Women’s Volleyball Faces Long Beach State, UC San Diego on Senior Week – University of Hawai’i at Manoa Athletics

HONOLULU — The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team will celebrate the careers of two four-year starters while taking on two contenders in a crowded Big West race in the season’s final homestand at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine, who entered the week among four teams tied atop the conference standings, face longtime rival Long Beach State on Friday and close the home schedule against UC San Diego on Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
 
Libero Tayli Ikenaga and setter Kate Lang will be honored in the traditional Senior Night ceremony following Saturday’s home finale. Both earned starting jobs as freshmen in 2021 and have secured places among the most productive performers at their respective positions in the program’s history.
 

MATCHES 25 & 26: LONG BEACH STATE  |  UC SAN DIEGO
Schedule				Friday, Nov. 15: Long Beach State vs. Hawai’i, 7:00 p.m. HT Saturday, Nov. 16: UC San Diego vs. Hawai’i, 7:00 p.m. HT Advertisement
Location				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) – Honolulu, O’ahu
Television				Spectrum OC16 — Ch. 16 (SD) / 1016 (HD) Scott Robbs (PxP), Chris McLachlin (Color) Pregame/Postgame: Friday—Jordan Helle, Lisa Strand, Ryan Kalei Tsuji; Saturday—Jordan Helle, Lisa Strand, Talia Edmonds
Live Stream				ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai’i)  — Long Beach State | UC San Diego
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420 AM / 92.7 FM) — Tiff Wells (PxP)
Audio Stream				espnhonolulu.com
Live Stats				Long Beach State | UC San Diego
Tickets				ETicketHawaii.com
Promotions				Friday, Nov. 15 – Military Night / White-Out Get ready for an unforgettable evening as Bank of Hawaii proudly presents Military Night! Join us as we honor and celebrate the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve. Throughout the match, fantastic prizes will be up for grabs. • It’s a White-Out!: Let’s pack the Stan and light it up with your best white UH gear —show your pride and support our heroes! • Ticket Promotion: Active duty, DOD civilians, reservists, and retired members of the military can score 50% off select adult tickets (up to eight tickets per person). These seats are in special sections and availability is limited, so act fast! How to Get Tickets: Online at etickethawaii.com (bring your valid military ID for ticket pickup). In person at the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office—valid military ID required at the time of purchase. Saturday, Nov. 16 – Show’UHM Your Aloha Senior Night It’s time to show your love and appreciation for the Senior Class! Join us for “Show UHM Your Aloha” Senior Night, sponsored by the University of Hawaii Federal Credit Union.  UHFCU will be awarding a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 during the match and the first 500 fans will receive an exclusive rally towel. • Dress the Part: Rock your favorite Aloha attire and don’t forget to bring ti leaves for this heartfelt celebration. Let’s send off our seniors in true island style! • Give Back While Cheering On: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, UH Athletics, in partnership with Food Vault Hawai’i, is hosting a food and toiletries drive. Bring non-perishable food items or toiletries to Gate A from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and help support those in need. Let’s fill the SimpliFi arena with Aloha and gratitude to make this a truly special Senior Night!
Game Day Information				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center Game Day Information page
Game Day Rosters				CLICK HERE (PDF)
Game Notes				Hawai’i | Long Beach State | UC San Diego
Social Media				@HawaiiWVB  | #HawaiiWVB | #GoBows | @HawaiiWVB  | Facebook

HAWAI’I RAINBOW WAHINE (16-8, 10-4 Big West)Head Coach: Robyn Ah Mow (Seventh Season)
Record at UH: 148-53
Big West Record: 103-17

LONG BEACH STATE BEACH (15-9, 9-5 Big West)Head Coach: Natalie Reagan (15-9, first season season)
Series record: UH leads, 44-19-1
Streak: UH won 3
Last meeting: UH 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-19), Oct. 5, 2024; Long Beach, Calif.
 
UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS (16-9, 10-4 Big West)Head Coach: Melanie Greene (16-9, first season)
Series record: UH leads, 8-0
Streak: UH won 8
Last meeting: UH 3-2 (13-25, 18-25, 25-14, 25-14, 15-10), Oct. 4, 2024; La Jolla, Calif.

‘BOWS NOTES

• The Rainbow Wahine split last week’s road trip, opening with a five-set loss at UC Riverside then rebounding with a four-set win over UC Davis to move into a tie for first place in the Big West race.
• The ‘Bows have won five of their last six matches and entered the week tied with UC Davis, Cal Poly and UC San Diego for the conference lead heading into the final homestand of the regular season.
• The ‘Bows swept their road trip to UC San Diego and Long Beach State in October. They rallied for a reverse sweep against UCSD on Oct. 4 in La Jolla, Calif., then swept past LBSU the following day at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.
• UH outside hitter Caylen Alexander earned her conference-record seventh Big West Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday. Alexander averaged 6.33 kills per set and posted a .301 hitting percentage on the trip to UC Riverside and UC Davis.
• Alexander remains second in the country in total kills (514), kills per set (5.35), and total points (564.0) and ranks third in points per set (5.88). She leads the Big West in each of those categories.
• Alexander has posted 20-plus kills in 14 matches this season and is the first UH player with two 30-plus kill performances in a season since Emily Hartong had two such matches in 2012.
• As a team, UH leads the Big West and ranks 22^nd nationally with 13.85 kills per set. The ‘Bows also lead the conference in assists per set (12.90) and digs per set (15.35), and ranks second with a .243 hitting percentage.
• With two home dates remaining, UH ranks third in the country in total attendance (83,506) and average attendance (5,965), trailing only Nebraska and Wisconsin in both categories. 

SENIORS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

• UH seniors Tayli Ikenaga and Kate Lang will be honored on Saturday following their final match in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Both have started since their freshman year and rank among the Big West leaders this season while climbing UH’s career charts.
• Lang has 4,276 assists and 1,011 digs in her career. She became the third UH setter to post 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career, joining Kanoe Kamana’o (6,428 assists, 1,220 digs) and Martina Cincerova (4,637, 1,111).
• She enters the week with a streak of 108 consecutive starts and has played in all 402 sets over that span.
• Lang has earned four Big West Setter of the Week awards of the season and 15 in her career.
• Lang entered the week leading the Big West and 10^th in the nation with 1,046 total assists. She also moved into the conference lead with 10.46 assists per set, good for 27^th in the nation.
• Ikenaga has posted double-figure digs in 20 matches and had at least nine digs in all 24 matches this season. She leads the team and ranks second in the Big West with 387 total digs. She’s fourth in the conference with 3.87 digs per set.
• She posted her seventh match with 20-plus digs this season with 27 last week at UC Riverside .
• Ikenaga ranks sixth in program history with 1,253 career digs.

THE MATCHUPSLONG BEACH STATE

• Natalie Reagan is in her first season leading the Beach. She was named interim head coach in February after serving as the top assistant during Tyler Hildebrand’s tenure as head coach.
• UH holds a 44-19-1 lead in the series with Long Beach State, which dates back to 1977.
• UH has won the last three meetings, starting with a win on Senior Night last season. The ‘Bows swept the Beach in the title match of the inaugural Big West Championship last December and again in this season’s first meeting at the Walter Pyramid on Oct. 5.
• Caylen Alexander led UH with 18 kills and hit a season-high .452 in this season’s first meeting with Long Beach State.
• UH has won 14 of the last 15 meetings since 2016.
• Long Beach State last won in Honolulu on Nov. 7, 2014.
• UH and Long Beach State played to the lone tie in program history (12-15, 15-6) on Nov. 4, 1978.
• The Beach entered the week on a three-match winning streak following wins at Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine last week.
• Middle blocker Kameron Bacon leads the Big West and ranks 29^th in the nation with 1.32  blocks per set.
• Natalie Glenn leads the Beach with 3.08 kills per set.
• Ella Lomigora is the Beach’s most efficient attacker with a .326 hitting percentage.

UC SAN DIEGO

• UCSD head coach Melanie Greene is in her first season leading the Tritons. She was previously the associate head coach at San Diego State.
• UH and UCSD first met on Oct. 8, 1982, a 15-2, 15-7, 15-13 UH win. The ‘Bows have won all seven meetings since the Tritons joined the Big West in 2021.
• UH won this season’s first meeting with a reverse sweep in La Jolla, Calif. Caylen Alexander came off the bench to fuel the comeback with a match-high 24 kills while hitting .372. Ava McInnes led UCSD with 14 kills.
• McInnes leads the Tritons with 2.92 kills per set this season.
• Libero Paulina Baillie earned her fourth Big West Defensive Player of the Week award of the season on Monday. She ranks seventh in the conference with 3.71 digs per set.
• Audrey Hillis was named the Big West Setter of the Week on Monday. She averaged 10.88 assists per set in UCSD’s two wins last week.
• Molly McCluskey has claimed three Big West Freshman of the Week awards this season. She averages 2.73 kills per set.
• UCSD ranks second in the Big West with 1.60 aces per set. Baillie leads the team with 28.
• UCSD has one player from Hawai’i on its roster, junior defensive specialist Kailee Wakatake (Kalani High School).

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