The University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team is leaving the friendly confines of Stan Sheriff Center for the first time this season, but the Rainbow Wahine aren’t exactly entering enemy territory.
No. 10 Hawaii will make stops at Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside on its first road trip of the season, two teams it owns perfect records against.
“It’s a good thing that we start with the bottom-feeders of the conference to get our feet wet over there,” coach Dave Shoji said on OCSports. “You never know how a team travels. I think we’ll be OK. We’ll be ready for it.”
Coming off a pair of sweeps to open Big West play, the Rainbow Wahine (12-1, 2-0 Big West) will play at Fullerton (0-13, o-1) at 4 p.m. HTS Friday – UH is 32-0 all-time against the Titans – and 3 p.m. HST Saturday at Riverside (6-8, 1-0). UH has a 17-0 record against the Highlanders.
With opposite hitter Nikki Taylor reaching double digits in kills in each match this season, Hawaii has won seven matches in a row since a four-set loss to UCLA on Sept. 6. Taylor, a 6-foot-3 junior, ranks No. 7 in the NCAA averaging 4.74 kills per set, and she’s she second in the nation with 5.93 points per set (kill/blocks/aces).
Against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly last weekend, Shoji was encouraged by his team’s improved ball-control, which helped middle blockers Olivia Magill, Emily Maglio and Annie Mitchem combine to hit .516 in the victories.
“Our passing was outstanding,” the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach said. “That’s what we have to do, and it opens it up for the outside hitters as well.”
The contest with Fullerton is mismatch on paper. The Titans are hitting .159 on the season, while the Wahine boast the fourth-best block in the nation behind Magill, Taylor and Maglio, who take the top three spots in the Big West.
Hilo native Tai Manu-Olevao, a senior outside hitter, is third on UH with 110 kills.
The Highlanders opened league play with a five-set home win against Fullerton, with Alexis Urbach notching 18 kills. Urbach leads her team in kills but is only hitting .123.
Both matches are available on ESPN3, and Friday’s match can be heard on 850/790 AM.
Soccer
The Wahine open Big West play at 7 p.m. Thursday against UC Santa Barbara (7-3-1) at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium in a match that will be televised on OCSports.
UH (3-6-1) has lost four of its past five matches against Division I foes, though it is 3-2-1 at home, with both losses coming to teams ranked in the top 25.
Sophomore Dani Crawford has taken only six shots this season but leads UH with three goals. Freshman Mallory Hromatko leads the Gauchos with five goals and 14 points, scoring at least a point in eight of nine matches.
At 5 p.m. Sunday, Hawaii hosts Cal Poly (4-2-5).