Hawai’i rolls in preseason tune-up against Chaminade

HONOLULU – Welcome back, Rainbow Wahine.

The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team swept through four sets of exhibition action against Chaminade on Monday, (25-20, 25-16, 25-10, 25-13), seeing all 15 players on the roster get action as the Rainbow Wahine took each of the three frames in regulation along with the pre-match mutually agreed fourth set regardless of the results prior.

Dayton transfer Panna Ratkai led Hawai’i with 13 kills in her fall debut with the program while returning junior middle blocker Miliana Sylvester turned in an exceptionally productive night with 11 kills and only one attacking error on 16 swings while adding a team-best six blocks (2 solo, 4 assisted) in the first three sets.

Sylvester spoke about energy in the building and amongst the team after the match, expressing how finally playing another team other than themselves brought up the excitement for the night by itself.

“I think it’s really cool to have our whole team on one side of the net and rallying for the same thing,” Sylvester stated. “In the practice gym, you know, it’s [A-side vs. B-side], or it’s kind of mixed up and we’re dogging on each other. To be on one team and face a different opponent that’s not ourselves, we don’t necessarily know their tendencies. It’s cool to see how we adjust.”

In front of a crowd of a few thousand fans, both programs took a little time to get moving after a weekend filled with cancelled practices and chaotic weather. Despite some sluggishness, the Rainbow Wahine and Silverswords each felt the night was productive overall as the regular season approaches for each.

“We’re very glad we had this exhibition, so we make sure we’re translating the things we’ve been working on in practice to the games,” Hawai’i head coach Joshua Walker said after making his debut as the head man in charge of the UH women’s volleyball program. “I think we definitely had some cobwebs early and then we were able to steady up.”

Chaminade, who has been a PacWest powerhouse under the leadership of 15th-year head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke, showed plenty of fight in the opening two stanzas of the night despite dealing with a plethora of cancelled practices ahead of Monday’s action but ultimately ran out of gas against an aggressive Rainbow Wahine group.

In total, the Silverswords held less than a handful of practices ahead of the exhibition against the Rainbow Wahine.

“[Just] a huge benefit to be able to get out there tonight and see what we have,” Kabalis Hoke said following the match. “We had some adversity moments that I really got to see some people come through, unfortunately we couldn’t sustain it so now, [we’re] working on a way to maintain that focus [going forward].”

The opening stanza was the best of the night for Chaminade, playing within a point of their University of Hawai’i counterparts, 18-17, before the Rainbow Wahine scored seven of the final 10 points of the frame.

Chaminade remained within striking distance in the second set until the midway media timeout, seeing a 15-12 deficit quickly get away for a 25-16 decision in favor of the Rainbow Wahine.

Hawai’i progressively got smoother as the night’s action progressed, raising their hitting percentage in every frame from .319 as a group in the debut stanza before raising up to .344 in the second set.

Sylvester and Ratkai each got into double digits for kills by the end of the second set, each tallying 10 putdowns to pace the Rainbow Wahine and give way to a few more experimental rotations for Walker and staff throughout the evening.

The third and fourth frames provided an opportunity for Walker and company to get a longer look at younger players, seeing freshmen like libero Cameron Holcomb, setter Manon Baudrillard and outside hitter Mano Antiga get valuable game-like reps in front of a crowd at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Baudrillard appeared in full control of directing the offense, handing out six assists in the third set while registering a pair of digs as well before staying on for the fourth set that didn’t keep track of statistics.

Antiga delivered a set-clinching service ace before enjoying extended action in the fourth set while Holcomb clearly displayed more comfort and a rhythm on the floor with every passing rally in the fourth frame.

Outside hitter Tali Hakas also had five kills and seven digs in her return to the floor. The 5-foot-11 junior missed the majority of the 2025 season with a shoulder injury but appeared to be fully healthy and engaged in the action from the very first serve.

Chaminade was led by senior outside hitter Tabby Allen, who racked up six kills on 19 swings but dished out a match-high three service aces in the original three sets of action. In all, eight different platers registered kills for the Silverswords.

The Silverswords are set to officially start off the season on Thursday, August 20 in Hilo for the Hawaii-Alaska Challenge, a small tournament that features the University of Hawai’i-Hilo, Alaska Anchorage and No. 16 Alaska Fairbanks. First serve for Chaminade is scheduled for 1 p.m. HT and can be seen on the PacWest Network.

Hawai’i now turns attention to preparing for the 2026 Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic in 11 days, hosting Georgia Southern, San Diego and No. 21 Baylor from August 28-30 for a three-day round robin tournament to kick off the 2026 campaign. First serve against Georgia Southern is at 7 p.m. HT on August 28 inside the Stan Sheriff Center.