Wahine know
perfect way to end season
UH is on the verge of finishing
By Cindy Luis
undefeated in the conference for the
third consecutive year
Star-BulletinPardon the tunnel vision, but the University of Hawaii women's volleyball team has narrowed its focus for the next few weeks. Beginning with this week's road trip to Tulsa and Rice, the Wahine are becoming a little self-centered. "We need to start concentrating on us and what we need to do well," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "We need to start peaking, playing at a high level and build some momentum for the playoffs."
The No. 14 Wahine (21-5 overall, 12-0 Western Athletic Conference) are not looking past tomorrow's match with Tulsa (6-27, 1-11) or Saturday's match with Rice (6-23, 3-9). The Golden Hurricane played Hawaii tough last month at the Special Events Arena, winning Game 1 and leading late in Game 2 before falling, 13-15, 15-10, 15-3, 15-9.
"Tulsa bothers me a little because of what happened the last time we saw them," said Shoji, whose team left for Oklahoma late last night. "That got our attention. We'll be ready this time around. Tulsa is not a bad team, certainly better than what their record indicates."
Tulsa has lost its last five matches and 20 of its last 22. The Golden Hurricane's lone WAC win came against TCU.
Rice is playing for a berth in the WAC Tournament. The Owls are battling TCU for the sixth and final spot from the Pacific Division.
Hawaii has clinched the Pacific's top seed and a first-round bye in the WAC Tournament. The Wahine are looking to finish undefeated in conference play for the third consecutive season.
Hawaii's league winning streak of 47 dates back to 1994, when it was in the Big West. Two wins this week would give UH the ninth-longest skein in NCAA Division I volleyball history.
Although the WAC Tournament is nearly two weeks away, Shoji can't help but ponder the potential pairings. Should Hawaii win its opening match, it would likely play Brigham Young or Colorado State in the semifinals.
The Cougars and Rams are ahead of the Wahine in the regional rankings, which determine postseason seedings. BYU and CSU are tied for the Mountain Division lead at 12-1, having knocked off each other during the season. A coin flip could determine which gets the Mountain's top seed.
"I think I'd rather see Colorado State (in the semifinals) at the tournament," said Shoji, whose team was beaten by BYU in the tournament championship last year. "We're pretty even with CSU and it would be nice to have a win over them. The possibility of them getting into the finals and us not being in the final does not bode well for us. We need to stay in the top 16 if we want to play at home again this season."
The top eight seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament will get first-round byes and host second-round matches. The Nos. 9-16 teams will host first- and second-round matches in a mini-regional that has two semifinals Dec. 4 and a championship match Dec. 5.
Hawaii has put in a bid to host the the first and second rounds. The Wahine have not traveled for postseason play -- outside of last year's final four -- since the 1994 regional at Long Beach State.
"There's pressure on us to do well the rest of the way," Hawaii senior Cia Goods said. "But it's also motivating us."
The facts
Tomorrow: No. 14 Hawaii (21-5, 12-0) at Tulsa (6-27, 1-11), 3 p.m. HST
1997 UH Wahine Volleyball Schedule
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
