Wahine volleyball team must survive today’s first round to advance in NCAA tourney

EUGENE, Ore. >> The entire month of November has felt like postseason play for the Hawaii women’s volleyball team.

Winners of six consecutive matches, including two do-or-die victories in the Big West Championships, the focus is no longer on making a 30th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

The goal now is to survive and advance.

The Rainbow Wahine wrapped up a 90-minute practice inside Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday, site of today’s opening-round match against Iowa State, and were treated to freshly made granola bowls before a quick meeting inside one of the locker rooms in the bowels of the arena.

Robyn Ah Mow, who is 3-5 in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach at Hawaii, watched her team play its best volleyball of the season to win the Big West Tournament. Now the challenge is duplicating that performance for at least another two matches.

“We’re going to have to if we want to keep playing,” Ah Mow said Wednesday. “I think the girls are up for the challenge. I will make sure they will be ready.”

Wednesday’s early-morning temperature dipped into the mid-20s and was barely above freezing when UH took the practice floor.

Nothing changed despite the condensed time limit due to NCAA rules. A NCAA official was there ready to sound the horn the moment the 90 minutes were up.

Senior Riley Wagoner, whose 20 kills in the tournament last week were her most in consecutive matches in more than a month, said the key to duplicating their performance is to expect more.

“It’s not necessarily about doing it again, but rather doing it better than we did before,” Wagoner said. “We talk about getting 1 percent better every day and I think that’s been a really big focus for us, especially when we have a really hard travel schedule.”

There were still a few yawns on the court after Hawaii’s hectic travel schedule home and back to the mainland following Saturday’s win in Long Beach, Calif.

Ah Mow, who said they have never played on a Thursday on the opening week of the NCAA Tournament since she took over, expects everyone to be ready to go today.

Senior Amber Igiede, who like Wagoner will finish her career with four conference titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, added that the work has been put in despite the shortened week.

“It’s different now because we don’t know the teams as well as our conference games but overall, we’re watching film and doing the studies and I think we’ve prepared well,” Igiede said.

Ah Mow said the Cyclones, who finished 20-9 overall and 11-7 in Big 12 play, are similar to the Rainbow Wahine but with a little more size.

She compared them to the teams they played in the Big West Tournament.

“I feel like the speed is almost like ours,” Ah Mow said. “It’s about just changing gears and dialing in on what we need to do on our side. The block time is a little different, the lineup is a little different, they are running cross plays, which we haven’t seen a lot in the Big West, but it’s not like we haven’t seen it. The coaches are on it and we’re going to be all over that.”

Hawaii closed out the Beach for a fourth straight conference title Saturday with Igiede and Kennedi Evans carrying the load from the middle as they have most of the season.

The two combined for 23 kills in 32 swings with both hitting .522 or better.

Hawaii has also shortened its bench and gone with starters Kendra Ham, Wagoner and Caylen Alexander on the outside for nearly every point of the last two matches.

The three hitters combined for 21 kills against Long Beach after all three posted double figures in kills against Cal Poly.

They were the only five players to record kills for UH in the entire Big West Tournament. The production from the outside, which hasn’t been there consistently all season, has played a big part in UH getting to take the court at least one more time.

“I think that’s a really big testament to our passers and Kate running the middles and our middles just pulling the blockers for us,” Wagoner said. “That’s a big part of our success. We have to pass and get our middles involved early so we can kind of have that success later on.”

Today’s match will start at 2 p.m. Hawaii time and be broadcast on ESPN+. The winner will face the winner of the nightcap between host Oregon, ranked No. 6 in the country, and Southeastern Louisiana on Friday at 5 p.m. Hawaii time.

Hawaii’s only other match played at Matthew Knight Arena was a first-round NCAA Tournament match in 2018 when it lost to Baylor in five sets after leading 2-0.

Rainbow Wahine Volleyball

>> What: NCAA Tournament, first round

>> Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.

>> When: Thursday, 2 p.m.

>> Who: Hawaii (23-8) vs. Iowa State (20-9)

>> TV: ESPN+ (streaming)

>> Radio: KKEA 1420-AM / 92.7-FM