Miliana Sylvester celebrates with teammates during a match from the OUTRIGGER Invitational. Sylvester was one of four UH players to make the all-tournament team. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i wins OUTRIGGER Invitational with seesaw five-set victory over Texas State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

HONOLULU – Worth the price of admission. 

The Hawai’i women’s volleyball team showed grit again on Saturday, holding off Texas State (4-4) in five sets to win the OUTRIGGER Invitational title match, (25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-12). UH junior Caylen Alexander exploded for a career-best 38 kills on 74 swings, becoming the first Rainbow Wahine player to eclipse the 35-kill threshold in almost two decades. 

Alexander got going quickly, tallying nine kills in the opening set as Hawai’i (6-1) outhit Texas State, .421 to .308, to delight the home crowd of over 6,000 fans. It was an overall clean frame for the Rainbow Wahine as well, committing just three hitting errors while racking up 19 kills in the set. 

Texas State responded with an impressive 2nd set win, tying the match at one after eight hitting errors sank Hawai’i’s hopes of taking a commanding 2-0 lead. The Bobcats raced out to a 21-11 lead and held off a late UH comeback for a 25-19 win in the frame.  

Hawai’i responded in the 3rd set, powering themselves to a 25-21 win in the pivotal frame as the Rainbow Wahine hit .301 to grab a pair of chances to close out the OUTRIGGER Invitational. Texas State would not go quietly though, forcing a decisive 5th frame with a tough win in the fourth stanza despite Alexander eclipsing 30 kills on the night, 25-21. 

The Rainbow Wahine, in a winner-take-all set for the fifth time in the first seven matches this year, calmly handled the back-and-forth of the final set as Alexander posted eight kills to push Hawai’i to another five-set win, 15-12. The junior outside hitter was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after totaling 55 kills over the two weekend matches. 

Joining Alexander on the all-tournament team for the Rainbow Wahine was a trio of standouts in setter Kate Lang, libero Tayli Ikenaga and middle blocker Miliana Sylvester. Lang totaled over 50 assists for the third time this year, handing out 56 dimes throughout the night for Hawai’i as she added 17 digs and five kills on just seven attempts. 

Ikenaga posted her first career double-double as the senior libero tallied 12 digs and a career-best 12 assists for UH. Sylvester continued her strong start to her freshman season with eight kills and a pair of blocks in the victory over the Bobcats on Saturday. 

Hawai’i will now hit the road for the first time this year, traveling to the 9th Island for a matchup against UNLV on Tuesday before a pair of matches against national powers Texas and Baylor on back-to-back days in the Lone Star state.