Hall of Fame volleyball coach Carl McGown is a stickler for detail, especially the smaller ones.
Hall of Fame volleyball coach Carl McGown is a stickler for detail, especially the smaller ones.
When the UH-Hilo assistant met with the Vulcans before their match Saturday against Felician, they went over fundamentals.
“Just some stuff we messed up with Friday night,” McGown said. “Little things like moving our feet here and there.”
And with that, UH-Hilo went out and took a small step forward, overpowering undermanned Felician for the second consecutive match, 25-11, 25-15, 25-11 to close the Hilo Naniloa Hawaii Challenge at the campus gym.
“This weekend really helped us,” McGown said of the 2-1 start. “We can play. We can be a nice team.”
McGown led the team Friday and Saturday against the Falcons (1-7) of New Jersey as head coach Tino Reyes attended his father’s funeral.
From the Vulcans’ 10 aces, balanced against only four service errors, to their 44 kills – they made only 13 attack errors – McGown termed the effort “acceptable” on all levels.
“For the most part we were pretty focused and playing well,” McGown said. “Only one lull.”
It was a balanced attack as well. Outside hitter Marley Strand-Nicolaisen smacked 10 kills, and Shelby Harguess (nine kills), Kyndra Trevino-Scott (eight), Morgan Lees (six) and Trixie Croad (five) followed close behind.
At first glance, UH-Hilo showcased better firepower than in 2014, getting improved hitting from Trevino-Scott and Lees to back the ever-reliable Strand-Nicolaisen, a Ka’u graduate. But the Vulcans will surely face stouter tests than they received from Felician, starting with the PacWest opener next Saturday at home against BYU-Hawaii.
“Felician played better (than Friday),” McGown said.
With the Vulcans enjoying big leads in each set, McGown was able to get all 13 players on the roster into the match, including 2015 Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate Harley Woosley.
“We’ve taught her a blocking move that that allows her to play above the net,” McGown said. “She’s a nice addition to our team. If something should happen, she can set for us.”