FORT COLLINS, Colo. — History would suggest that today’s opening night matchups at the NCAA Fort Collins volleyball regional are mere setups for a Stanford-Hawai‘i encounter the following night. But the coaches of the teams in the tournament suggest otherwise.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — History would suggest that today’s opening night matchups at the NCAA Fort Collins volleyball regional are mere setups for a Stanford-Hawai‘i encounter the following night.
But the coaches of the teams in the tournament suggest otherwise.
“I don’t want to even hear that,” Hawai‘i coach Dave Shoji said yesterday after a 90-minute workout. “We have business with a very good team, and we aren’t even thinking about Saturday. We’re thinking about Friday.”
“Somebody might know something I don’t,” Stanford coach John Dunning said. “We have to play both matches.”
No. 6 Hawai‘i (30-3) plays No. 17 Purdue (26-8) in the first match, followed by No. 2 Stanford (28-3) and No. 10 Florida (27-3).
Hawai‘i is tournament-tested, having made 27 appearances in the NCAA field and having missed making the tournament only in 1992. Last year was the first time in nine years that Hawai‘i didn’t make a regional.
“Our ball control is better, and our passing and defense is better,” Shoji said. “I believe we are better in every phase of the game.”
In Purdue, the Rainbow Wahine run into a rematch of the 2004 first-round NCAA match won by Hawai‘i.
“I don’t remember too much about the 2004 Purdue team,” Shoji said. “I just know that they’re going to have a lot of big, strong girls.”
Coach Dave Shondell, who was in his second season as coach of Purdue in 2004, was more specific about his team.
“We have some height, but we also have some quality experience, and we’ve got three seniors who have started since they walked on campus in Stephanie Lynch (6-foot-3-inch middle hitter), Danita Merlau (6-foot-4 outside hitter) and Kelli Miller (5-foot-8 libero),” Shondell said.
At the same time he offers his take on the assertion of a Stanford-Hawaii match on Saturday.
“I think most of the country thinks that’s probably going to be the case, and I can appreciate that,” Shondell said. “Hawai‘i and Stanford have been two traditional powers as has Florida been, so it’s natural for people to assume that.
“But we didn’t come out here to have that happen,” he said. “We’ll come out and do what we can.”
Florida probably faces a tougher task sending a young team that includes freshmen Kelly Murphy, Kristy Jaeckel and Colleen Ward against Stanford.
“You can’t help but look at Stanford’s numbers and not think that Stanford is going to be moving on,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “What we have to do is get in the way.”
Stanford is one of the giants in college volleyball, having won six NCAA titles. The Cardinal have a strong cast back from last year’s team that was runner-up to Penn State.
“We have 11 returning players from last year’s team,” said Dunning, who won two NCAA championships each at Stanford and Pacific. “We have a lot of experience back from the last couple of Final Fours.”
But Dunning has a high level of respect for Florida.
“They have a great freshman class that’s changing their program,” Dunning said. “We’re just like everybody else. We’re excited to be here and hope we do our best.”
