Caylen Alexander insists if you showed her film of the beginning of one of Hawaii’s spring practices, she could tell you exactly what happened from beginning to end.
Many nights after the team finished its run of practices in the spring, Alexander would watch film for an hour and envision shots she should have hit in certain situations.
Donut shots, angle shots, going high off the block or just blasting away from the back row, you name it and she is doing it.
The reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Week is one of three players in the country averaging more than five kills per set. Her creativity and imagination with the different shots she is hitting have made her one of the toughest players in all of Division I volleyball to defend.
With Hawaii (12-7, 6-3 Big West) set to host Cal State Northridge (7-13, 2-7) on Sunday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center to end the first half of conference play, Alexander is averaging 5.20 kills per set. She is the only non-senior to rank in the top six in the country in that category, and her success can be traced back to those nights watching film in the offseason.
“In the spring, I knew I was going to have to carry a different load than in the past years and so in the offseason, after spring ended, I just watched a lot of film,” Alexander said before practice on Friday. “I watched all of the practices from spring, and I was trying to open my vision on the court and see the shots that were open that I wasn’t hitting. When we started practice (in the fall), I was just like, ‘Oh, let me try these shots I saw on film,’ and it worked. I would sprinkle in stuff here and there and if it worked I would keep doing it.”
Alexander joined the 1,000-kill club in Tuesday’s four-set win over Cal State Bakersfield and was tied for second in the country with 390 total kills behind Evansville’s Giulia Cardona entering Friday’s matches.
Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow credited Alexander’s hard work on and off the court for the ability to open her range up this season.
“I think she’s definitely creative this year and it’s helping her,” Ah Mow said. “We keep setting her like 80 balls a match, so she’s going to have to start being creative or her shoulder is going to get worn out. She’s definitely getting better this year.”
Alexander is the first UH player to record 10 matches of at least 20 kills since Emily Hartong did it 12 times in 2013, and is the 22nd Rainbow Wahine to record 1,000 kills in a career.
The Rainbow Wahine’s match with CSUN on Sunday is their final one against a team they haven’t played in conference play.
UH’s three-match homestand continues next week with UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, which it played last week on the road.
Hawaii swept the preseason-favorite Mustangs in three sets before getting swept by the Gauchos.
“This year, especially after the Santa Barbara loss, we had to figure out what is not working,” Alexander said. “We’re just going to be trying out new things in practice. Leadership is being tested currently, but I think we have figured out ways to kind of get everyone on the boat, you know. Make sure everyone is performing 100% all of the time and being able to hold ourselves accountable individually.”
Setter Kate Lang and libero Tayli Ikenaga are the only seniors on the team this year. Alexander is the only returning junior who had significant playing time before the start of the season.
The season has been a roller coaster that only added steeper drops and climbs once conference play began.
The inconsistency is where youth and inexperience has shown itself the most.
“I would love for Tayli and Kate to give a little bit more leadership, but I think that’s where it kind of goes down,” Ah Mow said. “There are a lot of young ones who haven’t been that one. Caylen is now that one. She has to now, mindset-wise, be different and it’s hard.”
A win on Sunday would give Ah Mow her 100th in Big West play.
Hawaii swept both matches against the Matadors last season and has won 17 in a row against CSUN dating back to 2014.
