Big is relative. At least to Angel Gaskin.
Hawaii’s senior opposite has gone from three seasons in the Big Ten with Maryland to her first — and only — in the Big West. The contrasts couldn’t be more stark — from playing at Nebraska, where the Huskers are averaging 8,089, to Friday’s conference opener at UC Davis, where the Aggies have drawn a total of 489 for three home matches.
The Rainbow Wahine (4-5) had a season-high 4,242 at Friday’s match against No. 12 Oregon in the Stan Sheriff Center.
“It’s been fun to be at home for the whole preseason, but I’m excited to see the atmosphere at different places,” said Gaskin, who had a UH-career high 12 kills in the five-set loss to the Ducks. “Personally, I like seeing new arenas, and switching conferences means being able to go to a bunch of new schools.
“I’m ready for this trip and am looking forward to that bond that comes with traveling.”
The switch in conferences means a switch in travel. The Big Ten has 14 member schools spread across 11 states, while the Big West has nine schools, eight of which are spread throughout California.
“Definitely this is more intense,” said Gaskin, who grew up in Florida. “But any time you go into someone else’s house, you have to be strong. Sometimes you only have each other.
“It’s interesting when you played on football Saturdays (in the Big Ten). You had way less fans then. People would stop in for a while, then say, ‘Gotta go’ and head to tailgating. It’s funny that it is the reverse here in Hawaii, where volleyball is a big sport, which is so new to me.”
Gaskin’s best match came while her mother, Erin, was in the stands.
“I told her that her mom should move here,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos said Monday. “She did really well and that’s what we’re looking for from her, to be steady like that.”
Both Ah Mow-Santos and Gaskin agreed that the Wahine took big steps, individually and as a team, on Friday.
“What I’m looking for on this trip is for the team to grow and keep growing,” Ah Mow-Santos said.
“Personally I feel like I took a lot steps forward, that the team took a lot of steps forward,” Gaskin said. “Friday was tougher than the (three-set) loss Thursday because we were so close. And losing Set 2 (25-10) … it wasn’t us, it was just weird. We have to figure it out as a team because you can’t have those lulls.
“I was impressed with how we dug ourselves out of it. It’s a big boost of confidence and what we needed going out on the road. I feel that it was my breakthrough with the team, that me and Norene (junior setter Iosia) really grew up in that game.”
Both of Hawaii’s opponents this week will have one conference road match under their respective belts before hosting the Wahine. Today, UC Davis (8-4) opens at No. 15 Cal Poly (10-1) and UC Irvine (6-6) is at UC Santa Barbara (8-4).
Hawaii leaves Wednesday on the first of its four trips to California between now and the first week of November.
BIG WEST VOLLEYBALL
All times Hawaii time
Friday
>> Hawaii (4-5) at UC Davis (8-4), 4 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1500-AM
>> Online: BigWest.tv
Sunday
>> Hawaii at UC Irvine (6-6), noon
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM
>> Online: ESPN3
