Wahine Host USC in Regional Semifinal
By Fred Guzman
There’s no place like home, they say. For the sake of the University of Hawaii volleyball team, let’s hope they are right.
The road to San Antonio for the NCAA Women’s Final Four couldn’t be smoother for the Rainbow Wahine, who are hosting the Honolulu Regional that opens tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.
And absolutely nobody in the country enjoys a larger home-court advantage than Hawaii.
The Stan Sheriff Center’s 10,300-seat capacity could be tested tonight when 10th-seeded Hawaii will face Southern California in the nightcap of a 7 p.m. semifinal. USC is coming off a win over Tulsa.
In the early match, 14th-seeded Pepperdine will face Kansas State at 5 p.m. Kansas State is coming off a five-set road upset against No. 2 Nebraska.
Also playing at home during last week’s sub-regional, Hawaii opened with a sweep of Northern Colorado and then rallied for a four-set victory against a much-taller Colorado State by scores of 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18.
Most impressively, the matches drew 7,193 on Thursday and 7,861 on Friday as Hawaii extended its winning streak to 26 and improving its season record to 31-1.
The Honolulu Regional title match is set for Saturday, with the survivor advancing to the Final Four the following week in San Antonio.