As training camp comes to a close, the process of selecting Hawaii’s starting six continues today with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team’s first public appearance of the season.
The Wahine will wrap up camp by inviting fans to an open practice today at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Admission will be free for the practice scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Entry will be through the security gate on the arena’s ground level. Only water will be allowed in the arena.
The practice session will offer fans an early look at this year’s team and give the coaching staff another opportunity to evaluate the Wahine heading toward next week’s season-opening road trip to Texas.
The Wahine are scheduled to depart on Tuesday and open the season on Friday against Texas A&M in College Station. UH will also face No. 6 Pittsburgh and No. 24 San Diego in the season-opening Texas A&M Invitational.
As of Friday’s practice, UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said she hasn’t settled on a starting group as position battles continue.
“I think we have a lot of versatile players than can play outside, play right side, play middle,” Ah Mow said. “It just gives us more options.”
The Wahine return four players who started at least 20 matches last season: All-Big West first-team picks in middle blocker Amber Igeide and setter Kate Lang, along with outside hitter Riley Wagoner and libero Tayli Ikenaga.
Setter Mylana Byrd also returns as the team’s lone senior and juniors Tiffany Westerberg and Braelyn Akana can contribute on the pins or in the middle. Opposite Annika de Goede is back to full duty in her return from a midseason leg injury last year.
Ah Mow is looking for consistency throughout the roster, and her emphasis on the first touch has remained a constant.
“During the spring all we did was pass, pass again, and pass more,” she said.
Michigan State transfer Talia Edmonds made her debut in the arena in March in the spring exhibition against Pepperdine, and Ah Mow praised the play of both back-row specialists during camp.
“The two of them are doing awesome,” Ah Mow said of Edmonds and Ikenaga. “Within the first week I said these two are playing way better defense, way better controlling the passing lanes and out of system balls.”
The open practice will also give fans a first look at the fall newcomers, including transfer outside hitter Chandler Cowell and freshmen Caylen Alexander and setter Jackie Matias.
Engleman joins Ah Mow’s coaching staff
Skylan Engleman, a former All-State boys volleyball selection and Grand Canyon libero, has joined the UH coaching staff as a volunteer assistant.
Engleman was voted to the Star-Advertiser’s Fab 15 as a Moanalua senior in 2014. He closed his college career in 2018 second in GCU history with 726 digs.
Engleman joins full-time assistants Kaleo Baxter and Nick Castello on the staff headed by Ah Mow. The staff didn’t have a volunteer assistant last year.
