Both Gabriel Vega and Evan Enriques say there’s a lot less pressure playing Hawaii this time around.
That might not make a whole lot of sense at first. The Cardinal (8-2, 6-2) are ranked sixth in the country and are tied for second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation heading into this weekend’s men’s volleyball doubleheader against the fourth-ranked Rainbow Warriors.
PROFILES
Gabriel Vega
» School: Stanford
» Class: Junior
» Height: 6-foot-7
» Position: Outside hitter
» High school: ‘Iolani (2012)
Career Statistics
YEAR
S
K
E
A
%
A
D
DPS
2015
86
27
16
76
.145
32
146
1.70
2016
38
0
0
0
.000
23
97
2.55
TOT.
124
27
16
76
.145
55
243
1.96
Evan Enriques
» School: Stanford
» Class: Sophomore
» Height: 6-foot-2
» Position: Libero
» High school: KS-Hawaii (2014)
Career Statistics
YEAR
S
K
E
A
%
SA
D
DPS
BS
BA
TOT.
2013
4
6
6
18
.000
1
0
0.00
0
4
4
2015
70
171
83
413
.213
10
91
1.30
4
20
24
2016
37
114
45
246
.280
4
55
1.49
9
21
21
TOT.
111
291
134
677
.232
15
146
1.32
4
45
49
It was much different last year when the Cardinal visited Hawaii in mid-April and were swept in their final two road matches of an 8-15 MPSF campaign.
There’s more on the line this weekend, but both admitted Tuesday the atmosphere surrounding the Cardinal is much looser and more upbeat this year.
“As a competitor, it’s not fun to lose, and so being on what I think is a good team, I’d say we’re doing much better and that pressure is a lot less this year,” said Vega, a 2012 ‘Iolani alumnus.
It made more sense for Enriques, who was just a freshman last time around, to feel pressure in his return home. Now in his second year on The Farm, the 2014 KS-Hawaii graduate has transitioned full time into the Cardinal’s starting libero and is coming off a career-high 18-dig performance last weekend in a four-set loss to new No. 1 Long Beach State.
“I think I’ve kind of grown into the role, actually,” Enriques said. “Obviously you can’t contribute as much in different aspects of the game, but I’ve started to embrace it.”
It hasn’t been easy for Enriques, who is used to getting most of the action on the court.
Vega recalled the 2012 high school state final, when he was a senior at ‘Iolani. He was at the championship game and watched Punahou beat KS-Hawaii in five sets.
Enriques had 42 kills in the five-set match and attempted more than 100 swings.
“The amazing thing about Evan has always been how strong he is mentally,” Vega said. “He’s an incredible competitor. He’s one of those guys you always really want to have on your team and you can tell now he’s gotten a lot more comfortable both as a libero and being established on this team.”
Stanford’s only other loss this season came at then-No. 1 Brigham Young, which the Cardinal also beat in five on the road.
Hawaii split with league-leading UCLA at home last weekend, handing the Bruins their first loss. UH is one of four teams tied in the loss column in MPSF play with two.
“I think that’s what you play for — to be considered a good team playing against the other good teams,” Vega said.
Enriques has four brothers, including the oldest, Cory, who played volleyball at UH.
Two weeks ago, he got to play opposite the net of one of his younger brothers, Emmett, who is a freshman at Cal Baptist.
Both started at libero.
“I was really nervous,” Evan Enriques said. “We’ve never really played against each other before other than like backyard volleyball. It was a different experience, but I’m really proud of what he’s doing down there.”
Cal Baptist is 2-6 in the MPSF.
AROUND THE NATION
Jenkins posts second-fastest time
Texas A&M senior Devin Jenkins was one of two athletes named the SEC men’s runners of the week on Tuesday.
Jenkins, a 2012 alumnus of Kapolei High, won the 200-meter race at the Charlie Thomas Invitational over the weekend with a time of 20.58 seconds. It’s the second-fastest time on the 2016 world list, trailing LSU’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake by 0.01 seconds.
The victory was Jenkins’ fourth of the indoor season and moved him to No. 4 on the Aggies’ all-time list, improving upon his previous career best of 20.77 seconds set a week earlier.
“I feel good on this track, but I have some little stuff I need to work on, like coming out of the curve,” Jenkins said after the race in a press release. “The fields today were very competitive and I was glad to hold my own and be consistent.”
Jenkins also ran the 60-meter dash at the event, finishing third with a time of 6.69 seconds.
Kauahi gets weekly award for third time
Pomona-Pitzer swimmer Maddie Kauahi notched her third TeamUnify CollegeSwimming.com Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference swimmer of the week honor on Tuesday.
Kauahi, a 2015 Kamehameha alumna, posted her fastest times of the year in two events, setting a school record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.94 seconds.
She also won the 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 52.44 seconds and swam a leg of the winning 200-yard medley relay team in a dual-meet victory over SCIAC rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Kauahi, a freshman, helped the Sagehens finish 11-1 in dual meets and a perfect 8-0 in league play.
Pomona-Pitzer will participate in the SCIAC Championships in La Mirada, Calif., on Feb. 18.
Men’s Basketball
>> Ikaika Phillip, ‘Iolani ’14: The Grinnell College sophomore guard was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and finished with nine points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of a 127-126 loss to Carroll University on Saturday.
>> Dylan King, Seabury Hall ’11: The Regis (Colo.) senior finished with nine points, a rebound and an assist in 14 minutes off the bench of an 87-84 loss to Christian College on Saturday.
>> Kupa‘a Harrison, Kalaheo ’15: The Lewis and Clark freshman guard had four points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 10 minutes off the bench of a 93-75 win over George Fox on Saturday.
>> Shane Jacob, Seabury Hall ’12: The Pacific Lutheran guard got to play the final three minutes of garbage time in an 81-63 win over Linfield (Ore.) on Saturday and was 2-for-2 from the field for four points.
Women’s Basketball
>> Kylie Maeda, ‘Iolani ’12: The Brigham Young senior guard made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 65-44 win over Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
>> Nayla Long, Mililani ’13: The Charleston Southern junior guard finished with eight points, three assists and two rebounds in a 66-58 win over Longwood on Saturday.
>> Cianna Ochoco, Maryknoll ’14: The Lewis and Clark sophomore guard had six points, two assists and a rebound in an 80-62 loss to Puget Sound on Friday and had five points, two rebounds and an assist in a 72-57 loss to George Fox on Saturday.
>> Hailey Ann Maeda, Punahou ’11: The Whitman (Wash.) forward totaled 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals in a 50-46 loss to Pacific (Ore.) on Friday.
>> Alex Masaquel, ‘Iolani ’13: The William and Mary junior forward shot 7-for-9 from the field and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and a steal in a 59-44 loss to UNCW on Sunday.
Men’s Golf
>> Alex Chiarella, Seabury Hall ’12: The San Diego senior closed Tuesday with a 2-over 74 to finish in a tie for 21st place at 9 over in The Farms Collegiate Invitational.
>> Lorens Chan, ‘Iolani ’12: The UCLA senior finished in a tie for 30th place at 2-under 214 at the Amer Ari Invitational that ended Saturday.
>> SeungJae Maeng, Moanalua ’12: The Pacific (Calif.) senior opened with a 2-under 70 Thursday before finishing in a tie for 66th place at 4 over at the Amer Ari Invitational.
>> John Oda, Moanalua ’14: The UNLV sophomore finished in second place at 7 under after shooting a final round 1-under 71 on Feb. 2 at the LMU Invitational.
Women’s Golf
>> Marissa Chow, ‘Iolani ’12: The Pepperdine senior nailed down the 22nd top-20 finish of her career on Tuesday, closing with a 2-over 73 to finish in a tie for 17th place at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. Chow, a two-time All-American, is tied for eighth in school history in top-20 finishes. She led the Waves with seven birdies in the tournament and shot a 2-under 69 on Monday.
Men’s Gymnastics
>> Joshua Yee, Thompson Academy ’12: The Oklahoma senior finished in first place on the vault with a score of 15.20 and was second on the horizontal high bar (14.8) and sixth on the pommel horse (14.3) in the top-ranked Sooners’ dual-meet win over Nebraska on Saturday.
Women’s Gymnastics
>> Kristi Hayashida, Home school ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior finished third on the beam with a 9.80 in a loss to Sacramento State on Friday.
>> Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The Seattle Pacific junior scored a season-best 7.25 on the bars in the loss to the Hornets.
>> Joey Ching, Punahou ’12: The Air Force senior scored a 9.35 on the vault and a 9.625 on the floor exercise in a win Saturday over Centenary College.
>> Jenna Frowein, Punahou ’12: The Stanford senior scored a 9.675 on the floor exercise in a win Monday over Arizona State.
Women’s Tennis
>> Bobbi Oshiro, ‘Iolani ’12: The Boise State senior won at No. 3 doubles and was victorious at No. 3 singles in straight sets to help the Broncos defeat Idaho State 6-1 on Saturday.
>> Ashley Ishimura, Punahou ’15: The Creighton freshman won in straight sets at No. 1 singles, dropping only two points, to help the Blue Jays defeat Wisconsin-Green Bay 5-0 on Sunday.
>> Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The Oregon sophomore notched a victory in three sets at No. 2 singles to help Oregon defeat No. 44 Houston 5-2 on Sunday.
>> Skyla Alcon, Mid-Pacific ’15: The CSUN freshman won at No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles to help the Matadors beat UC Riverside 6-1 on Saturday.
>> Kristen Poei, ‘Iolani ’13: The CSUN junior won in straight sets at No. 6 singles in the win over the Highlanders.
Men’s Track And Field
>> Kainoa Tom, Baldwin ’15: The Washington State freshman finished sixth in the men’s pole vault with a jump of 4.45 meters at the Cougar Indoor meet that ended Saturday.
Women’s Track And Field
>> Kristine Felix, Baldwin ’12: The Washington State senior won the women’s pole vault with a jump of 4 meters at the Cougar Indoor meet that ended Saturday.
Men’s Volleyball
>> Micah Ma‘a, Punahou ’15: The UCLA freshman hit .500 with 18 kills and added 23 assists, six block assists, four digs and an ace to help the Bruins snap Hawaii’s 17-match home winning streak in a 22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9 victory on Saturday. Ma‘a had 23 assists, nine kills, eight digs, two aces and two block assists in a four-set loss to Hawaii on Friday.
>> Michael Fisher, Hawaii Baptist ’13: The UCLA junior outside hitter had six kills, four digs and two aces in Friday’s loss to UH.
>> Stig Regan, Le Jardin ’14: The Emerson College middle blocker hit .857 with six kills in seven attempts and added three blocks in a sweep of Lesley College on Friday.
>> Silia Tucker, Kalaheo ’13: The Graceland (Iowa) setter had a team-high 37 assists, eight digs, three kills, two block assists and an ace in a five-set win over Park University on Saturday.
>> DJ Wong, Kohala ’12: The Graceland senior had a team-high 21 digs and three aces against Park University.
>> Kai Bernier-Chen, Hawaii Prep ’12: The Bard College senior had eight assists, five digs, two kills and a block assist in a three-set loss to Ramapo College on Saturday.
Compiled by the Star-Advertiser’s Billy Hull. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.
The post Stanford’s Vega, Enriques feel closer to home appeared first on Honolulu Star-Advertiser.