Hawaii moves to 14; Taylor and Maglio honored
Wahine move up a spot in the poll to 14, UCLA moves up one place to 7.
Top four remain the same.
Nebraska unanimous No. 1. 2. Wisconsin. 3. Texas and 4. Kansas.
Minnesota traded places with Washington. The Gophers to No. 5 and the Huskies to No. 6.
https://www.avca.org/polls/di-women/9-15-2016.html
In case you missed the Top 25 scores from Sunday
2) Wisconsin def. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25-15, 25-10, 25-13
7) Florida def. Michigan State 25-13, 25-16, 25-19
9) Stanford def. 13) Penn State 26-24, 25-18, 25-22
17) Illinois lost to Colorado 17-25, 25-18, 15-25, 25-18, 17-19
Big West Conference
UCSB lost to Pittsburgh 25-19, 20-25, 24-26, 15-25
COMMENTS
Comments are closed.
Wanted to acknowledge and thank the UH department responsible for the sync of the fixed streaming with the 1420 radio broadcast. Great job and thank you.
From previous thread
no way to answer all the comments.
but
on Smith: don’t have a definitive answer but was surprised she didn’t play considering how well she did a week ago. However Guinasso apparently had a better practice week. was surprised, tho, that Ponce went in instead of Smith.
on Greeley: They felt they needed her court presence and passing. Agree that she didn’t need to be in there, at least in the front. They are not going to redshirt her.
on no Left: They know it. they thought they had the answers in Granato and Sibley. And were expecting them to be more consistent than they were. They are going to give Ross more of a serious look this week.
someone said they didn’t announce all of the all-touranmetn team. They did
Hawaii: Nikki Taylor (MOP), Emily Maglio, Norene Iosia
UCLA: Jordan Anderson, Jennie Frager
Missouri State: Lily Johnson
Pacific: Lexi Elman
and on the trainer/injuries. not sure why HCF questions that injuries shouldn’t take this long to hear. The trainer has no control on the players’ bodies and how they heal. Greeley has said she expected to be better by now but isn’t.
Trainer Shigemura been with the team for a while.
Note to HCF. no one took your comments out of context. You DID question her credentials.
1. Agree, great job
Good to see UH not being punished harshly for a third loss, none of which I would characterize as a bad loss given the opponent. Same for TAMU and PSU, although PSU fell to 17. The last time PSU was ranked this low was October 2003, same year UH went to the final four. Congrats to Colorado for leaping into the poll at 18 after two big wins over Illinois and PSU.
Other teams of note: Kansas State at 27, Arizona 37, Missouri State 38, UCSB 42. West Coast Conference has 4 teams in the top 25, awesome for a non-football conference. Big10 has 8 teams in top 25, Pac12 5, Big12 2, SEC 2, ACC 2.
Taylor named Player of the Week and Maglio named Defensive Player of the Week
http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=19294
thanks. just got back in. and was going to post it.
Self-inflicted hitting and defensive errors, serve receive and passing errors, from all over the court and all positions, cost them the match as much as anything. Yes UCLA was doing things to exploit weakness, which they had the tools to do, but Hawaii didn’t adjust quickly or well, UCLA tipping a case in point. Our blocking on the outsides was good enough to get them tipping, and once they were rewarded for it they just kept on doing it.
On the plus side, serving was good for the most part, although G’s service error at the end of a set isn’t something you want to see from your serving specialist. The timing of service errors can be as crucial as the quantity of them. Need to have enough VBIQ to know when priority is to keep it in.
Setting seemed the least of their problems, but putting in Higgs in the 3rd set was worth a try. Things looked about the same though with her in.
The middle play was ok, but clearly not good enough yet. Way too many chances given away with soft treatment of overpasses. Heard the crowd start to grown at the lack of recognition of overpasses, and the hesitancy at taking a hard swing at them. Easily correctable I think, but we will see next week.
The many two point swings subsequent to so many self-inflicted errors kept them from gaining momentum or keeping separation. If they would have played steadier defensive ball with better passing and smarter swinging, it might have been a 3-0 sweep for the Wahine.
Just my 2 cents. With the OHs under construction, the success of the MHs becomes even more critical. At times, it seem to me that Iosia is setting the ball to the MH directly in front of opposing blocker. Maglio was blocked several times. Perhaps situational audible options (back 1, 31, or slide) should be worked on by both the setter and MHs.
Glad that Maglio and Taylor received honors. Heard rumblings about Taylor getting the MVP of the tournament award and feel she deserved it. We lost to UCLA by a few points (Under 10 for the match, I believe) but didn’t feel that any one of their players stood out and saw previous matches with other teams. Nikki at stood out against Missouri and Pacific.
They’ve been doing a lot of low quick sets to the MH, giving them no approach or just a step. MH has little chance to see the block and less chance to hit it over the block; if the blocker is there and ready, they have to try to hit around. They have to hope the blocker isn’t in position or doesn’t know how to react. UCLA sniffed that one out pretty quick. With the wingspans of their 6’6″ and 6’5″ middles, they didn’t have to jump to block, they were expecting a quick set, and they’d just reach out to block.
What I haven’t seen much of yet is where Mags starts out behind the 3 meter line, and she gets a running start on a higher set. When she gets that set you can sense the opposition start to cringe and almost hear them squeezing their cheeks in preparation for the blast coming their way.
Chicken-or-egg situation. When no one’s respecting your LOH, your middle is going to get squeezed. And a high outside set gives plenty of time for MB to shift over to an OH that has trouble dealing with big blocks.
I like Ross a lot but given her size I can’t see her having more success on the left than Granato or Sibley. Would love to be proven wrong though.
Utah Valley (UVU), Hawaii’s next opponent, was beaten by BYU, Cal Poly, and Rice; however, they out blocked every opponent except BYU 8-9.
With UVU’s blocking, Hawaii may again have trouble with left side production; especially with the higher sets that all the setters are providing. (Cal Poly used a fast offense–fast sets– to beat UVU.)
Interestingly, Norene Iosia set low and tight in the Wisconsin game and we nearly won 2 sets. She is now setting high and wide to the outside, giving both hitter and blockers ample time to set up.
I apologize regarding Renee and her credentials. After re-reading my posts, it definitely questions her credentials. That wasn’t my intent. So I apologize.
It’s like at work when you are sending out an email when you’re frustrated or angry, general rule is you wait until you calm down and then re-read and adjust before sending. I messaged in frustration with all the injuries we have been getting the last couple years and the length of time to heal.
So, again, I apologize for questioning Renee and her capabilities and credentials.
I also noticed that Norene is setting higher and slower than last week. She was shooting balls to the outside before.
With no left side presence, middles and Nikki will be stacked on all night. I’m telling you, Annie might be worth at least taking a look at out there. Castillo is holding her own. And I don’t expect KG to be back in time this year to make a difference hitting wise.
After rewatching the telecast on YouTube, while UCLA’s defense is outstanding, I really think the loss was the perfect storm of unforced errors and unfortunate lingering injuries. And since two days after a game is the perfect time to play Second Guess the Coach 😉 I don’t know about the decision to play Kalei injured – in close games every scoring opportunity counts and she was basically free-balling some scoring opportunities. Also, while Norene had a few off moments in Set 2, she was pretty awesome in Set 1 and I would have liked to see her given a chance to bounce back and do something special in Set 3.
I’m not sold on low quick sets as some sort of panacea for whatever ails. It’s harder to run, more difficult for the hitters to hit, reduces their ability to adjust to whatever block is there, and easier for blockers to stuff if they anywhere within reach. Blockers don’t have to jump much if at all, just reach out/over. The low quick system turned the women’s team USA full of dominating studs into a third place team that was lucky to get that.
I think against Arizona, there were more long rallies in sets 3 through 5. That got the Arizona blockers and defense moving all over the court, and eventually Granato could catch them leaning the wrong way or out of position. Iosia was trying to spread the ball around and everyone was getting chances, including the MH’s, Ross at Opp, and Granato left, right, and out of the pipe.
With Nikki back, UCLA focused on taking her cross-court, letting the Lib/DS take line. Then their middles focused on taking the low quick set at the net to our MH’s, and on our left, they challenged our OH’s take line or seam if they could. For the most part, they couldn’t or didn’t take line or find seam. If they found seam it was either slowed by touch or a long cross-court the back court was in position for. If they couldn’t/wouldn’t go line about all that was left was tool high or tool off the outside blocker’s arm, or a tip. Not sure how a low quick set just off the net was going to help with that.
It seemed to me that we were setting too many balls too close to the net. Most hitters have a”sweet spot” which the setter is usually aware of and tries to deliver. The problem is that when the setter has to run all over the place to make the set it is more difficult . The solution is as many of you have pointed out is we need better passing. Every thing depends that first pass. The good news is that we have several wahine on the bench that would probably deliver that good pass if given the opportunity.
And Ross was not set once during game 3. I’m not saying she may have pulled off the heroics like last week, but she sure can’t if not getting set. It was really clear Higgs didn’t feel comfortable setting her.
It feels really weird to not have a left side terminator. Or one that will hit the pipe, other than Nikki on occasion.
Hopefully Annie gets better this week or next as Dave was mentioning. Would be nice to have her this week against Washington and Pepp.
Everyone, time for a reality check. The reality is status quo on the left, every week, every game, regardless of result. (KG could come back but her average was never that high to begin with.)
The thinking is that players just need time and experience to get better; I understand that part. But the high sets work both ways, makes it easy for the offense and the defense. Although it could take awhile for the left side to come around no changes are planned.
So this season looks to be a training or rebuilding year for Hawaii; still, results speak louder than words, so time will tell.
On the flip side, since the high setting is not producing the expected results, why not try what worked before (Wisconsin game)? I can’t believe UCLA is that much stronger than Wisconsin. Iosia and the OHs have already played faster sets in the Wisconsin game. Why change to high sets now?
16…..I agree with your comment that with better passing, we truly look like a machine. For example, when Emma Smith came in the end of the 3rd set (why so late?) she passed the ball beautifully to the setter for easy kills. I don’t know how subbing affects the amount of time we are allowed, but definitely really need to consider it.
Equal opportunity sounds silly, but Shoji is probably giving the most deserving DS’ time on the court to show what they can do. (He already knows what Emma can do.) What better time to audition his DS’ than preseason?
My complaint about the passing last season was that none of the other DS’ were given sufficient opportunity to prove their worth. So it is unfair for him to say this one is or that one is the best.
What I don’t understand is that Jeff Hall mentioned that Okino was a pleasant surprise; yet, she is the only one who has not seen the court at all.
17. Agree with you on Ross during the UCLA match. Also, I don’t think she is a long-term answer, but rather is being given a chance because the starters have been highly inconsistent and ineffective. IMO, she will have the same trouble with a big block (Washington is on the horizon) as Sibley and Granato did with UCLA.
18. I don’t agree that this is a training or rebuilding year–that seems extreme to me. They have had injuries to three major pieces, without which their only issue likely would have been to replace Olevao. Next season will look similar to the last set of the Wisconsin match, but probably a little better. Finding an opposite will be the issue, and if that is Castillo, then finding a left-side other than Greeley may still be an issue.
20. Here’s an alternative theory: Okino is a 5’5″ walk-on, so Hall may have had really low expectations for her before training camp, which she later surpassed. Thus, she can be a surprise but still not be as good as the other DSs.
Also, all the DSs have played other than Okino, which makes me think (1) they are all capable players and (2) Shoji is rewarding them with playing time for the hard work they have put in during practice and camp.
In an interview post game, Mags said she may be moved to opposite next year, which she sounds excited about.
If that’s the case, we may need Castillo in the middle next year. Which brings me back full circle to leave her there and develop. She’s has improved every game. And Annie is a physical force. She played some outside at Irvine college as well. Yes, different level, but she showed she could do it.
This is no way a rebuilding year. This was, and can still be, a NC title contender if the parts start to mesh. Next year I will anticipate it being a rebuilding year. But this year, they had all the pieces before the injury bug hit. If they were all healthy and playing, I would not be surprised if we were 6-0 and ranked #2 in place of Wisconsin there.
Next year, it will be difficult to replace an All-American and potential national team member. There are a couple of decent players coming in, and the core of the team will be back: Greeley, Maglio, Kahakai, Castillo, Iosia and the back row defense. Will be a top 25 team, but not likely a title contender. Anyhow, that is something to worry about for a future time.
20. Okino may have impressed, but I think the staff will redshirt her to preserve her eligibility since there are three other experienced DS ahead of her. And while her skills may be good, the other three are more familiar with the system and have actual on-court experience. Ponce may have barely seen the court last year, but she was the top DS going into the postseason in 2014. Hall has noted Guinasso’s hard work and great platform (although her footwork could use some improvement).
Another possibility is that they may have wanted to avoid the logjam of any particular class at one position. Kahakai, Guinasso and Anderson are all juniors. If Okino redshirts, she and Smith won’t have to be in the same class.
This is all speculation, of course. For all we know, Shoji could insert Okino into the lineup this week.
All tournement was not announced in the arena- if it was so until did not reach user levels
re Okino, believe she may have been a Valedictorian? Anyway, a walk-on likely to want to graduate on time or early, and fully capable of it. Not sure why she’d want to red shirt or why anyone would expect her to. A nice player to have on the B team though, and on the depth chart. Every once-in-a-while, players like that can have their moment when everyone is darn glad they walked on and stayed committed. But, if her plans change, there is no shortage of 5’5″ type players that can play DS.
couple of responses
On Ross: mentioned when she was put in in Set 3 that she wasn’t going to get set. Just had that feeling.
On Maglio moving to left next year: We talked about that last month
On Okino: All the DSs are walk-ons wth the exception of Kahakai. Okino was ‘a pleasant surprise’ according to the coaches but whether she redshirts or not is left up to the player. if what has happened in the past holds, Shoji suggests to a player that she redshirt. Up to the player to agree. But doesn’t mean she’ll play.
25. The all-tournament team was announced at the arena. You saw the UCLA and Hawaii players receive their awards. As well as the teams getting 1st and 2nd place. The other players were no longer there but they were acknowledged.
26. Yes she was a valedictorian. it’s on her bio and mentioned in our preview tab.
http://hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=39130
new thread up for Tuesday. Shoji on the morning radio show around 835 a.m