Before every home match of her Rainbow Wahine career, Kate Lang has made the shape of a heart with her hands during her pregame introduction intended for her mother, Deanna, who is always watching.
For the final two Hawaii women’s volleyball matches of the season this weekend, Deanna will be in the stands inside of SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, where she has been before.
The difference this time is she won’t be alone. Lang expects at least two grandparents, two cousins and “possibly an aunt, because I smell a surprise,” to be there as well as she plays for the final time beginning with Long Beach State on Friday and then UC San Diego on Saturday for senior night.
“My mom has been here (since Saturday) and it’s so special because it’s not cheap and she sacrifices a lot for me,” Lang said. “My mom and I have went through a lot of difficulties in every segment of our lives. She made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to come out here for college and the only word I can think of my mom is sacrifice. She gives everything she can to me. I could not have been here without her at all.”
The two were dealt the worst news a mother and a daughter could receive when Lang was a junior in high school in Keller, Texas. Her father, Jeff, died suddenly, at a time when Lang was beginning to think about moving away for college.
She had already committed to the University of Hawaii, on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles away.
She had connections to Texas Christian University, which was less than 20 miles away from Lang’s hometown, but decided to follow her heart and continue on with her original commitment.
“That’s what my plan was and I think that was what God wanted me to do,” Lang said. “It was really tough. I see my mom twice a year. I dedicate my entire sports career to my parents.”
Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow understood what her potential future setter was going through. She lost her mother and then her father, but at an older age than Lang, who was 16.
Although she had plans for Lang to be a big part of the program’s future success, life and family always comes first. Even if it would have been a significant blow to the team on the court, Ah Mow was the first in line to tell Lang it would be perfectly OK to stay home in Texas.
“That’s my No. 1 job, because I have kids. When the kids come here (to play volleyball), you make sure you take care of them,” Ah Mow said. “For me, it’s not like it’s, ‘hey let me use you to get wins, get titles.’ We want to make sure we’re helping these girls grow to be people to function in society. After we found out her dad passed, she was 16, we just wanted to make sure whatever she needed whether she came here or not, she will get it.”
Lang said it was roughly a month after her father died that she heard from Ah Mow. Once she got to UH, she would routinely find herself in Ah Mow’s office. She would be upset about different minor issues, only for her head coach to tell her what she was really sad about.
“She helped me grieve through college without me even realizing I was even in the grieving process,” Lang said. “She knows how to make volleyball your oasis whenever you are grieving. I really thank her a lot for helping me grieving through the whole process with my dad.”
The COVID-19 pandemic heightened Lang’s struggles in beginning her college career. Now that it is finally reaching the end, even she can appreciate the run.
Lang is fifth on the school’s career assists lists and barring any unforeseen circumstances, will pass both Cheri Boyer and her head coach for third place this weekend.
With 4,276 assists, Lang is 28 behind Boyer and needs 38 to surpass Ah Mow.
Lang has started 108 consecutive matches, won 15 Big West Setter of the Week awards and joined Kanoe Kamana’o and Martina Cincerova as the only setters with 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs.
More importantly, Lang has won the Big West championship every season she has played and advanced to the NCAA Tournament every time with two trips to the second round.
“It’s why there has been no thoughts of transferring or leaving because I’ve been so connected (to Hawaii),” Lang said. “There has just been a lot of small things happening throughout my career that have really linked me with the coaches. It just feels so right to be here.”
Lang and Moanalua alumna Tayli Ikenaga will be the two players honored during Saturday’s senior night festivities.
Hawaii (16-8, 10-4) enters the weekend as one of three teams tied for first place in the Big West. Both the Beach (16-9, 10-5) and the Tritons (16-10, 10-5) are a half-game back.
