This Week in Vulcan Women's Basketball
Record: 0-0 (0-0 PWC)

Back to Action! Vulcans Host National Title Contending Sharks
Saturday, Jan. 16 vs. Hawai`i Pacific (1-0), 1:30 pm, UHH Gymnasium
Sunday, Jan. 17 vs. Hawai`i Pacific, Noon, UHH Gymnasium

10.5 Months Later, Vulcans Face Sharks Again (and Again): Ten and a half months since closing their 2019-20 season against Hawai`i Pacific, UH Hilo will officially open their 2020-21 campaign against the Sharks on Saturday and Sunday in Hilo. Saturday's tip-off is set for 1:30 pm, with Sunday's game beginning at noon at Vulcan Gymnasium.
 
Vulcans on Video: Because of Hawai`i County protocols and for the safety of players, coaches and fans, only essential personnel will be allowed in Vulcan Gymnasium. But fans around the world can watch live via video stream through the Vulcans website at hiloathletics.com. The link to the broadcast will be on the website's schedule page 24-48 hours before the contest. The cost will be $10 per game. For more information, click here.
 
Warm-Up: The Vulcans did get one practice contest under their belts, taking on sister school University of Hawai`i on December 20 in Honolulu. Thanks to a 24-point second quarter outburst, the Vulcans actually led the Rainbow Wahine at the half, 33-32. But Hawai`i had a burst of its own in the third quarter, outscoring UHH 22-9 to pull away for the eventual 71-54 victory. Mandi Kawaha had 23 points in the exhibition game, and also led the Vulcans with six boards. Sara Shimizu added nine points on a trio of treys and led her team with four assists.

Veteran Vulcans: Head coach David Kaneshiro, entering his 11^th season, has six letterwinners and five returning starters to send out to the floor. That includes Super Senior Kim Schmelz, who enters into her fifth year in a Vulcan uniform. She played in just two games in 2017-18 (medical redshirt) and missed all of 2018-19. She was an honorable mention All-PacWest selection in 2016-17, averaging 14.6 points a game. She ranks third on the Vulcan all-time scoring list with 873 points…Fellow senior Sara Shimizu has started 65 games in her UHH career and ranks sixth on the Vulcan career three-pointers made list with 71…Another senior, Malia Lee has played in 69 games over three seasons, and Jenna Waki started 23 contests in 2019-20 as a true freshman. Junior point guard Mandi Kawaha has the keys to the car, having averaged close to 10 points a game the past two seasons, while leading the team in assists and steals. Sophomore guard Mikayla Tablit returns (eight starts last year) as does redshirt junior Bree Olson (5-11 forward, Pima CC). Newcomers looking to contribute include Mindy Kawaha (Hilo HS), Noelle Sua-Godinet (Kamehameha-Kapalama), Erica Ingram (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Kenedi Walters (Cabrillo College), Sierra Cavaletto (Santa Barbara CC) and Kayla Revelo (Vallejo, Calif.).
 
Coach Kaneshiro on Preseason Progress: "It's hard to say where we are compared to other years because this year has been so different, and because this is just the second game of this year.  But we've shown good improvement over the past couple of months.  The energy, work ethic, and attention to detail have been good.  I think our returners have done a good job so far of setting a good example for our new players and also helping them along the way.  I think how well they continue to do that will be important for us the rest of the season."
 
Pandemic Puzzle: The Vulcans (UH Hilo), Sharks (Hawaii Pacific) and Silverswords (Chaminade) will see a lot of each other this winter. The Pacific West Conference is playing pod-only schedules during the regular season, meaning that the Hawai`i teams will square off a total of 12 times each against each other---same for the schools in the northern California and the southern California portion of the conference. Teams will also play each other on back-to-back days in the same gym, to cut down on travel and exposure. Postseason play is still a possibility, COVID-19 permitting. But no teams in the CCAA are playing basketball this winter, and only three in the GNAC are competing (Seattle Pacific, Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene).
 
Coach Kaneshiro on Opportunity to Play: "Our team is excited to start the PacWest season.  We see what's going on around the country and in our state. So we are very thankful for the opportunity to play these games.  We know a lot of people have put a lot of time, planning, and work into this.  We'd especially like to say Mahalo to Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, AD Patrick Guillen, Associate AD Kula Oda, and Athletic Trainers Kensei Gibbs, Aya Morioka, and Trek Rundle for all they've done to get us to this point in the season and giving us this opportunity."
 
Sharks Attack: The Vulcans will face Hawai`i Pacific (twice) to open the season, and they likely couldn't find a tougher opponent in the country. The Sharks are coming off of a school-record 29-1 season, and were surely a national title contender had COVID-19 not stopped their season. They come into 2020-21 ranked No. 1 in the NCAA West Region, and they topped D-I University of Hawai`i in their opener (82-74). First Team All-American and West Region Player of the Year Amy Baum (12.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 6.2 apg) is back, along with All-PacWest guard Alysha Marcucci (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Ally Bates was another All-PacWest pick (10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg). The Sharks lead the all-time series against the Vulcans, 30-3.
 
Coach K on HPU: "They are an excellent team. Talented players, well coached, and very good at both ends of the floor. With the year that they had last year and with their win over Manoa in December, they've proven they deserve the rankings and accolades they've received. Our players are excited to play and looking forward to the challenge of competing against them."

Last Year: The Vulcans finished 10-16 overall and 9-13 in the Pacific West Conference, good for seventh place. After an 1-8 start which included a brutal non-conference schedule, UH Hilo went 9-9 over the back half of their schedule, missing a PacWest tournament berth by just one spot.

The Coach: Vulcan head coach David Kaneshiro is in his 11th season leading the Vulcan program, one of only two Vulcan head coaches in program history. He previously spent four years as an assistant coach with the men's team at UHH, and has been the women's head coach at Blackburn and Webster. He also was an assistant at Stanislaus State.