EUGENE, Ore. — For more than 30 years, the Hawaii women’s volleyball team has ended every season where the Rainbow Wahine find themselves this week.
UH arrived in Oregon early Tuesday and began preparations for Thursday’s match inside Matthew Knight Arena against TCU in the 31st consecutive appearance for the Rainbow Wahine in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s a streak that began in 1993, one year after UH missed the postseason for the only time since the first NCAA Tournament was held in women’s volleyball in 1981.
Forty-two of 43 tournaments played, Hawaii has found its name somewhere in the bracket. It’s part of the legacy and culture of Rainbow Wahine volleyball built by Dave Shoji and continued for the past eight years under Robyn Ah Mow.
Hawaii freshman middle blocker Miliana Sylvester isn’t even halfway through her first full year of college and yet even she was fully aware of the legacy set before her.
It’s what made this run through the Big West Conference Tournament, a two-match blitz Hawaii had to win to continue its season based on where it was slotted in this year’s field of 64, so important.
“I think just definitely no excuses is what I think,” Sylvester responded when asked about the culture of Hawaii volleyball. “Yeah we are a young team, but I think we have something to defend. Hawaii volleyball had won the Big West for four years in a row. They have gone to the tournament every single year, so there is no excuse this year, because that is who we are.”
Hawaii’s final RPI of 34 was three spots ahead of Miami, which earned a top-eight seed in the first round.
South Carolina, which has five fewer wins and is 10 spots behind Hawaii in the RPI, is not only in the field, but also playing a No. 5 seed to open the first round.
Hawaii’s longstanding grips with the selection committee are well documented, but that is also part of the backbone that this Rainbow Wahine volleyball program has been built on.
“We never get stuff handed to us. We always have to earn it,” Big West Libero of the Year Tayli Ikenaga said. “That’s been made since past generations and they put it for us and I think it’s just really important that we continue their legacy and just passing it down to you guys.”
Ikenaga motioned to Sylvester at the end of those words, but could have been talking about all of the underclassmen on this year’s team.
Hawaii has had to earn this trip to Oregon in early December and showed it was up for the challenge on opening night in late August.
Hawaii began the season hosting SMU, which earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament this week, and dropped the first set 25-7, which Ah Mow called one of the lowest points of her coaching career at the time.
She would go on to feel the same way in a couple of other matches later in the season, but that feeling didn’t continue on opening night.
Hawaii came back from such a deflating loss in the opening set to win the second 25-23. It fell behind two sets to one and then miraculously came back to win the fifth set 15-13 and completely stun a Mustangs team that went on to beat the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Pittsburgh, six weeks later.
UH hit a season-low .090 against the Mustangs. The Rainbow Wahine were blocked a season-high 16 times, committed a season-high 40 hitting errors, served 13 balls out, and still won.
That speaks to the culture.
“It’s just about playing defense and having grit and just have hard grit of going after every ball,” Ah Mow said on Saturday. “Sure, we have a lot of short hitters, but just keep working. That’s been Hawaii volleyball ever since I was a kid and watching. Just trying to continue that.”
It’s no coincidence that Ah Mow’s freshman season at UH was on that ’93 team that got back to the NCAA Tournament and has since never not gone back.
She sets the example, both with her words and her actions, that this team has followed to where it is today.
“Coach Rob is a part of the culture here,” senior setter Kate Lang said after Saturday’s win. “She comes in the gym every single day and gives her 100% and she gives up a lot to be with us. She’s part of the culture. She’s an (alumna). That’s why we are here.”
NCAA women’s volleyball
Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.
First round
Today
• Hawaii (21-9) vs. No. 5 TCU (21-7), 2 p.m.
• No. 4 Oregon (22-7) vs. High Point (23-6), 4:30 p.m.
Second round
Friday
• UH/TCU winner vs. UO/HPU winner, 4 p.m.
• Stream: ESPN+
• Radio: KKEA 1420-AM / 97.5-FM (UH matches only)
