Hawai’i dispatches San Diego in 4 sets to clinch Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic title

HONOLULU – Two for two. 

The University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team skipped past the University of San Diego (0-2) in four sets on Sunday – (11-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-20) – to clinch the outright Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic title with a perfect weekend. Hawai’i junior Caylen Alexander led the way with a match-high 17 kills in the process of winning tournament MVP honors. 

Hawai’i (2-0) started slowly for the second consecutive outing, seeing the Toreros sprint out to 15-4 lead in the blink of an eye. San Diego made quick work of the Rainbow Wahine in the opening frame, taking it 25-11 and pushing UH head coach Robyn Ah Mow to have another impromptu team meeting ahead of the second set. 

“Hopefully we can not [get down big in the first set] every game,” Ah Mow said. “There was definitely a tunnel talk [again] … maybe I should tunnel talk them before the game.” 

Much like in Friday’s match, Hawai’i responded with a different fervor in the second frame. A far more efficient Rainbow Wahine unit traded points to open the set before locking in after surpassing the 10-point mark, pulling away from the Toreros to win 25-16 and knot the match at one set apiece. 

While San Diego recovered in the third set to take an 18-15 lead, Hawai’i responded in a hurry by rattling off seven consecutive points to flip the frame on its head and take a 22-18 lead. The Toreros would pull back within a point, 23-22, but the Rainbow Wahine shut down the comeback try with a pair of Alexander kills to close it and take a critical 2-1 set lead. 

Hawai’i went down early in the fourth frame, seeing a quick four-point run by San Diego put the Rainbow Wahine in a 9-5 hole before sophomore Stella Adeyemi got loose for a pair of powerful putdowns that helped UH knot the set at 10. After taking the early blow from the Toreros, Hawai’i went to work to take control of the frame with 10 of the following 15 points. 

After a pair of service errors by USD, Hawai’i’s Tali Hakas, who joined the team late in camp after playing for the Israeli national team, put down one final kill to clinch the victory for the Rainbow Wahine and cap an impressive weekend for the young team. 

Hawai’i sophomore Stella Adeyemi finished behind Alexander with 11 kills on her way to earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. Freshman libero Victoria Leyva also received All-Tournament team honors after serving up three aces and providing seven digs in Sunday’s win for Hawai’i. 

UH freshman middle blocker Miliana Sylvester enjoyed a stellar showing in her second career match for the Rainbow Wahine, too. The former University Lab standout had 10 kills on 20 swings for Hawai’i, helping re-center the offense in the 2nd set with four kills and had the frame-winning swing. 

San Diego’s Madi Allen and Kennedy Osunsanmi were also named to the All-Tournament team as the Torero duo combined for 20 digs, four aces and 14 kills throughout the loss to Hawai’i. 

The Rainbow Wahine return to action this Friday when they host Pepperdine for the first of two weekend matches with first serve for each scheduled for 7:00 p.m. HT.