A bye week has meant more time dedicated to getting better for the second-ranked Hawaii volleyball team. Without an opponent to scout and prepare for this week, the emphasis has been on “in” — as in intensity, incentive and being in the moment.
There has been plenty of it the past five days for the Rainbow Warriors, opening Big West play at No. 3 UC Irvine Friday and Saturday. It’s meant longer practices in Gym II and more reps during the more frequent trips to the weight room.
“It gives us a unique chance to work on some things,” senior middle Dalton Solbrig said of the team’s second bye week. “Usually we’ll have Monday off, then a game Friday, so there’s not a lot of stuff you can implement into your game in that short amount of time when we have to start focusing on the scouting report.
“We’ve been working a lot on blocking, stuff that we know Irvine’s going to do so we can defend it. We’ve been going split-squad instead of the A team vs. B team. It elevates the whole practice.”
Competitive is putting it mildly. Hawaii’s practice routine uses mini sets, starting with the score at 18-18. As in a real match, first to 25 wins.
On Thursday, one mini went especially maxi: 35-33.
“They’re really good at competing against each other,” said Warriors coach Charlie Wade, whose last match was last Sunday against Lincoln Memorial. “When we’ve had these (playing) breaks I think we’ve benefited. We work so much on individual technique that, when we get to string together practices like this, we get better.
“Between the break between SC (Jan. 12) and Stanford (Feb. 1) we got better. This break again we’re getting better.”
Wade pointed to serving philosophy and communication on serve-receive as two examples.
“It’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s the in-game, in-the-moment decisions the guys are making,” he said. “It’s the execution.
“We have so many offensive options and so many guys who can hit a variety of sets. We’re more clear on what our playbook looks like, what we’re best at. It’s getting more clear as to who we are offensively.”
Hawaii (10-0) has been pretty good so far. The Warriors came into the week the national leaders in kills (14.67 per set), hitting percentage (.482), blocks (2.83 per set), assists (13.27 per set) and opponents’ hitting percentage (.163).
Hawaii also has tied a program record for consecutive straight-set victories. With 30 sets won in a row, the Warriors are two off the program record of 32.
While next week’s trip to Bren Events Center is on Hawaii’s collective minds so, too, is last April. The Warriors have it tucked away that UC Irvine received the at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, the bid they and many others felt should have been theirs.
“Definitely the guys who were there remember that feeling, what happened at the end of last year,” senior setter Joe Worsley said. “If there is extra motivation, it’s that we want this year and they are one of the teams who are in our way. We have a really tough road schedule. We’ve got to keep executing on the road.
“The intensity of practices has really improved. The guys are itching to get back to playing.”
The Warriors had a morning practice on Saturday and free time the rest of the weekend that allowed some of them to attend Hawaii-Iowa baseball games and the SandBows beach volleyball tournament at Queen’s Beach. Junior hitter Colton Cowell’s younger sister, Chandler, plays for Saint Mary’s; she and partner Selbie Christensen earned the lone point for the Gaels in the SandBows’ 4-1 victory Saturday at Queen’s Beach.
The weight workouts have tapered off — “So that we’re fresh and ready to go next week,” Worsley said — with lighter lifting resuming on Monday.
“The mind-set this week has been, ‘Let’s get better at volleyball’ instead of ‘Let’s prepare for this or that team,’ ” senior junior middle Patrick Gasman, the national leaders in blocks (1.625 per set). “We’ve done heavier (lifting), were able to get after it more in the weight room without having games to play.
“We’ve had longer practice and focused on attacking the day better. There’s definitely some fire brewing and we’ll be trying to bring it to (the Anteaters’) gym.”
Hawaii hasn’t played in Bren since 2017, when the Warriors won their lone meeting with the Anteaters 3-1. The Warriors split at the Stan Sheriff Center last season then defeated UCI in the Big West tournament semifinal.
