LIHU‘E — Today, the Rainbow Wahine face an obstacle unlike any they have come across during this year’s 32-2 run into the Final Four. It’s unusual that the No. 3-ranked team in the country would be a decided underdog against
LIHU‘E — Today, the Rainbow Wahine face an obstacle unlike any they have come across during this year’s 32-2 run into the Final Four.
It’s unusual that the No. 3-ranked team in the country would be a decided underdog against anyone, yet that’s exactly what the Hawai‘i women’s volleyball team is as it takes on No. 1 Penn State at 4 p.m. HT on ESPN2.
All the Rainbow Wahine have to do is defeat a team that has not lost in 100 straight matches. Such a feat seems overwhelming when put into those terms.
But what UH has to do is focus on the fact that it is one of just four teams still competing for a national championship. After a terrific season to this point, one which saw coach Dave Shoji win his 1,000th career match (now sitting at 1,016), it has just as much right to the main stage as the mighty Lady Lions.
Ironically, Penn State coach Russ Rose would join Shoji in the 1,000-win club with a victory today.
“I like 100. It’s a round number. I think we should stop it at 100,” said Shoji at a press conference Wednesday. “It’s an awesome streak, and I think there is pressure on Penn State. There is pressure to continue to win and it’s expected of them. That’s when it’s hard to win — when everybody thinks you should win.”
Coach Rose tried to even out the pressure that may exist by bringing up the Rainbow Wahine’s current streak.
“They’ve won 28 matches in a row,” he said. “No one’s talking about their streak, they’re talking about our streak. But their streak has my attention.”
Penn State is in search of its third consecutive national title, led by five AVCA All-Americans. Four such honorees — seniors Alisha Glass and Megan Hodge, and juniors Blair Brown and Arielle Wilson — made the first team, while freshman Darcy Dorton earned honorable mention honors.
Hawai‘i boasts some All-America accolades of its own after Wednesday’s AVCA announcement that outside hitter Kanani Danielson was named to the first team and Aneli Cubi-Otineru earned third-team honors.
One optimistic thought the Rainbow Wahine can take with them into today’s match is that just one team took Penn State to five games this season. That team was Michigan, the same team that Hawai‘i just defeated 3-0 to reach the Final Four.
But again, a win would be an amazing feat, given the fact that Penn State has lost only five of the 113 games it has played this year. Capturing three in a single match will take the best performance of the season.
In the other Final Four matchup, No. 2 Texas (28-1), one of the two teams that managed to top Hawai‘i this season, will face 11th-seeded Minnesota (28-8), which is looking to pull off a shocker of its own.
That game will be the first of tonight’s doubleheader, broadcast live from Tampa, Fla., starting at 2 p.m. HT (7 p.m. ET) on ESPN2.
