Hawaii women’s volleyball: Hanna Hellvig freshman of week, Wahine RPI 10, up to No. 21 in poll

Hanna Hellvig slammed down a point over UC Davis’ Leonie Strehl (12) and Alexa Rockas (6) during the first set Sunday. / Photo by Andrew Lee, Special to the Star-Advertiser

Congrats to Hanna Hellvig, the Big West Freshman of the Week.

Hellvig claimed her third such honor after leading Hawaii to a pair of victories last week.

The 6-foot-2 outside hitter had a team-leading 26 total kills for the week as the Rainbow Wahine swept UC Riverside and upended UC Davis in five sets on the 25th anniversary of the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hellvig averaged 3.25 kills, 1.63 digs and 0.50 blocks per set. She has posted double-figure kills in 15 matches this season.

Player of Week went to UCSB freshman Tallulah Froley. Hellvig was nominated.
Defensive player of week to CSUN’s Makayla Bradford. Norene Iosia nominated.
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Hawaii dropped down a spot to 10 in the latest NCAA RPI.

Top 50 opponents (Wahine 5-2)
Baylor 1, Washington 6, Missouri 20, UCLA 24, UC Santa Barbara 27, San Diego 29, Cal Poly 39

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Hawaii moved up a spot from 22 in today’s AVCA Top 25 poll.


The top eight remains the same, led by No. 1 Baylor (16-0, 61 votes).

San Diego’s win at BYU has the Toreros (15-4) at 22 after being unranked last week.

Receiving votes: UCSB (16), UCLA (6), Cal Poly (2)

COMMENTS

  1. Sheila October 21, 2019 9:18 am

    At lease a halt on slipping down the polls, thanks to BVS and Norene. RPI which is based on formula is very misleading, and AVCA poll describes perfectly wahine’s weakness in passing, specialists’ service errors, relatively, higher vulnerability to OH blocks. Although adjustments came late, did a good job to survive.


  2. Connor October 21, 2019 10:53 am

    Cindy: thanks for explaining about BVS having only one practice prior to Sunday’s game. She is amazing. Never looked rusty at all.

    UH serving and passing from Ross, okino and hanawahine has got to improve. That’s their job and they still fail at critical points of the game.


  3. nomu1001 October 21, 2019 11:09 am

    Not asking to change who she is by any mezns, but coach might want to work a bit on communication skills. In fact, people want to hear more from her and her coaches as well. That might help a bit to alleviate concerns about passing, serving, etc. Maybe a day each week dedicated to that kind of coverage?

    Just a question, what is status of Krug?


  4. Derek October 21, 2019 11:52 am

    1) Why do players smile when they make service errors, such as Okino? Natural to smile when you make a good play, but if I make a mistake or an error I would keep that game face focused and serious. May be it’s a woman’s thing, but that’s just an observation.
    2) Hitters need to work on more power on their arm swings. I like Wagoner and she’s an all around type, but she needs to hit harder and get on the weights to get stronger. She’s only a freshman so understandable she will get better. Harder velocity make the opponents to ricochet off their hands and the ball flies off in all directions, getting more kills. Less velocity creates more chances for digging. Ross hits pretty hard for her size, but her accuracy and placements need to be smarter and better. She makes too many errors. The only reliable terminators as hitters are Hellvig and Rasmussen. When is Jolie returning? We missed her badly.
    3) Igiede. Not to compare with the greats, but when I look at her and I see her potential I think of her as the second coming of Dietre Collins as a middle blocker. I predict when she’s all said and done she will be an All-American. The best part is that she’s just a freshman.
    4) Williams – good blocker. She too needs to hit the ball with authority and put the ball straight down She can do it. I don’t like it when she does that patty cake ball over the net. Too soft. Need to dominate.
    5) Iosia and Bailey – Coach need to recruit 2 good setters to replace these two. These 2 players are steady and can do the job together to take the team to the Final Four if the other players step up more.
    6) Van Sickle – I love her intensity and fire. She’s very steady and reliable. She’s always upbeat. I give her the most inspirational award at this point. For 5’9″ she hits hard and she’s very good.

    Just some of the observations. This is a young team and developing into their roles and their bodies. The 5 freshman on the team will be the nucleus of the team for the next 3 years. They are talented, you can see that. Now, can the team win games in sweeps or always playing in 4 and 5 sets? Maybe good experience, but I just think we need more terminators and put the ball down quicker than a lot of rallies. Good luck team!!!!


  5. tongo October 21, 2019 12:35 pm

    Congrats to Hanna for another weekly award! Really like how she was placing the ball in the 5th set instead of just trying to kill the ball. Her beach volleyball skills of hitting to the open space really shows. Would like to see her continue to mix it up including the tips which where so well disguised in the beginning of the season but seem to have disappeared in favor of just trying to hit as hard as possible.


  6. Andrew October 21, 2019 12:38 pm

    Van Sickle kinda reminds me of Aneli Cubi Otineru. Good on defensive and an undersized outside hitter that can hold her own.


  7. Manoafan October 21, 2019 12:39 pm

    Can we just stop saying Hellvig is 6-2, when it is so obvious that she is about 6-4. Unfortunately Igiede looks around 6-2 instead of 6-3. As a matter of fact, the athletic department should measure each athlete, without shoes, correctly and post their CORRECT height, etc. SERIOUSLY!!!


  8. Rabbit ears October 21, 2019 1:07 pm

    -4. They smile after they mouth a expletive. Rika did it, so did Norene last night.


  9. wayne-bow October 21, 2019 1:21 pm

    BVS = MVP. Got hurt in the UCI match and lost the last three sets. Started the third set against UCD and won the final three sets.


  10. H-Man October 21, 2019 1:31 pm

    My, my so much criticism. Wahine pulled out a reverse sweep with Brooke. Congrats to Coach Rob, staff and players. Hana, Amber and Sky looked good.


  11. nomu1001 October 21, 2019 2:42 pm

    Imho, you have confidence issues when you doubt your level of ability. So, quit moaning and feeling sorry for yourself, and work harder. Get over yourself. You are on a team. If you are gonna hang your head, let someone else do what you decided you can’t, Just my frustration hearing you have confidence issues. If you are playing your best, no one can ask for anything more.


  12. Andy October 21, 2019 3:00 pm

    4 – smiling can provide an instant relief of stress, and allow a quick mental reboot.


  13. mauna October 21, 2019 3:49 pm

    4. I don’t know if you saw all of Riley’s swings but I saw some bombs from her that unfortunately were dug up. One swing from the left side after she passed the ball was dug almost to the rafters and got some wows from the fans. Like everyone else, she’ll get better each season.

    Sky’s has been hitting with more quick pace this season. The pattycakes are the cause of misplaced or mistimed sets.


  14. Cindy Luis October 21, 2019 4:04 pm

    4. it’s spelled Deitre
    7. those are the official heights as measured in the preseason
    11. no idea what or who you’re talking about.


  15. Cindy Luis October 21, 2019 4:06 pm

    Brian McInni’s bonus volleyball coverage here on BVS
    https://www.hawaiiwarriorworld.com/court-sense/hawaii-womens-volleyball-brooke-van-sickle-rides-to-the-rescue/


  16. nomu1001 October 21, 2019 4:24 pm

    15. Well, I stand corrected on my take, which is wrong. BVS summed it up well, she’s right. Serving, passing, swing away, be aggressive. Fix it and this team can beat anyone in the country. With JR, even better. Hope she returns this season.


  17. WaveRipper October 21, 2019 4:41 pm

    1. In a previous post, someone posted defamatory remarks about the AVCA Coaches Poll — a weekly rating which I understand is conducted by a contracted polling firm. While the Poll is far from perfect (I wish it was the Top 50), the Poll’s historical accuracy in predicting the eventual winner of the NCAA D1 Championship speaks for itself.

    National Game of the Week: BAYLOR @ TEXAS of the 9-team Big 12 conference on October 23 (Wednesday). NCAA RPI: Baylor 1, Texas 4 …. AVCA Poll: Baylor 1, Texas 4.

    GO BOWS!


  18. Willie October 21, 2019 4:45 pm

    I know coach says, “she’ll play when she plays. Is there any update on Jolie’s condition? Hope she gets healthy and that she’s going to play sooner than later.


  19. rabbit ears October 21, 2019 4:53 pm

    16 still don’t know what you’re talking about?


  20. WaveRipper October 21, 2019 4:55 pm

    17. Forgot to mention: We are at the midpoint of our conference season — 8 league matches pau, 8 more to go. This year the Big West is turning into a Gig West that exceeds expectations. If you thought the first half was wild …..


  21. Aiea 7 October 21, 2019 5:16 pm

    while Iguede is getting better as a middle blocker, hitting motion appears awkward – she comes from way back to hit the ball and her motion does not allow her to hit the ball downwards, many times the ball goes straight and out of bounds, and this allows the blockers to form. she should change her swing and hit more like skylar, – from the ear and straight down which is more difficult to block. to hit a hard ball, the arm swing must be fast and not based of the size of the arm. the faster the swing the harder the ball is hit when good contact is made. simple physics.


  22. nomu1001 October 21, 2019 5:32 pm

    19. Nothing important. On different note, any news on any other recruits? Lang looks good on film, have not seen defensive specialist yet.


  23. Maverick October 21, 2019 5:46 pm

    17. Have no idea where you get your info. The AVCA poll is not a predictive measure; neither is the RPI. Both are backward looking measures, one human and one computer. In the penultimate AVCA poll (the one taken before the year’s tournament begins) for the years 2000-2018, 11 times has the #1 polled team gone on to win the championship (11/19 or 58%). Hardly predictive. If you look at the past 10 years, the AVCA #1 won the championship in 4 out of 10 years, a worse percentage (40%). Yeah, this record really speaks for itself.

    Data source: https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/index.html


  24. Waveripper October 21, 2019 8:34 pm

    23. “Have no idea where you get your info.” First sentence: “In a previous post, someone posted defamatory remarks about the AVCA Coaches Poll — a weekly rating which I understand is conducted by a contracted polling firm.” I can’t remember the exact date on Cindy’s blog, but it was a few days ago, and I found those inflammatory remarks against the AVCA Poll undocumented (but I stand corrected if they are documented) and just heresay. Second sentence: “While the Poll is far from perfect (I wish it was the Top 50), the Poll’s historical accuracy in predicting the eventual winner of the NCAA D1 Championship speaks for itself.” This sentence should be taken in context with the first sentence’s questioning of the AVCA Poll. For volleyball coaches to select the national winner 58% is an amazing record considering the AVCA has no say in seeding the top teams or selecting the regional pairings. In fact, as you have said and I now agree, the AVCA Poll is “irrelevant” to the Selection process. And how does the NCAA’s Volleyball Committee, which relies mainly (but not totally) on the NCAA RPI and which controls the seeding, etc, fair? Third sentence: “National Game of the Week: BAYLOR @ TEXAS of the 9-team Big 12 conference on October 23 (Wednesday). NCAA RPI: Baylor 1, Texas 4 …. AVCA Poll: Baylor 1, Texas 4.” Don’t see anything wrong with this info, unless you’re asking where I found this “national game of the week” info. Nowhere to be found but I don’t think many would question my opinion that this is the national game of the week.

    And since you are a provider of info, can you provide the for-pay volleyball websites that project the RPI before the NCAA releases its official RPI? Those would be useful links. Or if a similar free website exists, that would even be better.

    GO BOWS!


  25. ManoaFan October 21, 2019 8:34 pm

    Official doesn’t mean correct. Howard Wallace was my coach years back. Kenyatta Lovelace was listed as 5-8 but she was really 5-6. A tribute to her hops!


  26. Maverick October 21, 2019 9:31 pm

    24. The point of my post (again) is to critique your assertion of how well the AVCA poll “predicts” the national champion. 58% record is not amazing, and 40% over the past 10 years is worse–no historical accuracy, no predictive ability. Poor correlation. Any competent statistician will tell you that. BTW, the pollsters don’t “select” who they think will win the championship. They look at who is the best team at that point in time based on past results. The other stuff you wrote was irrelevant to my point.

    I have posted RPI and other info many times on this blog over the years. All you need to do is type a web search and you’ll find it too. Make an effort. Then you can refer to the info before you post something that is obviously incorrect.


  27. WaveRipper October 21, 2019 10:12 pm

    I did not ask for general RPI info. Wikipedia deals with that adequately. I asked for specific private websites that accurately track, among other things, the RPI (some on a daily basis) before the NCAA releases its weekly RPI. I believe they are for-pay websites. I am just curious which ones you use — if you use or peruse such sites.


  28. warriorwahine October 22, 2019 12:11 am

    4, 8 and/or 12. rika smiled because she was embarrassed she hit the net while norene smiled because she grimaced in pain.

    thats all.


  29. H-Man October 22, 2019 1:09 am

    2020 Defensive Specialist commit, Georgia Via https://volleymob.com/hawaii-lands-2nd-class-of-2020-commit-in-ds-l-georgia-via/


  30. islandman October 22, 2019 9:56 am

    21. i like Amber’s motion in hitting. Also, Maglio hit from way in back too.


  31. tongo October 22, 2019 1:59 pm

    13 – I agree about Riley’s swing. I really like her swing. Hitting percent is not there yet but based on everything else she does, it highly likely that she will get it up there with more experience and hitting the weights. She is a good one and so fluid on the court.


  32. Sheila October 23, 2019 8:19 am

    Eight more matches in regular season (24-32 regular sets) and probably, another five matches in red zone. Aim RPI, not to be dropped below 16. Few concerns/suggestions: 1) Hopefully, both recovering players, JR as well as BVS (needed fully healthy in red zone) gets very FEW rotations this weekend to prepare for 1st week of November. But expect the same crew carry wahines mostly, this weekend too. 2) Both injuries were blessing in disguise as wahine developed a discern depth without these two stars. Hopefully, these reserves be kept in loop until reach the red zone. 3) Wish to see some sort of combination-plays from MBs for sets that go to #20 (power hitter) to disrupt defenders. Although MBs do a great job in middle, seems providing inadequate support to OH). 4) Wish specialist develop a second serve with zero tolerance to be used only in critical times. For example, second serve in tennis, pace is reduced a little bit to avoid a service error but compensate with better placement, etc. 5) Hopefully, players start communicating better if there any health concerns with coaching staff few days prior to game day rather than letting everyone down during match.


  33. Big Island Volleyball Fan October 23, 2019 3:45 pm

    So comments are still open here while the two following segments are already closed.. Baylor finally met its Waterloo, losing in three straight sets to Texas on the road. No more undefeated teams. Last undefeated team was Penn State ten years ago.


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