It’s not often that Tino Reyes can watch the UH-Hilo soccer teams win their matches, then coach the volleyball team to victory, all in the same day.
It’s not often that Tino Reyes can watch the UH-Hilo soccer teams win their matches, then coach the volleyball team to victory, all in the same day.
In fact, the sixth-year coach couldn’t remember the Vulcans hitting the trifecta like they did Saturday.
“That may be a first,” Reyes said.
It also could become a habit. UH-Hilo soccer and volleyball can accomplish the feat again Thursday, when Reyes’ squad rides into a match against Azusa Pacific on a three-match winning streak.
Reyes couldn’t quite put his finger on the turning point in his team’s 23-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-18 victory against Fresno State, but the starting point toward victory undoubtedly came in the third set as the Vulcans (7-5, 5-4 PacWest) began to chip away at an 11-4 deficit and fought off three set points by the Sunbirds.
“We passed the ball a little bit better with a new lineup,” Reyes said. “I was pleasantly surprise that we did so well.”
UH-Hilo played without setter Sienna Davis, who had missed practice with an illness, but the Vulcans went to a two-setter sytem with Harley Woosley and Elizabeth Nizzoli, and outside hitters were still effective and efficient.
The Sunbirds (4-11, 4-6) may have their issues offensively, but Reyes respects their defense. Marley Strand-Nicolaisen pounded 23 kills on .323 hitting, while Morgan Lees finished with 17 kills, hitting .244. Woolsey, a freshman and a former Kamehameha-Hawaii standout, tallied 23 assists and 10 digs, and Nizzoli registered 18 assists.
“(Harley’s) got all kinds of skill,” Reyes said. “She can do a lot of things to help the team.”
Katrina Johnson, a 6-foot-2 freshman, also returned from an injury to provides a boost. Playing in her first match in almost a month, she put down seven balls.
“She played very well,” Reyes said. “She blocked and hit real well.”
The middle game of a five-match homestand, Asuza begins its Hawaii trip with the same league record as the Vulcans.
“We’re trying to see of we can get better and put another win behind us,” Reyes said. “If we can do that it will set up nicely for us.”
Azusa requested an early start time (4:30 p.m.) so it could fly to Honolulu after the match, which means Reyes won’t get to watch all the soccer team’s matches against Holy Names.
But maybe, just maybe, winning will be contagious again.