HONOLULU — The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team held off Cal Poly’s comeback bid and moved into a share of the Big West lead with a four-set victory over the Mustangs on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine rolled through the first two sets of the match, faltered in the third, then put on a late burst to close out a 25-19, 25-12, 15-25, 25-20 win and finish off a 3-0 homestand.
On a night when UH honored greats and USA Volleyball Hall of Famers Heather Bown and head coach Robyn Ah Mow, UH (15-7, 9-3 Big West) moved into a tie for first place in the conference race with UC Davis, which lost at Long Beach State earlier in the day. Cal Poly (15-8, 8-4) dropped into a group of three teams a game behind the leaders.
In a matchup of the top two offenses in the Big West in efficiency and production, UH hit .343 to Cal Poly’s .188 in rolling through the first two sets. The figures flipped in Set 3 as did the momentum of the match as Cal Poly forced a fourth set.
After the last of 11 ties in the match — at 14-14 in Set 4 — UH edged ahead and opened up a five-point lead. The ‘Bows then held off Cal Poly by scoring the final three points of the match, ending the night when setter Kate Lang tipped a kill into the middle of the court.
For the second straight night, Lang tied her career high with six kills to go along with 42 assists and a match-high three aces and UH’s collective eight aces matched a season high.
Caylen Alexander finished with 20 kills on 49 attempts, posting at least 20 for the 13th time this season. Stella Adeyemi complemented Alexander on the left side with 11 kills on .304 hitting and Tayli Ikenaga and Taki Hakas popped up 13 digs each as the ‘Bows completed a sweep of the regular-season series with Cal Poly.
The ‘Bows swept the Mustangs in their meeting on Oct. 18 at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and stormed out to a commanding lead in the opening set of the rematch.
UH scored on eight of its first 11 attacks and jumped out to a 13-5 lead with the aid of aces from Lang and Hakas. Alexander mixed in roll shots, found open court with tips, and took a full swing for her fifth kill of the set to give UH a 16-8 cushion. UH led 21-11 when Cal Poly put together a 7-1 run, closing to 22-18 on a dig kill followed by a block. Alexander ended the run then put away UH’s second set point opportunity.
Starting off the night right! 💯#GoBows #SISTAHHOOD pic.twitter.com/UOt866KRzF
— Hawaii W. Volleyball (@HawaiiWVB) November 3, 2024
Cal Poly took its first lead of the match on the first point of the second set before UH again surged ahead with an 8-1 run sparked by an ace by Ikenaga and three UH blocks. Jacyn Bamis put down a solo block and teamed with Hakas on two more in the run. Cal Poly closed to 11-7 only to see UH break away again with a 5-0 run on Jackie Matias’ service turn. The lead swelled to 21-9 on Lang’s third kill of the match and Alexander again closed out the set.
Following the intermission, Cal Poly jumped ahead 9-5 in the third set as UH’s efficiency slipped. The Mustangs led 16-12 when Lang dropped in her third ace of the night. But Cal Poly maintained control as UH committed 11 attack errors in the set after having just six through two sets. The Mustangs ended UH’s run of eight consecutive sets won in the series dating back to Cal Poly’s five-set win in Honolulu on Nov. 2, 2023.
Blocks accounted for five of Cal Poly’s first seven points of Set 4 before UH erased a three-point deficit to take a 15-14 lead at the technical timeout. Alexander served up UH’s eight ace of the match to give UH a 16-14 lead. The ‘Bows went on a 4-0 run and led 21-16 after back-to-back kills by Adeyemi. Cal Poly closed to 21-19 and Lang’s tip dropped for her fifth kill. Alexander got a kill off the edge of the Cal Poly block for her 20th kill then teamed with Bamis on a block to give UH match point at 24-20. Lang then ended the match with her final kill.
Serving up some serious skill tonight!! 🤝#GoBows #SISTAHHOOD pic.twitter.com/VmCTsp79xg
— Hawaii W. Volleyball (@HawaiiWVB) November 3, 2024
The Rainbow Wahine embark on their penultimate road trip of the regular season and face UC Riverside on Nov. 7 before taking on UC Davis on Nov. 9.
#HawaiiWVB
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