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The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine volleyball team is the NCAA Division I women's volleyball team for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. They are a member of the Big West Conference and are led by head coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos. The Rainbow Wahine volleyball program remains a large source of financial income for the University of Hawaii athletic department, notwithstanding even what FB and MBB generates.
The team has won four national championships: one AIAW title and three NCAA Division I titles. The Rainbow Wahine played in the Big West Conference from 1988 to 1995. They joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 1996 and clinched at least a share of the regular-season conference title each year until 2012, when the Rainbow Wahine re-joined the Big West Conference. Hawaii won the WAC Tournament (and the WAC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid) in 1998 and every year between 2001 and 2011 except in 2010, when Hawaii lost in the tournament's final round to the Utah State Aggies. All four national championship squads have been team inducted into the UH Hall of Honor, of the Hawaii Athletics most prestigious, since 1981-82 (the NCAA's WVB birth).
On 21 October 1994, the Rainbow Wahine played their first match in the Stan Sheriff Center against the AVCA polled San Jose State Spartans. The Rainbow Wahine led the nation in home game attendance from 1995 to 2014, with a cumulative average of more than 6,800 fans per match, until the Nebraska Cornhuskers moved into the Devaney Center and began averaging over 8,000 fans at each home match.
UHM is a perfect 24-0 against UH Hilo in their own state turf series, dating back to the mid 1970s. On September 12, 2009, the program notched its 1,000th victory with a 3-0 win over Stanford; this series favors UH 19-13. On December 11, 2015, the Wahine defeated 7-time national champions Penn State 3-0.
In addition, the program has made 34 NCAA postseason appearances out of 35 years, only missing the 1992 NCAA tournament. The program has produced Olympians, All-Americans and five individuals named National Player of the Year since 1983.
Notable players
Linda Fernandez: Coach Kang trainee (1972-4); superstar of the professional International Volleyball Association. Gifted athlete 'til the 1980s featured on ABC-TV's Superstars (U.S. Men, Women, Networks, Olympic).
Deitre Collins: Inaugural SCIVBHOF Inductee. The class included: Andy Banachowski, Laurel Brassey, Craig Buck, Tara Cross, Bob Ctvrtlik, Dusty Dvorak, Rolf Engen, Debbie Green, Kathy Gregory, Bryan Ivie, Karch Kiraly, Ricci Luyties, Chris Marlowe, Misty May, Kim Oden, Mike O’Hara, Doug Partie, Al Scates, Gene Selznick, Sinjin Smith, Jeff Stork, Steve Timmons, Paula Weishoff.
Lisa Strand-Ma'a (1981–84): Color commentator on Oc 16 TV for all things, UHM, volleyball.
Debbi Black-Lippert: Gifted teaching Brethren, solid Beach volleyball professional. Miracle, subjectified, materfamilias; all-U.S.A. dimensioned. National Champion (NCAA), 1983, and 1986 Regional Finalists w AVCA No.1 University of the Pacific (United States), as AVCA No.2.
Suzanne Eagye-Cox: 2-time AVCA 1st Team All-American (1986-7) & '87 Nat'l Honda Award winner. Husband Tim is a pro motion picture's artist in the realm of blockbusting faith-based films. She was the 1987 PCAA/BWC P.O.Y..
Tonya "Teee" Williams: 3-time 1st Team All-American (1987, 1988, 1989), 2-time AVCA National Player of the Year (1987, 1989). A member of the 1992 and 1996 USA Olympic Teams.
Karrie Trieschman-Poppinga (1987-1990): 2-time 1st Team AVCA All-American (1989, 1990). Along with fellow Kama'aina Gabrielle Reece (w/4-person WBVL), she was a Nike, Inc. spokes model starring on the 2-person WPVA Tour (1992-7).
Cheri Boyer (PHS c/o '88, top 3 U.S. recruit): from a family of pro's, b-i-l Trevor; sister Ann; sister Amy; sister Meri-de, who represent the S.W. SoCal region of America. Cheri was USAV 18s MVP; 1990-1, twice, & then 1st team AVCA all-American; 2010 USAV 40s MVP. Costumed dressed, revelry attired, the sisters play 6-women Beach tourneys from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Robyn Ah Mow: 2-time AVCA 1st Team All-American (1995, 1996), USA Olympics indoor women's volleyball team member (2000, 2004, 2008), coach from 2011 (assistant 'til 2016).
Heidi Ilustre: played from 1996-99. Older sister to Hedder, who played from 2001-2. Beach pro with the AVP from 2001-2006.
Jameka Stevens: Olympian, who had done it and won it all before stepping foot on the UHM campus (1997). After playing VB through 2000, she has traveled for Maternal and Children’s Health, now 23 countries TD; this she did via Berkeley's post-2001 certification, in pharmaceutical research & development.
Heather Bown: 2-time 1st Team All-American (1998, 1999). Led the country in blocks in 1999, with over 2 blk/s. The 2-time WAC Player of the Year (1998, 1999) was also a 3-time Olympian at the (2000, 2004, 2008) Olympic Games as a member of the USA indoor women's team.
Kim Willoughby: AVCA National Player of the Year (2003), 3-time AVCA 1st Team All-American (2001, 2002, 2003), 3-time WAC Player of the Year. 2008 USA Olympic Indoor women's team member. She is the all-time career kill leader at Hawaii and the Western Athletic Conference with 2,598 career kills.
Victoria Prince-Federline: 2-time AVCA 2nd Team All-American (2004, 2005). Middle-blocker among those only at least twice recognized on all WAC teams for WAC All-Decade Volleyball team (2000-2009). She married her baby-daddy (in 2013 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas) becoming stepmother to Britney Spears' Sean Preston and Jayden James Federline.
Kanoe Kamana'o: AVCA F.O.Y.; 4-time All-American (2003-6). Ranks in the top 10 all time of NCAA assists. Hawaiian ambassador fly girl, post David Ige and politics.
Raeceen Woolford: 'Iolani School's c/o 2003; progressively to 2006 (in all 35 matches) she earned starting spots at libero & back-row specialists, while serving Most phenomenally. She was crowned Miss Hawai'i 2009; she made the final cut of seven in the 2010 Miss America pageant, there she won Miss Congeniality.
Beaut Herring: Three-time AVCA 1st Team All American (2009-11). Lowe's only CLASS Award rep. (2011). 2012 USAV Open Nationals MVP. Danielson by name (2009).
Jane Croson: 2010 FIVB (U-19) Beach World Champion with partner Summer Ross, 2010 NORCECA (U-20) Women's Continental Champion; tournament MVP, 3-time all WACs & BWC selection (2011, 2012), 2012 AVCA Collegiate Beach VB All-American, 2015 South Pacific Games gold medalist (team American Samoa); Tahiti.
Kalei Adolpho (2011–14): from Ho'olehua, Molokai to UHM's international European, multi stop, Summer '15 Tour.
Nikki Taylor: 4x All-American (2014-5 Beach; AVCA). Father Graham, 50th State, renown, PSY.D, transferred by extension, or metaphor, that which shouldn't be confused with Floridian Niki Taylor. The latter being also plagued with injury though confidently faithful in boldness of Glory—application(s)—eternally, a single 'k' differentially.
Head coach
1972–1974: Alan Kang[1]
1975–2017: Dave Shoji
2017–present: Robyn Ah Mow-Santos
Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, a former player and assistant coach for the Rainbow Wahine, was named head coach in February 2017 immediately upon the announcement of Dave Shoji's retirement. Dave Shoji was the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team from 1975–2017. As of 2013, he was the winningest Division I women's volleyball head coach.[2] He is a member of the NCAA Volleyball Division 1 25th Anniversary Team.[3] In addition, he has been named the National Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coach's Association twice—in 1982 and 2009. He was named Region Coach of the Year nine times and the conference Coach of the Year eleven times. In 2010, he was inducted into the AVCA's Hall of Fame. He co-authored with Ann Miller, Wahine Volleyball: 40 Years of Coaching Hawaii's Team (2013).
League
1974–80: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
1981–present: NCAA Division I
Conference
1985–1995, 2012–present: Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) / Big West Conference
1982: NCAA by defeating USC, 14–16, 9–15, 15–13, 15–10, 15–12
1983: NCAA by defeating UCLA, 15–13, 15–4, 15–10
1987: NCAA by defeating Stanford, 15–10, 15–10, 9–15, 15–1
In film
The formation of the first Rainbow Wahine volleyball team is chronicled in the documentary film Rise of the Wahine, directed by Dean Kaneshiro. Rise features the struggles of these first teams after the passing of Title IX and highlights the roles of coaches Alan Kang and Dave Shoji, first female Athletic Director Dr. Donnis Thompson, Patsy Mink, and players from the first teams, including Diana McInerny, Marilyn Moniz-Kaho`ohanonaho, Joyce Ka'apuni, and Joey Akeo.
In print
Wahine Ball: The Story of Hawai'i's Most Beloved Team, by Dean Chadwin, details the evolution of a once-genteel game born one hundred years ago in a Massachusetts "Y" and the University of HI. By telling the story of one of the most popular collegiate teams in volleyball history, Chadwin comparatively links the timeworn establishments in his publishing dated April, 1997.
NCAA representation
On November 1, 2005 for immediate release, the NCAA Press issued for the public and media relations a NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball 25th Anniversary Team. The team featured Middle Blocker Deitre Collins and Coach Dave Shoji as head coach, of seven total honorees. Tonya "Teee" Williams had also been further named to the 1980s NCAA all-Decade team for accolades. The NCAA no longer awards athletes with All-American recognition as they once did in the one and only year, 1981 (Diane Sabastian-Pestolesi).
