UCLA 3, Hawaii 1

Watching the pre game on OC16, showing the recently completed training room. Wow, impressive! What a difference from over 40 years ago. Looking forward to a great competitive match.

UH looks awful, UCLA isn’t even playing that great.

Wahine just look Lackadaisical again 🙁

Setting killing us this set.

UH has to have short-term memory and forget the first set ever happened. Move one.

Too easy.

Higgins wasnt struggling? Come on now. There were at least bad sets that resulted in errors because there was nothing we could do with it.

Our lefts all hitting negative. Sealy scouted well.

Serving much better.

Bachi.

ok good start this is more like wahine volleyball. Need Greeley to get going, Who knows what the heck that was in the first set.

They need to stop giving up such long runs.

Right now, all the outsides are hitting negative (Granato is at .000). That’s where the most improvement needs to be.

Team captains just need to play better in the bigger matches, come on wahine.

That’s what happens when you are scouted so well. UCLA is digging the balls that Nikki was putting down last night.

I think UCLA just has really good backrow defenders.
Whats disappointing is UH’s defense, they are making players like Buechler and lawless have good offensive nights much better than they average.

Greeley is just not getting it done, Im afraid I bachi’d her. think Shoji needs to give Huff or Castillo a shot if Greeley and TMO continue to struggle.

No, what’s disappointing is the play of UH’s outsides. Two at .000 and two hitting negative.

42. Don’t know what the solution is but Dave has to do something. Nikki is a formidable first option but she can’t carry the team alone. Tai lacks the height and consistency and Kalei lacks the power to consistently beat a well-prepared opponent with good blockers.

finally TMO hope that gets her going.

46. I think if they continue to struggle you have to use your bench, who knows Huff might have a breakout match.

that was huge by Tai, she should overpower Muno everytime.

Wahine leading, but their passing needs to get better. High sets allowing the Bruins to get their blockers in place.

Greeley, Nikki and TMO struggled but came through when it counted the most. They must pick up their games, and clean the passing.

Good win after losing a big lead and facing the loss of the set. I sum up the match so far: not enough from the middles, poor hitting percentage from the outsides. UCLA with the significant edge in digs at this point.

Denise Hanson seems to be the most cosistently good ref in Hawaii….she can stay! Lol

58. Not just at the arena. I’m watching at home and when the ref missed that obvious lift I jumped off my couch and yelled. LOL.

Starting middles are hitting .615 combined with 13 total swings out of team total of 77 (only 17% of the attempts). Need to get them more involved the next two sets.

65. I just remember jokingly telling whoever it was that I was watching the game with, “WATCH, its gonna be Tai going back to serve!” and we just cracked up at the chances.

Greeley is true to form. Very slow starter offensively, but picks it up later in the match. Having a good set 3 so far. BTW, UCLA sure has a lot of weird passing errors.

Man we really need Higgins to get more steady, her sets are all over the place.
And Greeley is really struggling. ugh.

Seriously, Taylor/TMO are really struggling. Greeley has the highest hitting percentage of all the outsides.

Jeez the last ten points have just been sloppy for the wahine, come on they need to win this.

This is ugly on both sides. Hawaii will be kicking themselves if they lose this.

Higgins continues to pass up opportunities to set the middle. I just don’t get it. And Tai misses long. SMH.

81. See comment 21.

Passing is just horrendous.

This is gonna be a bad loss if they dont come back. UCLA is middle of the pack pac 12 IMO.

I have no idea why the middles are being ignored.

It’s so much easier when you serve tough.

You can’t say height determined this match. UH out blocking UCLA. Defense appears to be the big difference–UCLA with 12 more.

When the pass is there the middle attack is there.

they come back, then completely break down, frustrating, WHy did it take so long for Shoji to call the time out>?

UCLA a lot better in the back row.

Nice cover by Kalei. She missed it the last time.

I think Kendra should have dumped that. Beauchler is just tooling the wahine block like crazy.

Darn it, just not as crisp as they need to be.

If only Magill had the slide.

Greeley just did not come through, Really question keeping Nikki in the backcourt, should have put in a DS if they had subs left.

Just really disappointing, This was must win for post season hosting chances which are probably done.

Higgins really killed us this match. Don’t care how many people deny it. Yes passing wasnt bad, but her setting was worse.

Good match but not yet ready for the big guys.

A close loss on the fourth set. As you said Cindy, one loss beyond that to Florida next week (barring a miraculous upset), Hawaii will not host the first two rounds of the playoffs. Right?

124. I hope no senior bias and Iosia wins out the setting position next year, It will be the best thing for the program IMO. But I fully expect Tayler H to get playing time still for her serve. But anyway thats for the future. this loss stings.

Greeley just did not play up to her standards today. She didn’t hit smart her passing was shakier. Same with Nikki although her serving was fantastic. We need these two to come through against florida.
Bruins defense just far superior but Shoji doesn’t use his backrow subs like Sealy does.

Some good volleyball from UCLA, they forced Higgins and Shoji to adjust from counting on Taylor to carry the team. This will be good long term for the Bow’s.

Huff looked like a nice adjustment, I expect that may happen earlier next time the OH struggle. Nice to see Higgins understand the importance of the game and turn down her serving game to keep the ball in. Almost the incredible comeback, good volleyball by the entire team to push the 4th set to a two point he.

UH’s only possibility for hosting is by running the table. Beating Florida is a must–UH needs a victory over a top-25 team (not clear LBSU will make the top 25 this year) to convince the seeding committee that it deserves to host in the first round. Beating Florida and then losing another match will take them out of hosting, IMO. The schedule is just too weak.

Two years ago, UH was seeded 11th despite an RPI ranking of around 16. The main reason was going 5-2 against the top 50 (if I recall correctly), including a win over top ranked Texas, and despite a couple of in-conference losses. No chance that UH will have anything like that resume this year.

I actually believe the poll is a small factor in seeding this year.

138. Thanks for your feedback. So a loss to Florida shuts the door on hosting post-season.

141. It is my strong belief based on what has happened in the past. The seeding committee not only wants teams to play top-25/top-50 competition, they want teams to win those matches. Florida is the only remaining team on the schedule (again with the exception of LBSU possibly making the top 25 later this season) that has the cache and ranking to convince the committee that UH deserves to host.
But this is a big IF. Even if UH were to beat Florida and run the table, UH’s weak schedule may deter the committee from seeding UH.

Hope they go 3-0 next tournament but hitting efficiency, defense/passing and setting all need to be cleaned up. The only good thing tonight was the serving by Higgins and Taylor and Huff and Magill’s hitting.

Playing Bakersfield/riverside twice will kill our rpi. Our only hope is that UCLA goes on to have a better than expected season and ends up 2nd or 3rd in the pac 12 and UH goes undefeated the rest of the way , which is unlikely.

Cindy, your blog is so much more pleasant to read than in seasons past. I remember looking and seeing certain posters or just noticing their styles and just not even bothering to read any of their posts and even avoided your blog at times in disgust. So much more knowledge flowing than trash-talking.

This loss was not totally a surprise when you compare the common opponents both teams faced this week. One positive may be that Dave is forced to make some bold lineup/strategy changes that he normally would be hesitant to do. Really shake things up.
I think Huff needs to get more playing time. Tai and Granato struggle against big teams like UCLA. She may be raw now, but we’ll need her in the post season when we play the big teams. Same goes for Mitchem.

IMHO, UH was extremely well scouted and you have to give Sealy kudos for developing and executing a highly successful plan that neutralized both Nikki and Olivia. We see it football all the time. Dave will need to make adjustments – just like Mike Sealy did last week when UCLA got totally embarrassed in a sweep by (tiny ) LMU. No need to go ballistic. This is just pre-season! Team is still jelling and positions are still in flux. The girls have a short turn around before playing Florida. Let’s uplift and support the team. Let’s look forward. We need to beat Florida.

153. I would’ve hoped that Mitchem would’ve have been ready enough in the coaches’ eyes to have started this match, but when she was in Higgins almost NEVER went to her on the slide. Maglio has paid her dues and had her fair chances, but she cannot terminate anywhere near what Mitchem is capable of. To me, it is a fail that she wasn’t given more of an opportunity to gain experience to be ready to start for this match.

147. Bakersfield is a really dubious scheduling choice (1-6 record with a victory over that vaunted Alabama State squad–and on the fast track to 1-9 after next weekend before meeting UH). That team will nullify the RPI gains from playing Florida and one other UH opponent with an excellent overall record. If you want to play two matches to prevent rust, why not consider an away series with a better team? If making money from two additional home games is important, better to schedule BYU-Hawaii. I understand non-Div I opponents are not factored into Div I RPI calculations.

Until tonight, Greeley was really good on the left OH1. I don’t know if replacing her with Annie Mitchem will make any difference. I think it was more of UCLA being a lot better than the Wahine in their passing, digging and setting.

Na Wahine middle attack is one dimensional at the present. Opponents’ middle blockers need not worry about defending the step out. They need to diversify that middle attack. Left OH1 position is vulnerable as well. Lots to to take away from match and to work on.

The match exposed our weaknesses that we were able to get by with the unranked opponents. Somehow Megan Huff got to play opposite Nikki (why only now)and IMO that is the final answer…Enough testing with the Tai/Granato duel. We need that tall hitter/blocker if we want to go far if we get to postseason. The percentage at the net fares much better with Nikki, Huff, Greeley,( O/H ) Magill,Maglio, or Mitchem is still very interesting. All 3 middles have not really stood out (non consistent) but Mitchem if and when she gets comfortable moving around and playing to the speed of this level will be the “Go To Middle” (IMO). Anderson provides spark as a D/S and she moves around the ball very well. I still think we need Koelsch in there earlier than at 20pts…She affects the opposition more due to her height…When Greeley and Taylor makeSwift service, digging or hitting errors I am not as concerned due to there more steadiness game in and game out…The backcourt and at the net the movements appears slow reaction wise and predictable…We need to have a “Step -Out” arsenal offensively…This is the 1st year in many to remember that non of our starters are doing it…Only Mitchem does it when she comes in…Anyways this crossword puzzle can be solved once it is figured out. Lastly, Castillo can play backrow, got a nice armswing, and brings height up front…She is a player!..She is very similar to Greeley in every sense… Another good one..Excited to see how much we improve in 4 days…We will be very good going into regular season!! Again this is just my observation, but at the end I cherish and enjoy every wahine on our team….I look forward to volleyball season every year….I am a die hard fan

164. Interesting. Like a lot of others I’ve been thinking that Mitchem should get a look at OH, but a lineup of Taylor, Greeley and Huff may be the solution.

Ok after some thought. I think We need Nikki to move to the left,, her defense is good enough and she can hit from the left and right I was worried at first about her hitting from there but she had some great swings in set 4, her passing needs to improve though.
Start Huff on the right, her potential is Huge and will payoff in the long run but have Granato play backrow for her. Greeley at OH2 and Mitchem and Magill in the middle. I think this would be the best option to advance further in the NCAA tourney at season’s ends. With TMO and Maglio ready to come off the bench and inject energy.

Sorry, but it’s a little naive to think just because they’ve competed before, there’s no possibility of conflicting personalities, no likelihood of friction, and everything will be sprinkled with pixie dust and love. We all have drama in our lives and I’m sure these girls didn’t get a free pass. In the end, I was just trying to say that I hope there isn’t a lot of it, because there is a ton of potential there and I’m just a fan that wants to see it happen. And I’m betting it will with Shoji at the wheel.

Back to the drawing board so soon?

As they say, better now than too late. Going back to the drawing board helped UCLA, as Sealy dropped his more experienced setter for a frosh! If ever there was a time for Shoji to put his experience of 41 years at the helm to work, now is the time.

Ok after thinking about it, the loss is not so bad, UH almost came back from the dead and took it to five which shows never give up attitude and toughness. There have been serious weaknesses exposed but now they have time to work on them and they might have discovered a new weapon in Huff.

I found a tweet by a 6′ 2 sophomore from Alabama named Kaden Edenfield and it says she wants to play for the rainbow wahine and is obsessed, Looks like she has major hops. http://s3.amazonaws.com/vnn-aws-sites/7911/files/2015/06/Edenfield.2014.jpg

I hope Jeff Hall takes notice.

Towards the end of game 4, all the sets kept going to Greeley. Even on the passes that were good enough to set the middles. Annie was going up for the slide and not getting set. Why is Annie not getting set? She needs the reps…period! She won’t get better if not given the reps.

Same with Huff. She needs playing time and sets to get better. I really do think these 2 need to be on the court.

Even though there are only 3 Middle Hitters, they can still try Mitchem on the pins and see how she does out there. If an injury happens, God forbid, they can just put her back in the middle or throw Castillo in the middle. They have options, it is just not being utilized.

I’m kind of rambling…but to conclude, Huff and Mitchem need to be on the court more and get playing time AND SETS!!!! to get better.

This lose was not the end of the world. UCLA is good but I would bet on us in a re-match. We have better personnel, we just need to get the right people in the right positions. I do think that we now need to beat Florida if we want to be in the conversation as a national contender. This lose was a team lose and no one individual should be blamed. The plus was seeing what Huff can do.

Good Morning,

http://www.avca.org/divisions/division-one-women/poll-9-7-2015/

Hawaii moved up one spot to #16 in the AVCA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Poll just ahead of #17 UCLA! Also, Hawaii will have an opportunity at a resume-building win as they face #2 Florida on Friday Night! Hope that the SSC is sold out and good luck Rainbow Wahine VB!