When down to those crucial final points of a match, the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team understands exactly where it needs to go.
Senior middle Amber Igiede extended Hawaii’s lead to 23-20 with back-to-back kills in the fourth set and Kennedi Evans and setter Kate Lang combined on a block for the final point to end a 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-22 win over No. 13 San Diego on Saturday.
A Simplifi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,576 saw Hawaii come out firing in the opening two sets before closing out the Toreros in four to set up a true tournament championship in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Hawaii (2-0) will go for the title Sunday at 5 p.m. against No. 9 Oregon, which hasn’t dropped a set in its first two matches.
“It’s a big match. Hopefully people come out and watch,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow said. “Everyone’s excited to play big teams. I guarantee these guys are going to be up for it.”
Showing off a much more balanced attack from Friday, the Rainbow Wahine had three players in double-
figure kills, led by returning AVCA third-team All-American Igiede, who had 14 of her match-high 18 kills in the first two sets.
Sophomore Caylen Alexander, who had three crucial swings in a tight first set to help Hawaii erase a 24-22 deficit, added 15 kills and hit .273. Riley Wagoner had 10 kills and 10 digs and Evans was solid in the middle again with eight kills while hitting .333.
“I told them yesterday we can’t just win setting pin, pin, pin,” Ah Mow said. “We need the middles. We need all four hitters hitting. That’s my big thing.”
With the opening-night jitters out of the way, the Rainbow Wahine came out clicking in all phases in the first set.
Tough serves and pinpoint passing allowed Hawaii to race out to a 17-11 lead after back-to- back aces from Wagoner.
USD responded like a reigning national semifinalist might with 13 of the next 18 points to take a 24-22 lead.
Senior Madi Allen, one of 11 Toreros to play in the opening set, served five straight points and Nemo Beach put down back-to-back kills to give USD match point ahead by two.
Igiede, who had eight kills in 13 swings in the opening set, put one down to make it 24-23. Alexander then came up clutch with three big swings, all for kills, to give UH the advantage until the final point was whistled in Hawaii’s favor. Originally called for USD, the point was overturned to Hawaii for a back-row attack by USD to end it at 27-25.
“We feed off even the tiniest bits of energy,” Lang said.
USD led by as many as four points in the second set but had no answer for Igiede in the middle.
Subbed in with UH serving down 21-20, Igiede brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous, one-handed solo block of Leyla Blackwell in the middle to tie it up.
“It’s funny because that was obviously just kind of a last resort block, but in practice coach always talks about just use one hand,” Igiede said. “It only takes one hand to block.”
She put down two more kills to get to set point at
24-22 and a USD hitting error gave UH a 2-0 advantage.
Evans had four big kills in five swings in the middle and Igiede had a match-high 14 kills while hitting .591 through the opening two sets.
The Toreros slowed her down in the third set, holding Igiede without a kill.
Five service errors, including four in a quick span early in the set, took a bit of life out of the arena.
UH climbed back from an eight-point deficit to make it 22-18 before two kills and a Hawaii hitting error gave USD the set.
“We just got in a little passing rut,” Ah Mow said. “I thought they could come out of it and they tried but we still kept battling and they came back the next set and just did a better job with the passing.”
Oregon 3,
Northwestern 0
The Ducks remained perfect early in the season with a second consecutive sweep.
Sophomore Mimi Colyer led all players with 16 kills in 33 swings and Morgan Lewis added nine kills while hitting .571 in the 25-14, 25-17, 25-18 sweep of the Wildcats (0-2).
Julia Sangiacomo had a team-high 10 kills for Northwestern one night after putting down a match-high 17 in a five-set loss to Hawaii.
<