Thursday, December 3, 1998
Star-Bulletin file photo
Heather Bown and the Wahine are set for a run
at the women's volleyball final four.
It’s Money
Time
Who's going to Madison? Our
By Cindy Luis
handicapper fills you in
Star-BulletinMaybe the NCAA knows something we don't.
The 1998 Women's Volleyball Records Book has players from four teams featured on its cover. The teams represented are Hawaii, Penn State, Stanford and Nebraska -- potentially the four finalists for the national tournament two weeks from now in Madison, Wis.
Interestingly, the four also had the top winningest active coaches by percentage coming into this season: the Cardinal's Don Shaw (.858), the Nittany Lions' Russ Rose (.839), the Wahine's Dave Shoji (.831) and the Cornhuskers' Terry Pettit (.823).
Nebraska (Pacific) and Penn State (Central) are the top-seeded teams in their respective regions and favored to get to the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus. Hawaii (East) and two-time defending champion Stanford (Mountain) are both No. 2 in their regions, but not considered overwhelming underdogs.
Of the four, Stanford has the toughest road to Madison. The Mountain's top seed is top-ranked Long Beach State with several ranked teams thrown into the mix: No. 12 Texas, No. 17 Colorado, No. 19 Illinois and No. 20 Arizona.
Long Beach State coach Brian Gimmillaro liked the fact that his team was seeded No. 1 overall but thought his region was much tougher than that of second seed Penn State.
"Penn State has a cakewalk," said Gimmillaro. "Nebraska should win their region and I think Hawaii could be in Madison, too."
A handicapper's look at the tournament bracket:
East Regional
Hawaii (29-2) got a very advantageous seeding. The Wahine should have no trouble at home against Brown Saturday and probably Nevada, which should defeat Miami, Ohio, in Saturday's first match at the Stan Sheriff Center.Hawaii should be traveling to the regional at Florida next week. The top-seeded Gators (31-2) faced Chattanooga tonight and then will meet either Ohio State or Texas Tech tomorrow.
The Buckeyes handed Florida a five-set loss in early September during the Wahine Classic. Ohio State will be fortunate to get a rematch with the Gators and the Gators will get revenge.
The other sub-regional winners are likely to be Arkansas and Southern Cal.
Indiana could play well enough to topple the Lady Hogs and Texas A&M could eliminate the Women of Troy.
Look for Hawaii to play Arkansas and Florida to take on Texas A&M this time next week in the regional semifinals. It will be a Wahine-Gators final with Hawaii repeating its feat of 1996 when it ended Florida's season in the NCAA Tournament semi.
East Winner: Hawaii.
Central Region
Penn State (30-0) didn't play anyone tough during the regular season and won't play anyone tough until getting to the regional final.The Nittany Lions should easily dispose of Bucknell tomorrow and probably Clemson Saturday.
In the other sub-regionals, Louisville should advance as should Pacific and Brigham Young.
Penn State will defeat Louisville with a real battle between Pacific and BYU in the other semifinal. Look for a Nittany Lions-Cougars showdown with Penn State being pushed by BYU. There's a potential for an upset here, but the Lions are playing at home and the Cougars might have been drained in their win over UOP.
Central winner: Penn State
Mountain Regional
Long Beach State (30-0) has been undefeated before without winning it all. The 49ers are at home, where they haven't lost in two years.Expect The Beach to wash over Southern tonight then oust Arizona tomorrow after the Wildcats take care of Fresno State.
The upset of the first round could be San Jose State over Colorado. Either way, Illinois can defeat whichever team it sees next, either the Spartans or Lady Buffs.
At Texas, the Longhorns are favored to win their sub-regional. Texas should have no problem with Wisconsin-Milwaukee but may be pushed by Colorado State in Saturday's final.
Stanford has been beset by injuries, sitting out its setter during the loss 11 days ago at Southern Cal. The Cardinal also escaped with a 3-2 win over surging UCLA a night earlier.
The Cardinal should still have enough to defeat Southeast Missouri State and neither Notre Dame nor Eastern Washington will be much of a match.
In the regional semis, Long Beach State should easily get past Illinois but this could be the end of the tournament for Stanford when it meets Texas.
Look for a Long Beach State-Texas final with the 49ers -- and the 1997 Player of the Year Misty May -- hooking those 'Horns ... but not without a battle.
Mountain Winner: Long Beach State
Pacific Regional
Nebraska (28-1) is expected to get to the final four for a fourth straight year. The Cornhuskers have all-America setter Fiona Nepo (University Lab) enjoying a successful senior season.Nebraska should have no problem getting past Morgan State tomorrow. The Huskers' opponent Saturday is likely to be Illinois State, coached by Julie Morgan (Punahou). Morgan's Redbirds should be able to eliminate Utah, which faltered in the past three weeks of the season.
NCAA host Wisconsin doesn't have an easy time to get back home. The Badgers should get by Arkansas-Little Rock tomorrow but could have a real problem with San Diego on Saturday; the Torreras probably will beat South Florida.
Michigan State faces Pepperdine tonight and should advance to tomorrow's final. North Carolina and ACC Player of the Year Erin Berg (Punahou) will get past Oral Roberts and could oust the Spartans, but probably won't.
The tricky sub-regional is at Santa Barbara where UCSB has been very successful. But the Gauchos were stunned by UCLA two weeks ago then got blasted by Long Beach State.
UCSB should get past Santa Clara but will have to face the Bruins in Sunday's final. UCLA has played itself back into the Top 25 poll after a miserable start and will salvage the season by eliminating the Gauchos.
Nebraska will take on -- and oust Michigan State in the semis and should take on UCLA, which eliminated San Diego. The Cornhuskers owe Nepo another final four appearance ... and she'll get it.
Pacific Winner: Nebraska.
Final Four
This could be the end of the Rainbow. Hawaii would face Long Beach State in the semifinal. The 49ers have ended the Wahine's season five times between 1989 and '94 but if Hawaii plays like it did against BYU last weekend, anything is possible.Nebraska should defeat Penn State and then? As nice as a Hawaii-Nebraska final would be, the top-ranked 49ers have been denied too long and they will take on the Cornhuskers for the title.
NCAA winner: Long Beach State
Division II
By Jerry Campany
tournament is
Hawaii Pacific’s
to lose
Special to the Star-BulletinAll it took for Hawaii Pacific University women's volleyball coach Tita Ahuna to go from mediocre to outstanding was a few good players.
Ahuna's Sea Warriors lost six of their last eight games last year to finish with a 10-11 record. But her team's fortunes turned around this season with the help of a few talented newcomers. Ahuna replaced the heart of last year's team when she brought in kill leader Debbie Sant'Anna, blocks leader Hai Yan Wang and assist leader Nia Tuitele.
The three combined to lead the 28-5 Sea Warriors past Brigham Young-Hawaii and into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II national tournament, which begins tomorrow in Kissimmee, Fla.
The Sea Warriors surpassed last season's 10 victories in their 11th game Oct. 2. Ahuna makes it sound so easy.
"I am the same coach I was last year," Ahuna said. "Our recruiting class was great and I was able to put it all together."
Putting it all together is a talent that requires a special coach -- and experience makes Ahuna a special coach. As a player, she guided her Kamehameha Schools team to a state championship and led the University of Hawaii to a Division I title as a setter.
But she knows that a coach can only be as successful as the players on the floor.
"I've been there," Ahuna said. "I've been in winning situations and know what it takes to win. This year I have a few great players, but it is not enough. It takes a full squad to win, commitment from the first young lady to the 13th."
Ahuna gets a total commitment from her players because she demands it. She has been a gym rat since early in her volleyball career when she discovered that raw talent wouldn't get her as far as she wanted to go.
Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji told her that she was an athlete, not a volleyball player, and made it clear that it would take hours in the gym before she would become the kind of player he could use.
Ahuna put in the time and expects her players to share in her determination.
"She is an excellent athlete," Hawaii Pacific athletic director Tony Sellitto said. "She knows the dedication and hard work it takes to win."
Ahuna has not scouted any of the Sea Warriors' upcoming opponents, knowing that the thin line between victory and defeat lies within her players, and most of her job is done this season.
"I don't know anything about North Alabama and Tampa other than that they are big," Ahuna said. "In any volleyball game, the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win."
"She beat us," BYUH coach Wilfred Navalta said. "That is all you need to know when asking what makes her so good."
The Seasiders were the No. 1 seed in the tournament, so the national tournament might be Hawaii Pacific's to lose.
"If they play up to the level they did against us," Navalta said, "I don't see anyone who can beat them."
The games are scheduled to be broadcast locally on KUMU2 AM-1500 as long as the Sea Warriors advance.
Today NCAA Division I tournament
First round
At Long Beach, Calif.
Arizona (21-6) vs. Fresno State (18-10)
Southern (19-12) at Long Beach State (30-0)
Texas Tech (23-10) vs. Ohio State (16-13)
Chattanooga (23-10) at Florida (31-2)
Northern Iowa (25-2) vs. Indiana (15-13)
New Hampshire (24-10) at Arkansas (27-5)
North Carolina (28-7) vs. Oral Roberts (29-5)
Pepperdine (17-10) at Michigan State (23-6)Tomorrow
Colorado (21-7) vs. San Jose State (21-11)
Southwest Texas State (25-8) at Illinois (20-10)
Colorado State (23-7) vs. South Carolina (21-10)
Wisconsin-Milwaukee (25-5) at Texas (24-4)
Notre Dame (17-12) vs. Eastern Washington (24-5)
Southeast Missouri State (24-11) at Stanford (25-3)
Texas A&M (20-8) vs. Temple (22-9)
Maryland-Baltimore County (22-6) at Southern California (22-5)
Bucknell (16-11) at Penn State (30-0)
Fairfield (35-1) vs. Clemson (21-10)
Florida State (25-10) vs. Northern Illinois (26-6)
American (29-5) at Louisville (27-4)
Sacramento State (25-8) vs. Houston (21-12)
Florida Atlantic (16-5) at Pacific (24-5)
Kansas State (18-11) vs. Georgetown (24-5)
Coastal Carolina (23-12) at Brigham Young (28-3)
Utah (20-9) vs. Illinois State (22-9)
Morgan State (18-14) at Nebraska (28-1)
South Florida (25-7) vs. San Diego (23-5)
Arkansas-Little Rock (20-8) at Wisconsin (27-4)Saturday
Nevada (22-6) vs. Miami, Ohio (26-7), 5 p.m.
Hawaii (29-2) vs. Brown (23-8), 7 p.m.
Virginia (26-7) vs. UCLA (15-11)
Santa Clara (20-9) at UC Santa Barbara (26-5)
NCAA Division II tournament
Tomorrow
Edinboro (28-8) vs. North Dakota State (31-3)
Pace (34-9) vs. Regis (29-3)
Northern Kentucky (29-3) vs. Tampa (31-2)
North Alabama vs. Hawaii Pacific (28-5), 12:30 p.m.Saturday
Edinboro-N.D. State winner vs. Pace-Regis winner
Northern Kentucky-Tampa winner vs. Hawaii Pacific-North Alabama winner, 3:30 p.m.Sunday
Championship, 9 a.m.
