Winning came almost immediately for University of Hawai‘i women's volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow, but it didn't happen all at once.
After the retirement of former NCAA all-time wins leader Dave Shoji, Ah Mow was chosen as the program's head coach in 2017. She made her head coaching debut for her alma mater on Aug. 25, 2017 against Marquette, a five-set loss for the Rainbow Wahine. Following the match, Ah Mow held the team for a late practice.
"I think I took them to (UH-Mānoa's) Gym 1 after we lost. I never did it again, guys," Ah Mow joked to local media during a recent session. "But that shows like, yeah, I just hate losing. I hate losing, and I want our team to be better. But right now, I just think about our (current) team and what we have to do."
The Rainbow Wahine lost all three of their matches at home that weekend but went on to have a 20-8 season, including a 14-2 mark in Big West Conference play.
Under Ah Mow, the Rainbow Wahine have continued to be the gold standard in the Big West as it prepares to join the Mountain West Conference in 2026. The 'Bows have appeared in 31 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including all seven of Ah Mow's full seasons at the helm. The only exception was the 2021 spring season, a season the Big West opted out of.
In 2025, the Rainbow Wahine have an equal balance of eight returnees and eight newcomers. Standards remain high for the Rainbow Wahine, who begin their 2025 season at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center against Marquette, the same team Ah Mow debuted against. Friday's match against the Golden Eagles wraps up the first day of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, which also features Utah State and San Diego.
"I feel like this year's team is a little bit gelled together, a lot more than last year's team, more goal-driven and dialed versus individual stuff," Ah Mow said when asked to compare the 2025 team against a 2024 squad that won the Big West Tournament but got swept in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against TCU. "Everybody is for the team."
Ah Mow's resume as a former star player for Hawai‘i includes two first-team All-America honors and a silver medal as Team USA's starting setter in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Her playing career alone has earned the reverence of her players, but as a coach, Ah Mow's ability to keep things real with her players has earned her their love.
"I love Coach Rob," Hawai‘i standout middle blocker Miliana Sylvester said. "I'm super, super thankful that I got to play for her through the recruiting process. I didn't really see myself playing for anyone else, playing for anyone as decorated as her, and I think that she's created great middle blockers throughout her career, so we're very close. We talk a lot. I'm always looking to her for advice, not just in volleyball, but as a role model off the court as well."
Sylvester had the opportunity to coach with Ah Mow on the club circuit during the spring and found herself able to relate to her on an even deeper level.
"That was special. It was great. I think I learned a lot. My game grew a lot, and my IQ grew a lot," Sylvester said. "I'm like, OK, maybe you're right. Sometimes like being on the coaching side, OK, I see what you see."
Added junior outside hitter Tali Hakas: "I love coach. I love the way she pushes me and the girls. It's just about knowing stuff about yourself that you didn't know you had, or pushing those limits that sometimes other coaches are not comfortable doing. I think that with Coach Rob, she's going to show you that you can do it. You just need to believe that you can. We have fast tempo practices, so we got to keep up. It's about effort. It's about having confidence in yourself."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
