Hawaii vs. Minnesota

The now 29-1 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine are in the best postseason position they have ever been in since 2009. After a straight set victory over the two-time defending national champions Penn State last night, Hawaii will move on to the Elite Eight where they will face Minnesota in the Des Moines Regional.

Second seeded and No. 4 ranked Minnesota is now 29-4 after a sweep of Illinois last night. The Golden Gophers are the Big 10 Champions and are making the Regional Final for the first time since 2012. This is a big accomplishment for them as they failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season. They are coached by previous U.S. National Team coach Hugh McCutcheon. Leaders of their team are candidates for national accolades, senior outside hitter Daly Santana (Player) and setter Samantha Selinger-Swenson (Freshman).

This team is a large team with all front row players at 6'1" to 6'3" with the exception Selinger-Swenson at 5'11". They are a good blocking team who runs a fast offense and run a three middle blocker system. Santana is one of the hardest hitters in the country and their middles run the slides really well.

The winner of this Elite Eight match will move onto the NCAA National Semifinals in Omaha, Nebraska. Minnesota and Hawaii each have not been to the National Semifinals since 2009 where Hawaii lost in four to Penn State and Minnesota was swept by Texas. Look for this to be a good match folks!

Coverage:

Time: December 12th (6:30 PM EST / 1:30 PM HST)

Televised: ESPNU

Live Stats: GameTracker

Radio: ESPN1420

*Only people with cable providers that have ESPNU can watch it as it is not free

Sweet To Elite

Photo Credit: Hawaii Athletics

Hawaii Recap | Penn State Recap | Full Match(es) | Post-Match Interview

In a top ten ranked match-up of unseeded No. 7 ranked Hawaii and seventh seeded and No. 8 ranked Penn State, the Rainbow Wahine advanced after sweeping the Nittany Lions. The score went 25-22, 27-25, 25-16. This win by Hawaii is the first win over Penn State in program history as it brings the series record to 1-5. Penn State was the two-time defending national champions and have not lost in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. It was also Penn State's worst loss in the postseason since 2011 when they also lost in the regional semifinals to the eventual national champions.

Many people say that this is the best Hawaii has played all season and the results are proving that. Tonight they were led by junior opposite Nikki Taylor who had 18 kills and hit .361 and had eight digs while senior outside hitter Tai Manu-Olevau hit .500 with 14 kills and eight digs. Senior middle blocker Olivia Magill had nine kills hitting .474 while junior setter Tayler Higgins collected 48 assists. As a team, Hawaii hit .389 and had 54 kills and assists which were the most for a three set match this season.

There were technical difficulties for the first and second sets where the stream was not available. ESPN3 has the match up for a full replay. One user on VolleyTalk is uploading all postseason Hawaii matches in parts so I will post links later.

Hawaii moves on to the Elite Eight where they face second seeded and No. 4 ranked Minnesota. These two teams have not met since 2008 where they faced off each other in a preseason tournament hosted by UH with the Rainbow Wahine coming out with a 3-2 victory. Winner of this match will win the Des Moines Regionals and head to the Final Four.

That one's not coming back. #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/eflmlktPMR

— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 12, 2015

Hawaii vs. Penn State

The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (28-1) is set to take on the seventh seeded Penn State Nittany Lions (28-5) this coming Friday, December 11th in the Regional Semifinals. This is the first regional appearance for Hawaii since 2011 when they hosted it. Penn State is the two-time defending national champions and has made at least the Final Four every year since 2011. The last time these two teams faced off was in the 2009 Final Four in Florida where Penn State won 3-1 and went on to win the National Championships.

This year is very different for both teams as this years Hawaii team is not considered undersized and been called their best team since 2009 while Penn State has placed third in the Big 10 which is their lowest standing in many years. It will definitely be a close match and it will be nice to see two of the best coaches square off against each other. Winner will move on to the Elite 8 and face the winner of Minnesota and Illinois.

Coverage
Hawaii Release | Penn State Release
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Time: December 11th (8:30 PM EST / 3:30 PM HST)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Live Stats: NCAA

Hawaii Is Sweet Sixteen Bound

After a Friday afternoon five set battle against TCU, the Rainbow Wahine took care of the 10th seeded Texas A&M. In a battle of Top 15 teams, the seventh ranked Hawaii swept 15th ranked Texas A&M by a score of 25-22, 25-19, 25-20. This match was between the SEC Champions and the Big West Champions with the Big West coming out on top.

Hawaii was led tonight by the 19 digs of libero Savanah Kahakai and 37 assists and two aces of setter Tayler Higgins. Outside hitter Kalei Greeley was steady as she had 10 kills and no errors for .625 hitting percentage. Opposite Nikki Taylor led both teams with 14 kills and had eight digs. Middle blockers Olivia Magill and Emily Maglio both hit over .300 and had ten and nine kills. Magill had five blocks as well.

Texas A&M end their season 24-7 while Hawaii is now at 28-1 and bring their winning streak to 23. The Bows will head to Des Moines, Iowa where they will play in the Sweet Sixteen against seventh seeded and eighth ranked Penn State.

*Note: A replay of this match is available on ESPN3

Recap

Hawaii Recap | Texas A&M Recap

Box Score (HTML)

Post Match Quotes

Hawaii vs. Texas A&M

After a stressful five-sit match in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, Hawaii will be facing the 10th seed Texas A&M after beating TCU. Last night's scores went 17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13 ending the season for the at-large bid Horned Frogs (19-10). The long match ended in favor of the Rainbow Wahine as they came out victorious with multiple season and career highs. Middle blockers Olivia Magill and Emily Maglio upped their career high in kills with 19 and 13. Setter Tayler Higgins had a career high of 65 assists and outside hitter Kalei Greeley had a career high 17 digs. Overall opposite Nikki Taylor had a match-high 21 kills after a slow start in the match.

Now Hawaii will face Texas A&M as it is a Top 25 Match-up. The latest AVCA Poll had Hawaii ranked No. 7 while Texas A&M was ranked No. 15. After the Hawaii-TCU match, Texas A&M swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Aggies will be much more rested than the Wahine but it should be a tough match for each team.

Recaps
Hawaii Recap | TCU Recap
Box Score (HTML)
Hawaii Post Match Interview

Game Coverage
Time: 7:30 PM EST / 2:30 PM HST
Location: Reed Arena (College Station, TX)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Live Stats: Gametracker
Radio: ESPN1420

Hawaii vs. TCU

Unseeded but No. 7 ranked Hawaii is set to take on the NCAA Tournament against TCU of the Big 12 in the First Round. This match is taking place at College Station, Texas on December 4th at 12:30 PM HT. On the other side of the subregional is Texas A&M vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. This is a good draw for the Bows both teams are not as familiar with Hawaii. Overall Hawaii is 12-1 all-time against the three opponents in the subregional. Texas A&M is the host as took the No. 10 seed while they are the No. 16 ranked team in the AVCA poll.

Overall this is the seventh meeting with TCU as Hawaii is 6-0 against them and their last meeting being in 2000 with the Rainbow Wahine sweeping the Horn Frogs.

Hawaii Connections:

• Redshirt Junior middle blocker Jazzmin Barbers' father Dino Barbers was a football player (1979-83) and graduate assistant coach (1984) for the University of Hawaii along with mother Susan Hemanway Barbers was a volleyball player (1981)
• Annie Mitchem's former high school and club teammate Jillian Bergeson is in the TCU starting line-up

Match Notes:
Hawaii Release | TCU Release
Time: 5:30 PM EST / 12:30 PM HST
Location: Reed Arena (College Station, TX)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Live Stats: GameTracker
Radio: ESPN1420

Wahine Headed To ________

| Hawaii Release | NCAA Tournament Bracket |

November 29th is Selection Show Sunday for NCAA Volleyball teams and fans. The Rainbow Wahine received news of the path in the postseason as they will head to Texas A&M for the sub-regional while being placed in the Des Moines regional. Their first round opponent is TCU of the Big 12. The First Round Matches will be on December 4th at 12:30 AM.

Hawaii

• 26-1 Overall, 16-0 Big West
• AVCA Rank: No. 8
• RPI: No. 26
• Head Coach: Dave Shoji
• Top Players: Nikki Taylor, Olivia Magill, Tai Manu-Olevau
• Notes: Top blocking team in the nation, on a 21 match winning streak

TCU

• 19-9 Overall, 9-7 Big 12
• AVCA Rank: Unranked
• RPI: No. 46
• Head Coach: Jill Kramer
• Top Players: Ashley Smith, Regan McGuire, Sarita Mikals
• Notes: Defeated at the time No.2 Texas, Fourth in the Big-12

Texas A&M

• 23-6 Overall, 16-2 SEC
• AVCA Rank: No. 19
• RPI: No. 10
• Head Coach: Laurie Corbelli
• Top Players: Stephanie Aiple, Jazzmin Babers, Shelby Sullivan
• Notes: Seeded 10th, First in the SEC, Aiple is SEC Player of the Year

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

• 31-4 Overall, 16-0 Southland
• AVCA Rank: Unranked
• RPI: No. 68
• Head Coach: Tony Graystone
• Top Players: Ivy Baresh, Kristyn Nicholson, Kate Klepetka
• Notes: First NCAA Tournament appearance

College Station here we come! #HawaiiWVB will face TCU (19-9) in the NCAA First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Fri. at 5:30 pm! #GoBows!

— Hawaii W. Volleyball (@HawaiiWVB) November 30, 2015

Wahine NCAA Tournament Predictions

Photo Credit: Hawaii Athletics

The Wahine Volleyball team have finished the regular season with a 26-1 record overall and 16-0 in conference clinching them the Big West Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Conference season has ended a week earlier than usual as Hawaii has had a bye week which is a benefit to the team as they get the advantage to rest while other teams continue to battle for their post season lives.

The NCAA Women's Volleyball Selection Show is not until Sunday, November 29th (4:00 PM HT) and will be aired on ESPNU. It is most likely a guarantee that Hawaii will not play anymore home matches as they will not host the First and Second Rounds based on their RPI. Hawaii's latest RPI was at 26 and the selection committee uses RPI as a main criteria for who gets into the tournament along with who is seeded and hosts. That means Hawaii will travel for all their remaining matches.

There are many speculations of where the Wahine will land for the First and Second Rounds along with which Regional they will be in as well. The NCAA seems to base these sub-regionals based on location due to the fact that they will have to cover airfare prices for any teams that have to travel beyond a certain amount of miles for their matches. In the recent years Hawaii has been sent to Washington (2014, 2012, 2010) or USC (2009, 2008). Many people believe that they will be sent back to either Washington (currently ranked No.2 but will most likely be ranked No.1 next week), Stanford (ranked No.6), or BYU (ranked No.11).

If Hawaii is sent to any top ranked sub-regional, I feel they should be fine and that the tournament is wide open as not one team is very dominant. For example, USC and UCLA looked very impressive at the beginning of conference season but despite winning a majority of their matches, their play has showed kinks in the armor as they seemed vulnerable. Teams like Hawaii and Colorado State swept their way through conference play but was still tested as they also showed weaknesses as well.

I predict that Hawaii will be sent to the Stanford sub-regional in the San Diego regional and they will face a WCC opponent in the first round.

Hawaii to Seattle Regional

Selection Show Sunday

Credit: Hawaii Athletics

| NCAA Bracket | Hawaii Release |

The No.25 ranked Rainbow Wahine (21-6) waited patiently with the rest of the country for the reveal of the 2014 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Bracket. Despite the late running of a college basketball game, it was all revealed.

Hawaii will head up to Seattle, WA for the third time in five years to play in the Washington Sub-regional. They will play the Duke Blue Devils (22-7) from the ACC. The victor of this match will play the winner of the No.3 seed Washington-New Hampshire match.

The two seasons that Hawaii was sent to Washington in the NCAA Tournament, the Wahine fell in the second round each time to the Washington Huskies. They picked up first round wins against Portland State (2010) and Santa Clara (2012).

Bracket says Hawaii vs Duke will be at 8:00 PM ET (3:00 PM HT) followed by Washington vs New Hampshire at 10:00 PM ET (5:00 PM HT) on November 5th. No comments mentioned whether these matches will be televised or streamed. OCSports has televised the 2012 Tournament (however, technical difficulties occured) and K5 has televised the 2010 tournament. The Pac-12 Networks has streamed its first round matches last season along with televising the second round matches.

Duke Blue Devils
Record: 22-7 (14-4)
Series Record: *1st Meeting
Head Coach: Jolene Nagel (16th Year)
Top Players: Emily Sklar (So. OH), Jeme Obeime (Sr. OH), Sasha Karelov (So. L), Kelsey Williams (Sr. S)

Credit: NCAA

Tournament Bracket Review: Based on how the Wahine performed this season, I feel their draw is reasonable. They have no significant win or loss so it was very predictable that they would appear in Washington. IF Hawaii were to get by Duke who is a very tough team, they will have a chance at redemption against the Huskies. UW will beat New Hampshire but they have two starters out at the moment. Winners of that will most likely face Nebraska.

Side-Comments: It has been a while since I have posted (four months) and I apologize but pretty busy. However, not too busy for Wahine or NCAA Volleyball.