Another Streak? Rainbow Wahine thriving at home
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Before a new streak starts or, God forbid, another Hawai'i volleyball player gets hurt, it is worth taking a last look at the remarkable Western Athletic Conference winning streak that ended two weeks ago.
The 15th-ranked Rainbow Wahine will try to hold onto at least a share of first in the WAC when they play Idaho tonight at 7 at Stan Sheriff Center, and San Jose State Sunday at 5 p.m.
In the 'Bows' last WAC appearance, New Mexico State ended their conference winning streak at 132. It is the longest streak in NCAA history.
Here is what else it was:
That was the first of eight consecutive WAC titles for the Rainbow Wahine, who still have other streaks on the line. They have won their last 87 conference home matches going into tonight's match.
The Vandals have never taken a game off Hawai'i. San Jose State has four wins over UH, but the last came 13 years — and 28 matches — ago. Both come here after winning in five Wednesday on the road.
NOTES
Melody (Eckmier) Studer, the Rainbow Wahine captain in their 30-1 season two years ago, successfully defended her thesis last week. She will get her master's in geology and geophysics in December. Husband Ben, who defends his thesis Tuesday, expects to do the same.
"I had to stand up in front of the department and committee and an audience of about 40 people in a lecture hall," Melody Studer said. "I was about to throw up that morning. No one believed me because I could play volleyball in front of thousands of people."
Studer, one of the 'Bows' brightest students, also hesitates to tell people about her thesis because "their eyes glaze over." It involved studying a subduction zone off the southwest coast of Japan, and "how sediment initially deforms" when the "ocean plate is going under Japan." That can cause "earthquake ruptures."
"It's my contribution to science," said Studer, who will continue to work on the project in the spring because the committee would like her to publish it in a science journal.
When Sarah Mason and Jamie Houston went for 22 and 21 kills the last match it was the first time in three years the Rainbow Wahine had two with 20-plus kills. It has been done 10 times since rally scoring started in 2001, with All-Americans Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku doing it seven times. They also had a 30-30 match at Fresno in 2003. Willoughby and Maja Gustin had the other 20-20 matches.
Houston's average of 5.53 kills a game ranks sixth nationally this week. Kanoe Kamana'o is also sixth, with 13.58 assists a game.
Kamana'o, who became the program's career assists leader as a junior, needs 135 to break Analisa Saylor's WAC record. Kamana'o is also seventh in career digs at UH (six behind Kahumoku), sixth in block assists and 10th in career blocks. Kamana'o is the only UH player in history to reach the Top 10 in assists, digs and blocks. She is nine short of making it in career aces.
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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