Women's Basketball Weekly
Hawai`i Hilo Overall Record: 2-3       Hawai`i Hilo PacWest Record: 0-3
 
Vulcans Return to the Court with Three Games in Three Nights                             
Monday, Dec. 17 vs. Holy Names (0-9), 5 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic
Tuesday, Dec. 18 vs. St. Martin's (3-5), 4:30 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic
Wednesday, Dec. 19, vs. Alaska Anchorage (7-1), 5:30 p.m., Afook-Chinen Civic
Live Stream/Live Stats at www.hiloathletics.com

Hilo Headlines: After two weeks away from game action, the Vulcans return to the court on Monday to host Holy Names in a Pacific West Conference match-up. Then they will host Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams St. Martin's (Tuesday) and Alaska Anchorage (Wednesday) to before breaking for the holidays.
 
Bonus Basketball: On Tuesday, fans can enjoy a basketball doubleheader as after the Vulcan-Saints game, Alaska Anchorage and Holy Names will square off at 6:30 p.m.
 
Free, Free, Free!!: From here on and forever more, all UH Hilo and Hawaii Community College students will receive free admission to all Vulcan home events. Just show your student ID, and you are in!!
 
Watch, Listen: All Vulcan home women's basketball games will be available via video stream (and Live Stats). Improved coverage, which includes audio play-by-play, through Out of the Sea Media on the Vulcan website. Additionally, home games beginning in January will be broadcast on AM 670 KPUA-Hilo.
 
Win Column Search: The Vulcans look to break into the PacWest win column on Monday, after opening conference play with losses to Hawaii Pacific (69-48), Chaminade (65-58) and Fresno Pacific (83-64).
 
Mash Unit: The Vulcans still aren't close to full strength, with guards Kim Schmelz and Mikayla Tablit sidelined. Seniors Patience Taylor and Amber Vaughn have also missed games with injuries, but both are expected to be ready to go this week.
 
Allie's Averages: Sophomore post Allie Navarette has scored in double figures every game, including a career-high 27 points in her last two games (Chaminade and Fresno Pacific). She had her second double-double of the season against the Sunbirds, adding 12 rebounds to her totals. She had 14 boards earlier this year against Multnomah and also had four blocked shots in that game. She is averaging 19.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game, and is shooting 84 percent from the free throw line.
 
By the Numbers: Freshman guard Mandi Kawaha is also averaging double figure scoring numbers at 13.2 points a game. She hit for a career-high 22 against Fresno Pacific. She leads the Vulcans with 3.1 assists per contest…Alyssa Movchan adds 8.4 points a game, while freshman Maddie Beck comes off the bench at 6.6 ppg. Patience Taylor has 18 points in three games, Sara Shimizu averages 5.2, and Chyann Gabriel is second on the Vulcans in rebounds with 4.6 a game.
 
Around the Loop: Three teams are still unbeaten in PacWest play. Dominican and Azusa Pacific are both 4-0 in conference games and Hawaii Pacific is 3-0. Biola is next at 3-1 and Fresno Pacific also has a winning record at 2-1.
 
Regional Rankings: The unofficial D2SIDA West Region rankings for Dec. 11 look like this: (1) Northwest Nazarene 9-0, (2) UC San Diego 8-0, (3) Alaska Anchorage 7-1, (4) Central Washington 6-1, (5) Cal Poly Pomona 6-1, (6) Dominican 6-1, (7) Azusa Pacific 7-3, (8) Western Washington 6-2, (9) Simon Fraser 5-2, (10) Chico State 6-1.

A Look Back: The Vulcans suffered through an injury-plagued year to finish 7-16 overall and 5-15 in the Pacific West Conference in 2017-18.
 
She's Back! And So is She, and She: One big bright spot last season was the play of freshman post, Allie Navarette. The 6-footer earned honorable mention All-PacWest honors, averaging a school-record 16.7 points a game. Her 383 points was also a Vulcan single-season record, as was her free throw percentage of .842. Also returning are the backcourt tandem of Alyssa Movchan and Sara Schimizu, who started 39 games between them last year. 6-0 senior Patience Taylor started 17 games last year and guard Amber Vaughn started five before her season ended with an injury. Still injured is 2016-17 PacWest honorable mention pick Kim Schmelz and freshman Mikayla Tablit (Konawaena HS).

PacWest Prognosticators: The PacWest coaches predicted Azusa Pacific to win the conference this year, with defending champ Hawai`i Pacific slated to take second. The Vulcans clock in at ninth.
 
Hawk Headlines: Holy Names will be looking for their first win of the season at Chaminade (Saturday), before arriving in Hilo (they lost to Hawaii Pacific on Thursday). They have had a tough schedule, having already played five games against teams ranked in the top ten in the region. Holy Names is led by the one-two punch of Onajalise Carley-Hilliard, a 6-0 center that averages 15.6 points and Ariana Hernandez, a 5-1 guard that adds 14.5 ppg. The Vulcans won last year's match-up between the two teams in Oakland (69-56), and UH Hilo leads the all-time series, 8-1.
 
Saints March In: St. Martin's will also play Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade before arriving on the Big Island. They bring a 3-5 record to the islands and they are 1-1 in the GNAC. They have a modest two-game win streak heading into Saturday's contest with the Sharks, having beaten Concordia OR (81-68) and Northwest Christian (81-36) in a non-conference bout. Back in November, they went three overtimes before falling to Dixie State, 107-103. 5-2 guard Makenna Schultz leads the Saints with 16.5 points a game, and she exploded for 37 in that game against the Trailblazers, hitting 7-of-10 three point shots. 5-10 Saniah Simpson-Patu adds 15 points a game and 5.5 rebounds. The Vulcans and Saints have been playing each other since 2008, with St. Martin's holding a 8-2 edge all-time.
 
Seawolves Sentences: The No. 15 nationally ranked Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage will play Holy Names in Hilo on Tuesday before taking on the Vulcans on Wednesday. At 7-1, the only loss this season for UAA was in their last outing on Dec. 1 in Idaho against No. 9 ranked Northwest Nazarene, 84-68. The Seawolves have four players in double figures, led by Hannah Wandersee (the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year) at 14 points and seven rebounds a game. UAA, ranked as high as No. 4 this season, has advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of the last four seasons. The Seawolves lead the all-time series with the Vulcans, 7-0.
 
Head Coach David Kaneshiro: Vulcan head coach David Kaneshiro enters into his ninth season as the leader of the UHH program in 2018-19. Prior to his arrival at Hilo, he was the head coach for three seasons Blackburn College (Ill.), where he twice won conference championships and in 2006 was named the St. Louis Athletic Conference co-coach of the year. He also spent two seasons as the head coach at Webster University (Mo.). He served one season as the lead assistant at Stanislaus State.