Hawai’i sweeps UNLV again to extend win streak to 10 straight

HONOLULU – Somehow a night that started with the national anthem and Hawai’i Pono’i being played on the electric guitar only got more rocking as time went on.

After assistant coach Will McDonald shredded to start the night, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team completed a weekend of sweeps over UNLV (8-13, 4-6 Mountain West) on Saturday night with a takedown of the Lady Rebels in straight sets for the second straight evening, (25-21, 25-11, 25-23), inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The victory extended UH’s season-long win streak to 10 straight matches in front of a season-high crowd of 6,603 fans, who helped power the Rainbow Wahine to an impressive rally in the third frame to complete the sweep.

Sophomore outside hitter Cha’lei Reid led the way for the sixth straight match for Hawai’i, hammering down a match-best 15 kills on 28 swings. Senior outside hitter Panna Ratkai added 13 kills and nine digs while junior setter Adrianna Arquette posted her third double-double in the last four matches and eighth of the year with 35 assists and 13 digs in the victory.

Junior middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was the third and final UH player to post double-digit kills, adding 10 putdowns and a pair of blocks as the Rainbow Wahine defense held the Lady Rebels to .127 on the attack as a group. It marked the 15th straight and 18th match overall that Hawai’i held an opponent under .200 hitting.

Reid recorded seven of her 15 kills in the opening frame while Arquette dealt out both of her service aces on the night to help the Rainbow Wahine rally from a three-point deficit at the technical timeout to a 25-21 win in the night’s first set.

Hawai’i handled business handily in the second stanza, sprinting out to a 10-3 lead and forcing UNLV to burn through both timeouts before the midway media break. Arquette continued firing away from behind the service line following the Lady Rebels’ second timeout, pushing the advantage out to 11 points before finally sending a serve into the net.

The Rainbow Wahine continued to roll after taking a 15-4 lead into the technical timeout as they hit an absurd .500 as a group in the second set on the way to a 25-11 domination of the Lady Rebels and a 2-0 set lead in the match.

UNLV seemed primed to push the night to a fourth set after holding an 18-12 lead in the third, but the Rainbow Wahine rallied behind the raucous Stan Sheriff Center crowd as the Lady Rebels began to misfire on multiple attacks.

Cha’lei Reid started to sizzle again in the final frame as well and Adrianna Arquette turned in a pair of blocks and a timely over-on-two attack to help Hawai’i grab a 23-22 lead late in the third. After UNLV’s Jada Ingram tied it back up at 23, Panna Ratkai put the Rainbow Wahine ahead for good with her final kill of the night.

A pair of freshmen combined to close it out for Hawai’i on the very next rally as Rachel Purser and Mano Antiga denied UNLV’s Basia Latos at the net to wrap up UH’s second straight sweep of the Lady Rebels.

Latos led the way in the loss for UNLV, tallying eight kills and seven digs while Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year pick Jaida Harris had seven kills, five blocks and a pair of digs for the Lady Rebels.

Hawai’i (18-3, 10-0 Mountain West) looks to keep rolling next Friday and Saturday, traveling to the continent to take on UC Davis (11-10, 7-3 Mountain West) in a clash of the conference’s top two teams during Halloween weekend.