JAMM AQUINO / STAR-BULLETIN
Seniors, from left, Tara Hittle, Jessica Keefe, Nickie Thomas and Jamie Houston try to stage a hostile takeover of the team from coach Dave Shoji.
By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.com
{1} FOR OPENERS, THEY’RE TOUGH TO BEAT IN HAWAII. Hawaii opens at home for the third straight year — 25th overall — hosting defending NCAA champion Penn State on Friday. Last year’s loss to Michigan was the first time since falling to UCLA in 1976 that the Rainbow Wahine dropped a season opener in Honolulu.
{2} FOR STARTERS, THE ROAD HASN’T BEEN AS KIND. The Rainbow Wahine, 23-2 when opening the season at home, are 5-4 when opening on the road. Hawaii has started its season at UC Riverside (1975), Dave Shoji’s debut as Wahine coach; in Malibu, Calif. (1978); in Salt Lake City (1980); at Hawaii-Hilo (1983); in Normal, Ill. (1996); at Cal (1999); in Stockton, Calif. (2001); and in Omaha, Neb. (2005).
{3} FOR ONCE, NO TRAVELING TO WAC TOURNEY. The Western Athletic Conference tournament will be held in Honolulu for the first time in its 11-year history. Because of the Hawaii-Idaho football game on Saturday, Nov. 22, the WAC tournament will be split for the first time as well: Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20 and 21, the championship match Sunday, Nov. 23. The Rainbow Wahine have won the last eight since losing to Brigham Young twice (1996, ‘97).
{4} WHAT PLAYED IN VEGAS, PLAYED FOR A LONG TIME. When Hawaii outlasted Brigham Young for the 1998 WAC tournament title in Las Vegas, the match went into the NCAA record book as the longest at 3 hours and 38 minutes (15-12, 21-19, 13-15, 16-18, 24-22). With the move to complete rally scoring in 2001, it likely will never be broken.
{5} HUSKER POWER LIGHTS UP A-A CHART. Only Nebraska has had more players named as All-Americans than Hawaii. The Cornhuskers have 29, while the Rainbow Wahine are tied with Stanford and UCLA with 23. Hawaii ranks third in All-America certificates with 44; Nebraska has 62, Stanford 56.
{6} THEY BUILT IT … AND FANS STILL COME TO SSC. The Rainbow Wahine again led the country in home attendance for the 13th consecutive season (122,588), also averaging a national-best 6,452. Hawaii was involved in the largest crowd of 2007 when traveling to Nebraska, a match watched by 13,396. All 19 of the Wahine’s home matches last season were among the top 40 in Division I attendance.
{7} WAHINE MISSED GOING TO ‘THE DANCE’ JUST ONCE. With the exception of the injury-plagued 1992 season, Hawaii has advanced to every NCAA tournament since its inception in 1981. Tied with the Wahine at 26 appearances are Nebraska, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Only Stanford and Penn State have been in all 27 tournaments. UCSB missed for the first time last year.
{8} BEST OF THE BEST IN COACHING ARE HERE. Fans at the Stan Sheriff Center this season will see the top four coaches in career wins. No. 1 is Andy Banachowski (1,060-281), followed by Hawaii’s Dave Shoji (953-169-1) Penn State’s Russ Rose (925-159) and Minnesota’s Mike Hebert (871-372). All except Shoji are in the AVCA Hall of Fame.
{9} AGGIES MADE HUGE STATE-MENT. Utah State’s visit to the Stan Sheriff Center last Nov. 11 made history, none of it good for the then-No. 10 Rainbow Wahine. Not only did Hawaii lose to an unranked WAC team for the first time in 12 years of membership, it also was UH’s first home conference loss since falling to UC Santa Barbara in 1994, a streak of 108 wins.
{10} WAC TEAMS KEEP GETTING WACKED. Since moving to the WAC in 1996, Hawaii’s domination of the conference has been impressive. The Wahine are 199-5 overall, including 28-2 in WAC tournament play. Only BYU (3), New Mexico State (1) and Utah State have recorded wins; both of the WAC tournament losses came against BYU.
The Rainbow Wahine
(Also online via www.hawaiiathletics.com)
