The moment is worth the wait.
After transferring to Hawaii in 2019, Brooke Van Sickle remembers watching the chicken skin sendoff for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team’s seniors in a packed arena.
Skyler Williams has been through three senior nights and said she’s been preparing for her turn since her freshman season in Manoa back in 2017.
For Janelle Gong, the anticipation predates even her first day on campus.
“Since I got recruited here I had seen a video of their senior night and I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’” Gong recalled. “I was in high school and I had been looking forward to my senior night at the University of Hawaii.”
UH’s senior ceremony has long been a highlight of each Rainbow Wahine season and this year’s trio of honorees will have their awaited moment following Saturday’s regular-season finale at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
For Van Sickle and Williams — mainstays in the UH lineup at outside hitter and middle blocker — the wait was extended when the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic, postponing their senior seasons by a year. They’ll will be joined by Gong, a defensive specialist, in celebrating their UH careers this weekend.
“Last games in the Stan Sheriff, it’ll be sad,” Van Sickle acknowledged. “But definitely grateful I had this opportunity and this experience.”
The UH seniors have played prominent roles in helping the Wahine remain atop the Big West throughout the conference season and will make their final regular-season appearances when the Rainbow Wahine (20-6, 17-1 Big West) take on Cal State Northridge (7-22, 6-13) on Friday and UC Santa Barbara (20-11, 16-3) on Saturday. UH enters the weekend needing one win to claim the conference title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
So amid the inherent emotion of senior week, the Wahine are preparing for their final homestand focused on the task at hand.
“Nothing is said and done,” Van Sickle said. “So we’re going to come out firing for sure.”
Van Sickle is approaching the end of a six-year college career split evenly between Oregon and UH, although aloha ball on Saturday won’t mean goodbye just yet. Enrolled in a graduate program, she’ll be back in the spring for her final season with the UH beach volleyball team.
Williams and Gong are on track to graduate in December and will leave the program as they arrived — together.
Their careers align with Robyn Ah Mow’s five years as UH head coach, joining the program as Ah Mow entered her first season as successor to Dave Shoji in 2017.
Ah Mow noted she’s more patient these days compared to her “gung ho” first season while Williams and Gong developed into their current roles as prominent contributors in the Wahine lineup.
“I think it’s really beautiful to see our growth together,” Williams said of her connection with Ah Mow. “I was able to see hers and she was able to see mine and we both know where we started and how we’re finishing.”
Williams made an immediate impact with 12 blocks in her UH debut as a freshman and went on to start 10 matches in 2017 and six as a sophomore. She then elevated her game as a junior in 2019 to earn first-team All-Big West honors while hitting a league-best .393 and ranking second with 1.12 blocks per set.
Williams is hitting .378 in Big West play this season, good for third in the league, while forming a formidable middle tandem with sophomore Amber Igiede. She set a career high with 16 kills in a four-set win at CSU Bakersfield last week.
“She had to work really hard to get to where she’s at,” Ah Mow said. “The speed of the ball during club was a lot slower than right now. But the girl just works.”
Gong redshirted in 2017 and her work was largely confined to the practice gym her first three years in the program. She appeared in 13 matches in 2018 and just three in 2019. But her efforts were rewarded with a scholarship for her final season and she’s established a regular role in the back-row, providing steady play in serve receive, defense and from the service line.
“It’s really great to see Janelle out there on the court and see how much work she’s put in since freshman year,” said Williams, who now shares an apartment with Gong. “Each day she comes into the practice gym she remains stable energy-wise and everything. … She’s my best friend and I’m so glad to see her progress as an athlete and as a person.”
Van Sickle was looking for a fresh start in 2019 when she transferred for her junior year after three years, including a redshirt season, at Oregon.
Born in Hilo and largely raised in Washington, Van Sickle’s commitment to UH would add to her family’s connection to Hawaii volleyball. Her father, Gary, was a member of Rainbow Warrior volleyball teams that rocked Klum Gym from 1988 to ’90 and her mother, Lisa (Bragado), played at Hawaii Pacific University before embarking on a pro career.
“It’s definitely cool that my dad played volleyball here and following his legacy,” Brooke said.
Upon joining the Wahine, Van Sickle earned honorable mention All-Big West recognition in 2019 and is among the contenders for Player of the Year this season as the conference’s leader in points per set with 4.55.
An explosive leaper on the outside, Van Sickle ranks second in the league in kills (3.79) and first in aces per set (0.38, 33 total). She leads the Wahine in digs (3.34 per set) and, at 5 feet 9, is third on the team with 54 blocks, 11 solo.
But, as with her fellow seniors, the numbers represent a fraction of an experience defined by relationships that will endure.
“Definitely, this is one of the best teams I’ve ever been on,” Van Sickle said. “I know people always say this but I actually mean it, I love my teammates. I think they’re great people and I love that we always help support each other and make everything fun.”
Big West Volleyball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Cal State Northridge (7-22, 6-13 BWC) vs. Hawaii (20-6, 17-1)
>> When: Friday, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum OC16
>> Radio: 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Tickets: etickethawaii.com
>> Entrance requirements: Proof of vaccination and health check on LumiSight UH app (available on Apple store, Google Play store, LumiSight UH website). Masks required. Only clear bags allowed.
>> Parking: $7 (no passes)
