Jason Kaneshiro: Scribes Cindy Luis and Ann Miller brought life to Wahine volleyball

Sep. 12—This is a tale of two storytellers.

Originating on opposite ends of California, the convergence of the sports journalism careers of Cindy Luis and Ann Miller not only coincided with the explosion in popularity of University of Hawaii women's volleyball in the early 1980s, but in fact helped fuel the frenzy in the community.

This is a tale of two storytellers.

Originating on opposite ends of California, the convergence of the sports journalism careers of Cindy Luis and Ann Miller not only coincided with the explosion in popularity of University of Hawaii women's volleyball in the early 1980s, but in fact helped fuel the frenzy in the community.

Years before every home match was televised and decades before technology made results and reaction instantly accessible, the female sports reporters provided a conduit between the Wahine and an ever expanding fan base craving insight on the wildly popular program.

Other than being among the 1, 200 or so crammed into the wooden bleachers in Klum Gym, fans relied on their accounts in the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin to track the progress of the Wahine—including their storied championship runs in 1982, '83 and'87—while developing a sense of connection with the players and coaches.

While both covered myriad events in a wide range of sports over four decades, their bylines remain inextricably tied to Wahine volleyball as pioneers in the coverage of the sport.

"We had two special women writing about volleyball and it shows on the national level, " Hall of Fame UH coach Dave Shoji said. "If you read other accounts of other games, I didn't feel it's the same as Ann and Cindy.

"I just felt like they knew the game better than most of the writers around the country."

The Wahine were already perennial AIAW championship contenders and won the 1979 title before Miller arrived in Hawaii from Northern California in 1980 and the San Diego-raised and UCLA-educated Luis made the move from Guam a year later.

Both had experience in newsrooms with Miller working part-time at the Oakland Tribune after attending San Francisco State and Luis serving as the Gannett Corporation's first female sports editor at the Pacific Daily News on Guam.

Luis credited living in Guam's humidity for preparing her for the steamy conditions in Klum Gym, whether on a packed game night or a sweltering summer practice.

"They certainly learned a lot about volleyball and a lot of it was done watching practices and just being in the gym and watching the girls play, " Shoji said. "To sit in a practice gym for three hours on an afternoon almost every day is showing a lot of dedication and it showed through their writing."

They arrived in Hawaii in the period following UH's 1979 AIAW title and in the build-up toward the 1982 and'83 NCAA championship runs. It didn't take long to recognize that Wahine volleyball already held a beloved place in the local sports community.

"I had never seen anything like that, especially for a women's sport when I was growing up, " Miller said, "They were just so successful ... and that atmosphere in Klum was crazy the whole time. Even when they weren't winning, it was rare that there was a seat in there."

It was also during this era that the first volleyball box score made its debut in the local dailies, but both sought to give the readers a sense of the team beyond the numbers.

"I pride myself on giving our readers the insight into the athletes as people and who they are, " Luis said.

Said Miller : "Cindy and I could have written six stories a day, seven days a week and people wouldn't have been upset, especially if you write on the people. The game was important because it had a result, but they wanted to know about (the players )."

The papers' deadlines often fostered game coverage that complemented each other. Writing for the Advertiser's morning edition, Miller was tasked with pounding out the facts of the match. Meanwhile, Luis had time to mingle with players and fans and delve into analysis for the afternoon Star-Bulletin.

"We weren't competitors, we were colleagues, " Luis said. "There was no rivalry because our audiences were different.

"I think the readers enjoyed having two different perspectives, and it was double the coverage."

The Rainbow Wahine volleyball program's alumnae match, on hiatus since 2019, is scheduled to return on Friday amid the continuing celebration of the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX. The reunion of Wahine players of the past also comes 40 years since the 1982 championship and 35 after the'87 title, and memories of both remain fresh for the duo that documented those campaigns.

While stories abound over decades of coverage, Luis and Miller can pinpoint details of the 1982 championship comeback against USC after going down 2-0 to the Trojans in Stockton, Calif. The Deitre Collins-led team extended its dominance into 1983 and the Wahine went a combined 67-3 over the back-to-back championship seasons.

"As awesome as it was, if it had been in Hawaii, I think the island would have just blown up, " Miller said. "You hear about people standing outside at Ala Moana Center watching the TVs at Sears because people were so into it."

Perhaps it's fate that the course of the'82 final was played out in nearly identical fashion on Saturday as the UH program prepares to celebrate the anniversary of its first NCAA championship this week. The current Rainbow Wahine dropped two sets to the Women of Troy and trailed early in the third before electrifying SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with a reverse sweep.

Luis and Miller also recall the catharsis of the 1987 title run for the senior class of Tita Ahuna, Suzanne Eagye, Mahina Eleneki and Diana Jessie and some of the traits of the 1980s title teams endure in the program's DNA.

"Hawaii killed you on defense, " Luis said. "That was Hawaii's trademark, scrappy defense."

Over the years, they've documented the growth of the program in a state that has been ahead of the curve in embracing women's sports, thanks to and extending beyond the landmark efforts of Patsy Mink and Dr. Donnis Thompson.

"I think Hawaii was a community where girls were allowed to be active, " said Luis, who has been active in the local paddling scene since her arrival in the islands. "Maybe they didn't have organized sports, but they were surfing, they were in the water, there were people in the parks playing volleyball.

"It was about equality, not one gender over the other. People keep saying Title IX is all about women. No, it s not. It's about equality and equal opportunity."

Miller literally wrote the book on Wahine volleyball, co-authoring Shoji's book "Wahine Volleyball. 40 Years Coaching Hawaii's Team " published in 2014.

Luis started a website dedicated to volleyball (cindyluis.com ) in 2020 and her connection with the UH programs now spans another generation with her son, Tiff Wells, serving as the radio voice of Wahine and Warrior volleyball.

"He learned his numbers by Wahine volleyball, " Luis said. "We'd drive up the Pali and at mile markers he'd go, 'one, Teee Williams.'

"He had a relationship with Wahine volleyball before he ever started covering them."

And so, a legacy of storytelling continues.