After Hawaii got over the hump and reached the round of 16 last Saturday in College Station, Texas, it was coach Dave Shoji who started the postgame celebration in the locker room.
“We ain’t done” Shoji said. “We ain’t done, baby.”
If his Rainbow Warriors are indeed not finished at the NCAA tournament, Shoji will have to beat a fellow coaching legend for the first time.
No. 7 Hawaii meets No. 8 Penn State at 3:30 p.m. Friday in the Des Moines (Iowa) Regional in a clash of the all-time winningest volleyball coaches in Division I.
In his 37 seasons as the coach of the the Nittany Lions (28-5), Russ Rose has led the program to seven national titles, including the past two, amassing a record of 1,189-185 with an NCAA-best .865 win percentage.
Earlier in the week at a news conference, Rose said he remembers admiring and emulating the program run by Shoji – who is in his 41st year at Hawaii and is second only to Rose with a 1,178-197-1 record – when he was getting his start in State College, Penn.
“That was one of the teams that I really tried to model my thoughts on the game, because I thought they played such great defense,” Rose said. “He’s fortunate that he so many great players in Hawaii that want to go to Hawaii. There style of play reflects a certain approach to the game.
“I wish we had a plethora of players that we he had to choose from in the state of Pennsylvania. But that not the case.”
The Nittany Lions have won all five of the previous meetings between the schools, including a victory in the 2009 semifinals.
“I don’t look at it that it’s me against Dave,” Rose said. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ll want to beat each other during the match and whoever wins will wish the other good luck … and actually mean it.”
The Rainbow Wahine (28-1) enter with a 23-match winning streak and Shoji felt his team peaked in a 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 second-round victory against Texas A&M.
“We waited for the last match to have the best match of the year,” he said at the postgame news conference, “there is no doubt about that.
“We had a good time on the bench laughing at some of the plays we were making.”
Playing at home, Penn State reached regionals by ending Dayton’s 25-match winning streak.
In the early game Friday, No. 21 Minnesota plays No. 4 Illinois in a battle of Big Ten teams. The regional final is 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU
UH hires O-coordinator
Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich tabbed Eastern Washington assistant Zak Hill as his offensive coordinator.
Hill was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past seven seasons with the Eagles, who led Football Championship Subdivision in passing (353.3 average) in 2015 behind quarterback Jordan West.
“I’ve heard Zak’s name for a long time and I got the chance to see him work with quarterbacks at various camps,” Rolovich said in release. “I’ve enjoyed how he’s dealt with the kids. He’s a well-respected offensive mind and has been with a program that’s been consistently successful for many years. I believe who he is as a person will fit perfectly with the local culture.”
During his nine years at Eastern Washington, the Eagles ranked in the top 10 nationally in passing eight times; six times in total offense; and four times in scoring offense.
Hill is Rolovich’s fifth hire. Chris Naeole (offensive line), Abe Elimimian (defensive backs) and Jake Cookus (special teams) were retained, and Brian Smith was brought in as an offensive assistant Wednesday.
Coming home
Rolovich received a recruiting boost as well as former top offensive line recruit Fred Ulu-Perry signed a grant-in-aid agreement and will transfer from UCLA in the spring semester.
Ulu-Perry was ranked the No. 69 in the nation, according to ESPN.com, as a senior at Saint Louis School in Honolulu, and he was the top-ranked guard.
Ulu-Perry played in eight games as a freshman for the Bruins on the offensive line, and he made three tackles as a defensive lineman.
He’ll be eligible to play in 2017.
