of those at the forefront of getting the sport played at the collegiate level, announced earlier that this would be her seventh and final season with the Waves. On Wednesday, she earned her third consecutive West Coast Conference coach of the year award and Pepperdine swept the WCC’s top honors: Connie Quiggle (player of year), Deahna Kraft (defender of year) and Brook Bauer (freshman of year).
Hawaii was the first team to arrive at Gulf Shores, getting in on Tuesday. Hall said his team has had two days of practices on the sand he described as similar to Lanikai Beach (super fine) and in the winds that reminded him of Malibu’s Zuma Beach or heavier tradewinds at Waikiki.
“We’ve been here enough that most our players are used to this venue,” Hall said of making a fifth straight postseason appearance, and sixth in the seven years of the sport’s existence. “It’s been an exercise in patience, learning the winds, but we tell the girls everyone has to play in them.”
NCAA BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gulf Shores, Ala. All Hawaii times
Double elimination
Friday
First round
1. UCLA (35-3) vs. 8. Fla. International (22-10), 5 a.m.
4. Florida State (30-6) vs. 5. USC (25-12), 6 a.m.
2. Pepperdine (24-3) vs. 7. LSU (26-12), 6 a.m.
3. Hawaii (35-3) vs. 6. South Carolina (24-7), 7 a.m.
Championship bracket
First-round winners, 11 a.m. & noon
Elimination bracket
First-round losers, 11 & noon
Saturday
Championship bracket
11 a.m. (winner to Sunday final, loser to elimination final)
Elimination bracket 8 & 9 a.m., noon (noon winner to elimination final)
Sunday
Elimination bracket
Final, 6:30 a.m. (winner to championship final)
Championship bracket
Final, 7 a.m. (If needed, 8:30 a.m.)
TV
Friday: All matches, ESPNU
Saturday: All matches, ESPN2
Sunday: Elimination final, ESPN2; Championship, ESPN
