Women’s Volleyball Holds Off UC Davis in Five; Advances to Big West Championship

IRVINE, Calif. — The University of Hawai’i girls’s volleyball staff’s Big West title protection survived a five-set battle with UC Davis (19-10) on Friday within the semifinals of the Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Women’s Volleyball Championship on the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif.. The Rainbow Wahine held off the Aggies in a heart-pounding, 5 set win, 25-22, 16-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-13 to advance to the Big West Championship match on Saturday afternoon in opposition to top-seeded Cal Poly.
  
The second-seeded and defending event champion Rainbow Wahine (20-9) went to a fifth set for the 11th time this season. UH is now 7-4 in 5 set matches. It marked the forty fourth time in program historical past that the Rainbow Wahine have recorded 20 wins in a season.

For the fifteenth time this season, Big West Player of the Year, Caylen Alexander put down 20+ kills. She completed along with her twenty eighth double-double of her profession with a match-high 22  kills and a career-high 17 digs. She was certainly one of 4 Hawai’i gamers to file double-digit kills on Friday evening.

Middle blocker Jacyn Bamis tied her career-high, pounding down 15 kills with simply two errors for a team-best .448 hitting proportion. Bamis additionally added a team-high 4 blocks whereas including three digs. Tali Hakas recorded her eighth double-double of her profession posting 11 kills and 15 digs. Stella Adeymi got here by with 11 well timed kills to tally her thirteenth double-digit kill match of her profession.

BW Setter of the Year Kate Lang led UH along with her forty ninth profession double-double with 50 assists and 17 digs. It marked her 18th profession and eighth time this season that Lang has dished out 50 or extra assists.

Big West Libero of the Year Tayli Ikenaga scooped up a team-high 19 digs and had seven assists plus a service ace within the victory. In all, 5 Rainbow Wahine got here up with double-digit digs for the match (Ikenaga, Alexander, Lang, Hakas, and defensive specialist Victoria Leyva).

 

Alexander had UH’s first three kills of the match and the groups traded sideouts early on with UH edging out to an 11-10 lead. The ‘Bows then broke away with an 8-1 run with Bamis contributing two kills, Alexander placing away two extra and Lang capping the surge with an ace. UH earned set level at 24-16 earlier than UC Davis put collectively a 6-0 run earlier than a service error gave UH the lead within the match.

UC Davis jumped out to a 15-8 lead within the second set with an 8-0 run. UH chippd away and closed to 16-13 on an ace served up by Ikenaga. UC Davis broke away once more at 20-14 and went on to shut out the set to even the match.

UH’s protection helped spur the ‘Bows to a 13-9 lead within the third set with two blocks. Alexander’s 14th kill prolonged the result in 19-13. UH earned set level at 24-18 and UC Davis fought off two set factors earlier than Lang fed Bamis within the center to shut out the set and provides UH the lead within the match.

 

The groups performed shut deep into the fourth set with UC Davis taking a 19-16 lead. UH answered with kills from Adeyemi and Alexander to shut to inside some extent and UH tied the set at 20-20 on Alexander’s 18th kill. UC Davis moved again forward and led 23-21 on the Aggies’ sixth ace. A kill on an overpass gave the Aggies set level and a UH internet violation despatched the match to the fifth set.

The groups traded momentum swings within the fifth and deciding set. Both groups traded aspect outs early on earlier than UC Davis took a 6-3 edge. UH took a timeout trailing 7-4 then went on a 6-0 run, shifting forward on back-to-back kills from Adeyemi and opening up a 10-7 lead on a block and a kill from Hakas. UC Davis answered again to tie it up and took the lead once more at 12-11 lead on an ace. UH tied it up once more at 12-12 on a Bamis slide. Alexander gave UH match level after which completed the match with kills No. 21 and 22. UH ended the match on a 4-to-1 run. The twenty second and closing Alexander kill was reviewed and the purpose stayed with UH to ship the ‘Bows again to Saturday’s Championship match.

 

 
UC Davis was led by three Aggies who all recorded double-doubles. Olivia Utterback recorded team-highs of 18 kills and 16 digs. Setter Mia Starr issued 44 assists and 13 digs and Jade Light added 13 kills and 10 digs.

Hawai’i advances to face top-seeded Cal Poly (22-8) in Saturday’s championship match set for five p.m. Pacific Time (3 p.m. Hawai’i Time) at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center.

 

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