Follow the University of Hawai'i women's sand volleyball team during its trip to the 2014 AVCA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama. HawaiiAthletics.com will chronicle the team's first team appearance in the AVCA nationals with the blog, "BOWS IN BAMA." By: Neal Iwamoto, UH Media RelationsDay 5: Sunday, May 48:00 a.m. CT: Bracket play begins for the 16-team pairs championship.
Karissa Cook and
Brittany Tiegs are the No. 3 seed and face a familiar opponent in 14-seed Bojana Todorovic and Delainey Aigner-Swesey of Long Beach State. No. 12 seed
Nikki Taylor and
Katie Spieler also draw a LBSU pair in No. 5 seed Tyler Jackson and Janisa Johnson.
8:50 a.m. CT: Karissa and Brittany pull off a close three-set match against Todorovic and Aigner-Swesey to advance to the quarterfinals. They'll be joined there by Nikki and Katie who 10 minutes earlier took down Jackson and Johnson in straight sets. By advancing to the quarterfinals both pairs earn AVCA All-America honors. Way to go ladies!!!
10:50 a.m. CT: Brittany and Karissa win a three-set match against Becca Strehlow and Lara Dykstra of Pepperdine to advance to the national semis! Nikki and Katie weren't so fortunate after falling to No. 4 seed Kirby Burnham and Sara Hughes of USC in straight sets.
11:00 a.m. CT: The AVCA announces its 2014 All-Americans during an awards presentation at center court. Karissa, Brittany, Nikki and Katie pick up their well-deserved hardware. This is the second time Brittany has been named a sand All-American. She also earned the honor in 2012 as a member of the Florida State team.
12:00 p.m. CT: Karissa and Brittany meet up against Florida State's Jace Pardon and Aurora Davis in a rematch of yesterday's dual matchup won by the Noles in a three-set marathon. Expect another tight match in this one.
12:35 p.m. CT: Oh yeah! Britt and Karissa avenge yesterday's loss in the team semifinals and beat Pardon and Davis in straight sets. Off to the
NATIONAL FINALS where they will meet USC's Sara Hughes and Kirby Burnham!
2:00 p.m. CT: Time for the pairs national championship! Burnham and Hughes are a familiar foe. Britt and Karissa have won two of the three matchups this year, including Friday's close win during the team competition. Let's see how the fourth meeting goes!
2:30 p.m. CT: Burnham and Hughes played absolutely lights out in the finals, taking down Britt and Karissa in a relatively quick straight set match. Congrats to Sarah and Kirby of USC, they played a fantastic match and are true champions. As for Britt and Karissa…what a season. They were incredible all year. Britt will be back for one more year, but Karissa moves on after her lone season at UH. In a post-game huddle Coach Scott gives his appreciation to Karissa and fellow senior
Ali Longo. The other assistants also chime in with some heart-felt words about the entire season.
7:00 p.m CT: Tomorrow's departure time from the hotel is 4 a.m. to start the journey back to Honolulu so no wild shenanigans tonight. Hopefully the trip back won't take as long as the trip up! Some players spend a quiet evening with their family, while others also just kick back. Kudos to the AVCA for running a fantastic tournament. Also, can't say enough about the numerous family members who made their way to Alabama to support the SandBows. And finally a big mahalo to all the fans who followed the team this year. Hope to back in Gulf Shores in 2015!
Day 4: Saturday, May 3
10:00 a.m. CT: Championship day! The Rainbow Wahine make the short trek from their hotel to the beach and meet up before their semifinal match vs. No. 3 Florida State. The Seminoles suffered just their second loss of the year when it fell to Pepperdine on Friday, but moved into the final four with a win over Florida International in an elimination match.
11:00 a.m. CT: 'Bows and Noles start up the first semifinal match of the day.
Brittany Tiegs was a member of the 2012 FSU squad and now has a chance to face her old team as a member of the SandBows. This should be a good one…
11:55 a.m. CT: It's a final -- FSU 4, UH 1. Three of the five courts went to three sets but UH couldn't pull it off. The Rainbow Wahine are knocked out, but what a run. The ladies have a lot to be proud of this season!
1:00 p.m. CT: The girls stick around to watch the second semifinal match of the day. Adjacent to the championship courts is a junior's volleyball tourament with tons of courts going on. Coach Scott catches the ending of the semis also after having just completed a CBS Sports interview on the growth of junior volleyball and the sand game. After Pepperdine defeats USC, the team walks over to the merchandise tent to pick up some AVCA national championship swag.
6:15 p.m. CT: The team catches the ending of the championship match with Pepperdine pulling out a 3-2 win over Florida State. Everyone then heads over to The Hangout for the AVCA Awards Reception. Another great spread with salmon sliders, smoked pork quesadillas, baked oysters and barbeque chicken on the menu. They know how to feed us! Afterwards the coaches and players unwind with some doubles ping pong in the courtyard.
7:30 p.m. CT: A national championship is still at stake in pairs competition and the Rainbow Wahine will have two representative in Sunday's field. The bracket for the 16-team field is released with
Brittany Tiegs and
Karissa Cook earning the No. 3 seed and facing No. 14 Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Bojana Todorovic of Long Beach State. Meanwhile No. 12
Nikki Taylor and
Katie Spieler will also face a 49er pair in No. 5 Tyler Jackson and Janisa Johnson. Still got title hopes…let's do it ladies!
Day 3: Friday, May 28:00 a.m. PT: The first day of competition has arrived! The team was greeted to some gorgeous weather with blue skies and light winds. It's a far cry from a few days ago when the region was absolutely flooded with thunderstorms. After some girls get the complimentary breakfast at The Hangout and others fuel up in their rooms, the team huddles up for a quick meeting with Coach Scott, then start their warm-ups. UH hasn't played Florida International this year, but the Panthers should be a good test with only two losses this year.
9:00 a.m. CT: Both teams get a raucous introduction by the tournament PA announcer and after the national anthem the first match of the 2014 AVCA Sand Volleyball National Championship starts. This is what the team has been working hard for all year!
9:45 a.m. CT: The Rainbow Wahine win their first match at the Nationals by a 4-1 count over FIU. The top teams of Cook-Tiegs and Taylor-Spieler were particularly impressive as they have been all year. Top-seeded USC up next in a couple of hours…Let's GO BOWS!
12:15 p.m. CT: A much-anticipated rematch with USC begins. The Trojans handed UH a tight 3-2 loss in Honolulu in March and the Rainbow Wahine are ready for revenge as both teams seek a spot in Saturday's semifinals.
1:00 p.m. CT: It's over! The Rainbow Wahine pull off a 3-2 win over No. 1 USC! It was great atmosphere with numerous UH fans cheering the 'Bows on including a bevy of family members. The Cook, Longo, Rooks, Spieler, Shinn, Taylor and Tiegs clans are among those in attendance. Nothing like a little family support to get you past the No. 1 team in the country! With the win, UH moves on to Saturday's national semifinals.
2:15 p.m. CT: After watching some of the Pepperdine-Florida State matchup, the Rainbow Wahine head down near the ocean for a video shoot with CBS Sports Network. The ladies and coaches ham it up for the camera on a beautiful afternoon in Gulf Shores. As the team's top pair, Karissa and Brittany get interviewed for the broadcast. Unfortunately no live telecast of tomorrow's semis and finals, but CBS will be putting out a 2-hour special on the nationals to be aired three times later this month.
5:00 p.m. CT: UH finds out it semifinal opponent for Saturday as Florida State defeats Florida International. It will be the 'Bows versus the Noles. Let's GO!
7:00 p.m. CT: Two great wins today and a little unwinding at a team dinner down the road from the hotel. Family members also join the party as the girls feast on burgers, salads and local seafood.
9:00 p.m. CT: The day isn't over until some scouting is done. The coaches go over game footage with each pairs team. The girls are focused and engaged. They're hungry for a championship…tomorrow the quest continues!
Day 1: Tuesday-Wednesday, April 29-30
7:00 p.m. ET: The team boards its flight at Honolulu International Airport on its way to Alabama! Traveling with the team are 14 players, head coach
Scott Wong, assistant
Michelle Meyer, volunteer assistant
Danny Alvarez, video coordinator
Keoki Shupe and athletic trainer
Renae Shigemura. The trip east will include a red-eye flight to Houston, a connecting flight to Penscaloa, Fla., then a one-hour drive west to Gulf Shores. Off we go!
2:00 p.m. CT: Well, a little bit of a snag. The team's connecting flight to Pensacola has been cancelled due to an extreme storm that flooded the city. Gotta find a new route!
3:00 p.m. CT: The Rainbow Wahine caravan begins. With little flight opportunities, the team decides on making an nine-hour drive to Gulf Shores, Ala. Four vans begin the trek...can't stop us from making our way to nationals!
Day 2: Thursday, May 12:00 a.m. CT: After 26 hours of travel and drving through four states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama), the SandBows finally make it to the team hotel in Gulf Shores. It's been a long one, so everyone is happy to lay their heads on a pillow and a nice comfortable bed.
11:00 a.m. CT: The girls roll out of bed and get some breakfast at a Southern staple...the Waffle House. Each room at the hotel has a kitchenette so after breakfast, the team heads to the grocery store to stock up for the next four days.
1:00 p.m. CT: Team hits the sand for practice in preparation for tomorrow's start of competition. After a cool and breezy morning, the weather clears up a bit with the temperature in the 70s. SandBows get a good two-hour session in getting acclimated to the conditions, including the winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico. The sand is soft but also shallow allowing for better lift when jumping.
4:00-6:00 p.m. CT: After practice the team watches some film with coach Scott, Michelle and Danny and video coordinator Keoki. Can't say that the team won't be prepared when action starts.
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:00 p.m. CT: The AVCA Welcome Reception starts at The Hangout, just downstairs from the team hotel. All participating teams and players attend, while UH's senior woman administrator Marilyn Moniz-Kaho`ohanao makes it just in time after coming from NCAA meetings in Orlando. A live band named Cornbread rocks the house while everyone feasts on shimp, crawfish jambalaya, chicken and strawberry shortcake. Great spread the night before nationals.
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:30 p.m. CT: As the reception winds down Coach Wong gathers the team around a fire and gives a motivational speech, while the team bonds by making a symbolic sea shell necklace. Girls are pumped for tommorow!
-UH-
