It was an unexpected reality check for the Hawaii beach volleyball team, which lost Heather Boyan to a hiking accident a week before the season opener. Boyan, expected to be part of the Rainbow Wahine’s No. 1 pairs team, remains hospitalized in stable condition after suffering multiple injuries in a fall Saturday while on the Ka’au Crater trail in Palolo Valley.
Boyan fell an estimated 50 feet, according to Hawaii coach Jeff Hall, and “we’re counting our blessings. It could have been much worse,” he said.
Information on the extent of Boyan’s injuries was not released due to health privacy laws, but she likely is to remain at The Queen’s Medical Center for at least the next few days. Her parents are expected to arrive from their Indiana home sometime this week.
Boyan was hiking with friends when she apparently slipped while peering over an edge and fell into waters below a waterfall. She was set to play her second season for the SandBows as a graduate student; she graduated from Western Kentucky in fall 2014 following four seasons with the Hilltoppers’ indoor volleyball team.
Boyan, 18-9 last year when playing with various partners, was scheduled to team with All-American Katie Spieler at No. 1 when third-ranked Hawaii opens the season this weekend at the Pepperdine Kickoff Tournament at Zuma Beach, Calif. Spieler, also playing as a graduate student, now will partner with sophomore Lara Schreiber at the No. 2 flight.
Moving to No. 1 will be junior All-American Nikki Taylor and junior Mikayla Tucker.
A GoFundMe.com page is scheduled to be launched shortly to help offset medical expenses.
“Heather is still part of this team and we’ll continue to use her as an inspiration for the season,” Hall said. “We’re counting our blessings and will use it as a springboard into appreciating everything we have.”
Hawaii opens Saturday with dual matches against defending national champion and top-ranked USC, and No. 7 UCLA. The SandBows finish out the event Sunday with host Pepperdine, ranked No. 2, and No. 4 Long Beach State.
This is the inaugural season for Big West volleyball as well as the first year the NCAA is sponsoring the sport after four years under the AVCA aegis.
