Same hotel. Same sand.
Hawaii is in its comfort zone at this week’s NCAA beach volleyball national championship tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. It is the fourth consecutive year that the seventh-seeded Rainbow Wahine (26-9) are in the field, just one of five programs that make that claim. Florida State, Pepperdine, UCLA and USC are the others.
The SandBows open with the defending national champion and second-seeded Bruins (31-3) on Friday and “it’s who we want to play,” Hawaii coach Jeff Hall said in a telephone call from Alabama. “We’re very familiar with them, know them the best of any team here other than Cal Poly.
“We like where we’re at. We’re in our comfort zone.”
Hawaii has finished third the past two NCAA tourneys, last season ending with a 3-2 loss to UCLA. The SandBows are 0-9 against the field this year: 0-3 vs. Cal Poly, 0-2 vs. Pepperdine and 0-1 against Florida State, LSU, UCLA and USC.
There’s a chance in Friday’s second match for Hawaii to again see Cal Poly for the third time in seven days. The Mustangs ended the SandBows’ streak of three Big West championships last Saturday when defeating Hawaii twice, 4-1 and 3-2.
In that first match, SandBows junior Julia Scoles suffered a back injury and was unable to continue. Partner Ari Homayun then teamed with reserve Norene Iosia, the pair winning at Flight 4 twice.
Scoles is scheduled to participate in today’s warm-ups but will be evaluated before being cleared for a full practice.
Cal Poly is the only newcomer at this week’s event.
“We’re certainly more familiar with the venue but you don’t get more points for that,” Hall said.
This is the fourth NCAA tournament for seniors Homayun (8-3 in four appearances) and two-time All-American Emily Maglio (3-6). Homayun, the program’s leader in individual wins (116) and dual wins (113), is one victory away from her third straight season of 30 or more wins; she is 29-6 this year including 26-6 with Scoles.
Note
Hall, noting the conflict with the NCAA men’s volleyball and beach championships this week, said that there preliminary discussions about having both championships at the same site during the same week.
“Creating a VolleyFest,” he said.
Some complaints have been voiced that beach volleyball, in just its fourth season as an NCAA-sanctioned championship, is overshadowing the men’s competition, which is in its 50th championship year. ESPN has jumped on board with beach and is televising every match of the three-day schedule either or ESPNU, ESPN2 or ESPN (Sunday’s final). The network is only televising the Saturday men’s final on ESPN2.
NCAA BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday-Sunday, Gulf Shores, Ala. Double-elimination (except for championship)
Friday
M1. USC (28-4) vs. Stetson (29-8), 4 a.m.
M2. Pepperdine (20-9) vs. LSU (29-6), 5 a.m.
M3. UCLA (31-3) vs. Hawaii (26-9), 6 a.m.
M4. Florida State (28-5) vs. Cal Poly (25-10), 7 a.m.
M5. M1/M2 losers, 8 a.m. (loser out)
M6. M3/M4 losers, 9 a.m. (loser out)
M7. M1/M2 winners, 10 a.m.
M8. M1/M2 winners, 11 a.m.
Saturday
Bracket play, 8 a.m.-noon
Sunday
Championship semifinal, 4:30 a.m.
Championship, 8 a.m.
TV: Friday, ESPNU; Saturday, ESPN2; Sunday semifinal, ESPN2; championship, ESPN.
Online: All courts of all duals, ESPN3.
Correction: The UCLA Bruins are seeded second in the NCAA beach volleyball tournament, not third, as was reported in an earlier version of this story.
