After testing itself deep in the heart of Texas, the Hawaii women’s volleyball team is back in a familiar setting.
It’s not just SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, where the Rainbow Wahine will host UC Irvine tonight and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday where UH feels comfortable. It’s also the start of Big West Conference play, which the Rainbow Wahine have thrived in for the past 12 years.
Hawaii is 95-1 all-time combined against the two opponents it faces this weekend to begin its 12th season since rejoining the conference in 2012.
The four-time defending BWC champions started the season 6-1 before losing all three matches on their first road trip last week, which included four-set losses to ranked opponents Texas and Baylor.
It’s a perfect time for Hawaii to start conference play in a league that it knows plays a certain kind of volleyball it needs to be ready for.
“Teams are just a lot scrappier in the Big West,” fifth-year senior setter Kate Lang said on Wednesday. “Our ball control overall in this conference is really good. Faster tempo usually, just because it’s a smaller conference overall, the height — we’re not the Big Ten. It’s just a different tempo that we have (to) play at. Just become comfortable with how fast we have to move because the ball is moving faster.”
Lang, who recently moved into seventh place on the school’s career assists list with 3,664, played in her 100th career match last week at Baylor.
This season has been unlike any other she has worn a Rainbow Wahine uniform.
She has her one stalwart on the outside in junior Caylen Alexander, who entered this week second in NCAA Division I in kills (229) and fourth in kills per set at 4.98.
Outside of Alexander, it has been a mixed bag of results, with pin hitters Stella Adeyemi and Tali Hakas and middles Jacyn Bamis and Miliana Sylvester all having their moments but still trying to find a consistency in their connection with their setter.
“I think that we have different players this year that have different skill sets and we’re definitely working on maximizing their skill sets,” Lang said. “Thinking about years past, we were also at that point of trying to maximize those skill sets, so that’s why I’m kind of not overwhelmed. Knowing we have potential and we’re still working toward that, that’s what we’ve done every other year as well.”
The 0-3 road trip ended with a frustrated group of players after a poor blocking and serve-receive effort against a Baylor team UH really felt like it had a chance to beat.
The team took a needed day off on Monday after flying home Sunday morning.
It’s been a learning process from opening night, with four matches going four sets and six going five.
That learning time, according to Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow, is over now. It’s all about results.
“I don’t think there is any time anymore. We’ve got to get in the gym and we’ve got to get after it. Every game counts now,” Ah Mow said Tuesday before the first practice of the week. “This is season now. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to win the Big West to get into the (NCAA) Tournament. It’s go time.”
UC Irvine (7-5, 1-0 Big West) opened conference play with a four-set win over Cal State Fullerton (4-7, 0-1) on Tuesday in Fullerton, Calif., and had a season-high 17 blocks.
Titans middle blocker Ella Gardiner leads the Big West with 51 total blocks and Soana Leaea is tops in the league averaging 1.26 blocks per set.
The Rainbow Wahine have outblocked a team only twice this season, including Texas by an 8-4 margin.
Hawaii had a season-low two blocks against Baylor.
“I don’t know how we don’t block any balls at UNLV and we come back and we outblock Texas and then we get outblocked by Baylor,” Ah Mow said. “We’re maybe a young-minded team for right now. We’ just got to work on some skills and get better.”
