Wahine to face No. 5 seed TCU in first round of NCAA volleyball tournament

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Wahine volleyball players reacted as the upcoming NCAA tournament brackets were announced on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

Hawaii won’t need to ask for directions to its first-round NCAA Tournament match.

For the second straight season, the Rainbow Wahine will travel to Eugene, Ore., where they will play No. 5 seed TCU on Thursday in their 31st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the NCAA announced Sunday.

Hawaii (21-9), which secured the automatic berth into the tournament with a four-set win over Cal Poly on Saturday to win the Big West Conference for the fifth consecutive year, will play the Horned Frogs for the second time in as many seasons.

The Rainbow Wahine, who defeated No. 7 seed Iowa State to reach the second round for the second time in three seasons last year, lost to the Horned Frogs in four sets in a nonconference tournament.

“We’re super stoked. Just going into the NCAA Tournament is very exciting,” senior libero Tayli Ikenaga said. “Knowing that we’re going to play TCU I think is a revenge tour for us and we’re really excited.”

The matchup, which is at 2 p.m. Hawaii time, will feature two of the top outside hitters in the country.

Don't miss out on what's happening!

Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!

By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser's and Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.

Hawaii junior Caylen Alexander ranks third in the nation in kills per set at 5.15 while TCU senior Melanie Parra is fifth at 5.06 kills per set.

“They have one of the best outsides in the nation and so do we,” associate head coach Kaleo Baxter said. “I think it’s really going to come down to the supporting cast on each team and super excited to get back to Eugene and represent Hawaii and the Big West in the NCAA Tournament.”

The team decided to fly home Sunday morning for the second straight year and watched the NCAA Selection Show on campus less than two hours after landing.

They are scheduled to fly to Oregon tonight and arrive in Eugene midday Tuesday.

It’s a special matchup for Hawaii senior setter Kate Lang, who grew up in Keller, Texas, which is roughly a 30-minute drive from Forth Worth.

Lang, the Big West Setter of the Year, won a conference championship every season she was with the Rainbow Wahine.

“I’m so excited. I get to play a team from my hometown so I just see that as such a privilege and I’m really excited,” Lang said. “I know every girl on the team is going to be locked in and I’m ready to get it.”

UH’s placement as a 12 seed suggests it likely needed to beat the Mustangs to extend its run of NCAA Tournaments to 42 overall.

Hawaii’s resume was one of the strangest for the committee to figure out.

UH officially was at a RPI of 40 entering the final week of the season. The NCAA didn’t release an official RPI number since Monday.

In unofficial RPI rankings provided by figstats.net, UH’s RPI was at 34 after Saturday.

UH was the only team in the top 50 to suffer a loss to a team with an RPI worse than 270 and its 3-4 record against teams with an RPI between 101 and 200 was the only losing mark among teams in the top 100.

However, UH was 12-4 against teams with a RPI in the top 100. Nobody outside of the top 25 had more wins in that category and the .750 winning percentage was better than every team outside of the top 15.