A masterpiece in the works

Ali Longo lives large in a libero world where you are rarely noticed unless you mess up. A little like the center in football, she starts most of the plays for sixth-ranked Hawaii and keeps many, many more going longer than they should.

But her numbers never add up for others. She didn’t even make all-conference last year. Her dig average isn’t among the country’s top 130 now and probably never will be the way that statistic is charted here.

There have been no all-tournament honors — even last week, when UH coach Dave Shoji would not have been shocked to see her as MVP of the Shocker Classic. "She’s that valuable to us," he says

Problem is, Longo makes it look too easy. She is always in the right place, a few beats before the right time. Other liberos might fly all over the court, but — while she has made many, many spectacular plays — Longo often doesn’t have to.

She is just there, always, around the volleyball, talking with teammates, anchoring the back row of one of the country’s finest defensive teams without drama.

That is no problem at all for her teammates or Shoji. When she transferred from Penn State a year after winning an NCAA championship, it took him a matter of hours to realize precisely how special she was.

"After watching her the first week I knew she would be a starter," he recalls. "I knew that position would be really solid for us for two years. She has all the skills. She’s just a volleyball player. She can do everything, and she’s one of those confident players who wants to touch the ball. She’s a natural out there. She reminds me a lot of Erik Shoji."

The comparison to the coach’s son might sound curious, but could be the greatest compliment Longo will get in the game. Erik Shoji, now on the national team, is probably the best libero in the country and certainly one of the best in the world.

Like Erik Shoji, and his brother Kawika, Longo is capable of relentlessly playing at an extremely high level. And she makes everyone around her better, always has. Her value cannot truly be measured by anyone not on her team.

What she lives by each day, and asks of her teammates, is something she heard in club volleyball, from the same coach in Colorado who sent Tara Hittle to Hawaii: "Make every day your masterpiece."

"She really sticks to that," says Kaela Goodman, another of the Rainbow Wahine’s seven seniors. "And Emily (Hartong) is the same … they are very similar in the sense that their goals are so strong and they are very determined to get them. Everybody else is very goal-driven too, but … there’s something about Ali. You want to follow her. You want her to lead."

Longo concedes she and Hartong "always want to go, go, go, go, go" and Shoji also offers his All-America hitter as another comparison to Longo —in profound ways.

"I’ve never seen her have a bad day in the practice gym," he says. "Ali plays hard all the time. You can’t say that about every player of ours. She makes them better, makes them accountable. You can’t help but raise your level when you are around her."

Longo’s choice to transfer here was primarily financial — Hawaii had a scholarship for her that year. She had thought about UH out of high school because of the club connection with Hittle and what she had heard about the program and unique ambience. It didn’t take much for Shoji to convince her to come.

"All coaches at some point have to sell their school," Longo says. "Here, I don’t think Dave has to do that so much. With Dave’s legacy and who he is and his coaching staff, I don’t think it’s really important."

Going from one coast to the other wasn’t all that tough either. Longo’s parents were behind both her choices of schools. And, after making the transition to Penn State, Longo wasn’t worried the second time.

"I was just going to the opposite side of the country," Longo recalled, "so it’s not that much weirder."

Shoji believes her high school history as a hitter and setter, combined with her aggression, contribute to her exceptional range and the instincts that help make it all look so easy.

Longo’s priorities are to help provide stable passing, usually with hitters Hartong and Tai Manu-Olevao, and show "grit" on defense — execute all the ordinary plays while also coming up with the extraordinary.

"Almost more importantly than that is being able to speak to your team and let them know what’s going on," Longo says. "Also be aware of what’s going on yourself. It’s important for me to be knowledgeable about the scouting report and what we’re doing on our side because (setter) Mita (Uiato) has so much on her mind and Emily, as a leader, has a lot on her plate also. It’s a back-row position to bring energy and fill in everyone as they’re in and out of the game."

In other words, coach, which is basically what Shoji has let her do in the back row since her first match. After what she hopes is a long professional volleyball career, Longo can see herself coaching again when she comes back to the U.S. She still loves the game, and playing on the sand team has only enhanced her enjoyment. She also thinks "it would be a cool thing" to pass along all she has learned, particularly from her coaches here.

Goodman, who calls her a "task leader — she’s the one who will whip you into shape and you’re OK that she does that, you respect her because of it" — sees her coaching kids because "she is very demanding, but she’s understanding."

But first, there is UC Riverside tonight and an NCAA tournament that has been on the Wahine’s minds since that gut-wrenching loss at Washington last December. Longo and her teammates have goals of winning the Big West — "in the same fashion we did last year, with fewer five-set matches" and playing at a consistently high level each night.

The Wahine’s seven seniors want another shot at the postseason. Last year’s five-set second-round loss is still a vivid memory.

"Even though it did not come out the way we wanted it to, it’s not a game I look at and I’m disappointed with," Longo says. "I thought we played awesome, and so that, in my mind, was not failure. Just a few plays here and there that hopefully we will get better from.

"It’s something we’ve talked about a lot this year. After you win, you are very hungry to win it again. We know the feeling and what it takes. I think this team is working very hard to get to that point because we all want to win."

That would be the final masterpiece of Longo’s memorable college career, which has been so underappreciated by everyone outside Hawaii. That has never bothered her. Every day here has honestly been her masterpiece.