Aloha from Hawai'i | Gator Volleyball's First Day on Oahu
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 | Volleyball
With big wins over top-15 opponents Oregon and Texas at the VERT Challenge behind them, the new No. 2 Gator volleyball squad turned their sights towards the next journey on the schedule Monday morning: Hawai'i.
Already half way across the country in Austin from last weekend's tournament, what would normally be a daunting 4:30 a.m. wake-up call was met with sleepiness, yes, but also smiles, giddiness -- and Hawaiian shirts on all 15 Gators.
Hawaii-bound!
Florida started the trek to Honolulu, Hawaii, with a 6:30 a.m. flight out of Austin to LAX, where the Gators jumped right on a flight to Oahu -- now six hours behind Titletown.
While Monday was an exciting day in general for the Gators, 4-0 on the season with two top-15 wins and a No. 2 ranking in the latest AVCA coaches poll, sophomore All-American middle Rhamat Alhassan celebrated her 19th birthday, with not only her first trip to Hawaii, but an exit row on the plane. Doesn't get much better for a 6-foot-4 athlete!
A humbling trip to Pearl Harbor on Labor Day and an educational and powerful tour of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was on tap first -- after the Gators were presented Orange and Blue leis from all-time favorite Hawaii tour guide Alan, of course.
Lunch beachside on Waikiki, stellar beach views from the Gators' hotel and a few hours of free time before dinner, whether crashing in the waves or hanging in hammocks on the beach, highlighted Florida's first afternoon in Oahu.
Tuesday, the Gators will get back out on the volleyball court in preparation for the Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge. While the team is in paradise this week, Florida is in Honolulu on business with Eastern Washington, No. 16 Hawaii and San Diego State matches slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Orange and Blue return home for their Stephen C. O'Connell Center debut Sept. 17.
A luau, snorkeling and a trip to the North Shore will serve as Florida's next non-volleyball adventures in Honolulu.
Stay posted to GatorZone.com, Gator Volleyball on Facebook and @GatorsVB on both Twitter and Instagram (#HIGators) for updates from Hawaii.
Go Gators!
