The occasion is ripe for the unexpected, the unforeseen, and Tino Reyes has been around long enough to know it’s coming, as sure as tomorrow’s sunrise.
The occasion is ripe for the unexpected, the unforeseen, and Tino Reyes has been around long enough to know it’s coming, as sure as tomorrow’s sunrise.
Reyes opens his seventh season as coach of the University of Hawaii at Hilo volleyball team Monday when the Vulcans host Cal Poly Pomona from the California Collegiate Athletic Association at the Vulcans gym knowing the visitors will have a few days of recent experience in their favor.
“You know it will be their fourth match and our first, so there’s a disadvantage in that sense, but we’re happy to have them,” Reyes said. “For us, after a couple weeks of practice, you have an idea, or you think you have an idea of what you’ve got, but then the lights go on and sure enough, you always find out something you didn’t know.
“You hope it’s a good surprise and not a bad surprise, but the truth is, until you start, you never really know,” he said, “until it gets real.”
Cal Poly is coached by 25-year veteran Rosie Wegrich whose Broncos went 12-8 in the conference record last year, enough to get them to the CCAA playoffs for the first time, but she lost five seniors from last year’s team and has no seniors on this year’s squad.
Cal Poly started its five-day swing through the islands with losses at BYU-Hawaii (3-2), on Thursday and at Chaminade (3-1) Friday before a Saturday match at Hawaii Pacific.
Reyes welcomed back essentially the same team he had a year ago that went 9-11 in the Pacific West Conference but collapsed down the stretch, losing its last four matches convincingly. This year’s group seems more focused, more unified, but just how much will the experience and the bonding help?
“Let’s see,” Reyes said. “You hope to get a good surprise, but either way, after you start playing, the numbers tell you who should be playing, they sort of make the decision for themselves.”
For the opener, Reyes plans to start more seniors than Cal Poly has on its roster, for what that may be worth.
It starts with senior Marley Strand-Nicolaisen, the 6-foot outside hitter from Naalehu who led the team with 328 kills and 21 service aces last season, with senior setter Sienna Davis and outside hitter Siera Green.
Sophomore Katrina Johnson, at 6-2, showed flashes as a freshman and will earn at start against the Broncos with senior middle blocker Kyndra Trevino-Scott and sophomore Mina Grant in the libero position.
“It’s not a very deep team, but we have some experience and we have some ability, so we will see how far we can go,” Reyes said. “You always want to get off to a good start but you also want to see whatever flaws you might need to correct. We just need to get started.”
Sophomore Evelin Solyomvari, a 6-footer from Hungary with potential, has been red-shirted for the season because of leg injuries that are requiring more surgical procedures.
The first match features free admission for UH students with a valid UHH ID card and the first 100 fans will receive a Vulcan Pride t-shirt.