THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 27, UH Hilo (8-11/5-7 PWC) vs. Notre Dame de Namur (11-10/6-7 PWC), Vulcan Gymnasium, 7 pm
Monday, Oct. 30, UH Hilo vs. Concordia (11-8/7-5 PWC), Vulcan Gymnasium, 7 pm

Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans wrap up a four-match homestand with Friday/Monday matches against the Argonauts and Eagles. After that is a four-date trip to the southwest (Nov. 6-10).

MASH Unit: With nearly as many bodies on the bench as on the floor, the wounded Vulcans dropped a pair of matches last weekend to Dominican (3-1) and Chaminade (3-0). Four starters were in street clothes on Saturday night and three on Friday—Mina Grant (second in the PacWest in digs), Siera Green (team's leading hitter), Lucee Fitzgerald (third in kills) and Sha Rae Niu (one of two setters in 6-2 offense).

He has seen it all, but not this: "I can't remember having four starters out in all of my years of coaching," said head coach Gene Krieger, who has been in this business for nearly 40 years. "We played players that haven't seen much court time all season, and in some cases hadn't played in the back row at all. It wasn't so much like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, it was like building a puzzle from scratch."

Stepping Up: With the walking wounded looking on, a pair of freshmen grabbed their opportunity to step up. 6-3 middle blocker Ashton Jessee had a career-high 16 kills against Dominican, while also hitting at a .480 clip. She also had nine kills on Saturday and for the weekend had four service aces. Rookie outside hitter Amber Tai had 12 kills and 12 digs against the Penguins, both career bests for her.

Promoting: Friday night this week is Dig Pink Night, where the Vulcans will draw attention to the fight against breast cancer. Anyone wearing pink will get into the match free of charge. On Monday, it's a Spooky Volleyball Night. A costume contest is on the schedule, along with other Halloween fun.

Noticing the Numbers: Balance is still the key for the Vulcans, when everyone is healthy, with senior Siera Green leading the squad with 3.21 kills per set, followed by Randi Hunter (2.25), and Lucy Fitzgerald  (2.08). In UHH's 6-2 offense, Basia Sauni has 6.24 assists per set and freshman Sha Rae Niu adds 4.00. Green and Fitzgerald have 20 service aces each and Grant has 17. Grant is the leader in digs with 4.89. Kiley Davis has 65 block assists and Ashton Jessee has 45.

PacWest Listing: Mina Grant is second in the Pacific West Conference in digs with 4.89 per set, and Kiley Davis is fifth in blocks (1.15). Lucee Fitzgerald is third in service aces (0.42) and Siera Green is seventh in kills (3.21).

Argos and Eagles: The Vulcans will get a rematch on Friday versus Notre Dame de Namur, whom UH Hilo defeated 3-1 on Oct. 9. Of course, that was before the rash of injuries. The Argonauts have Bianca Alvarez, the PacWest leader in kills (5.11) who led the nation last year in attempts. NDNU will be looking to snap a three-match losing streak when they arrive in Hilo. The Vulcans lead the all-time series (14-6) but the Argonauts won both matches last year…UHH will welcome a red-hot Concordia squad to Hilo on Monday. The PacWest pre-season favorite began the year on hard times, losing eight straight matches, but have since righted the ship with seven straight victories heading into a Friday match at Chaminade and a Saturday encounter at Hawaii Pacific. Amber Rose is the top blocker in the PacWest (1.44) and Rachel Flynn is fifth in fills (3.46). The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 2-2, with the Eagles claiming last year's match in Hilo, 3-2.

The Coach: New Vulcan leader Gene Krieger became just the sixth volleyball coach in the program's storied history when he signed his contract last March. The veteran coach has a history of success at the NAIA and NCAA Division II level, having led squads to championship seasons at California Baptist, Cal Poly Pomona, Westmont, Western Oregon and Warner Pacific. He now sports a collegiate career mark of 372-219. Most recently, he led two D-II programs to significant turnarounds at Northwestern Oklahoma State and Anderson (South Carolina).