Mountain West preseason poll sees Hawai’i, Flavell set to be among conference best

Mountain West preseason poll sees Hawai’i, Flavell set to be among conference best

Oct 7, 2026

Mountain West preseason poll sees Hawai’i, Flavell set to be among conference best

Hawai’i G Bailey Flavell drives into the paint during the start of her sophomore year practices. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

HONOLULU – New conference, new coach, same respect.

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the program’s first run through the Mountain West according to the preseason poll released by the conference on Wednesday.

Rainbow Wahine G Bailey Flavell also found herself selected to the Mountain West preseason all-conference team after a first-year campaign that saw her take home the Big West’s Freshman of the Year award. The sophomore was the lone UH player to get conference preseason recognition on either the men’s or women’s side going into the 2026-27 season.

UNLV, who has won four the past five Mountain West regular season titles under the leadership of seventh-year head coach Lindy La Rocque, was picked as the conference’s preseason favorite with 16 first-place votes and 193 points overall. The Lady Rebels feature the Mountain West preseason Player of the Year pick in F Meadow Roland, who was an all-conference first-team selection and all-defensive team honoree in 2025-26 for UNLV after averaging 14.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and leading the league with 55 blocked shots.

Grand Canyon checked into the second spot in the poll, receiving five first-place votes and 180 points overall. The Lopes brought in 11 new faces to the program after finishing two games above .500 in conference last season, including Mountain West preseason Freshman of the Year pick Lanelle Wright and preseason Newcomer of the Year selection T’yana Todd.

Fellow Big West transplant UC Davis was picked just ahead of the Rainbow Wahine in the preseason poll, settling into the third spot in the standings with 127 points to UH’s 125 points. The Aggies are coming off of a 23-win season and a berth in the WNIT, adding seven newcomers to the team’s seven returning players – including preseason all-conference G Avery Sussex, who knocked down 82 three-pointers last year as a sophomore.

New Mexico, who picked up former UH standout G Keiara Curtis in the transfer portal during the offseason, found themselves right behind the Rainbow Wahine with the fifth slot in the conference’s preseason poll but did receive a single first-place vote. The Lobos garnered one preseason all-conference selection in sophomore G Laila Abdurraqib, who made the Mountain West All-Freshman team last season after drilling a team-best 53 made three-pointers at nearly a 38% clip.

Air Force, Wyoming, Nevada, UTEP and San Jose State rounded out the Mountain West’s preseason poll. Jayda McNabb (Air Force), Jane Rumpf (Wyoming) and Sierra Chambers (Nevada) were the lone players from each program named to the preseason all-conference team. Only UNLV and GCU received multiple selections to the league’s 10-player preseason list.

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Oct 19, 2026

 HONOLULU – Host a block party, reap the rewards after. University of Hawai’i middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after posting 22 total...

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Hawai’i predicted middle-of-the-pack finish in Mountain West preseason poll

Hawai’i predicted middle-of-the-pack finish in Mountain West preseason poll

Oct 7, 2026

Hawai’i predicted middle-of-the-pack finish in Mountain West preseason poll

Hawai’i HC Eran Ganot fields questions from the media ahead of the 2026-27 season. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

HONOLULU – New conference, new summit to climb to.

Entering a new conference after leaving the Big West as champions, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw themselves predicted to finish in sixth place in the new-look Mountain West, according to the league’s preseason poll that released on Wednesday.

Hawai’i’s sixth-place selection was the highest of the three new programs in the Mountain West, seeing fellow Big West transplant UC Davis picked to finish in eighth place while UTEP checked in right behind in the ninth slot.

New Mexico, led by a rising star head coach in Eric Olen and the conference’s preseason Player of the Year honoree in G Jake Hall, was narrowly selected to finish at the top of the Mountain West with nine first-place votes and 179 points overall. The Lobos placed a pair of sophomores on the preseason all-conference team in Hall and G Uriah Tenette.

Right behind UNM was Grand Canyon, who received 10 first-place votes and 178 points overall in the poll. The Lopes had a league-high four selections making up the 10-player preseason all-conference team, led by preseason Newcomer of the Year pick Dylan Darling.

Nevada and UNLV were picked to finish third and fourth in the league while Wyoming rounded out the top five teams in the poll. Nevada had a pair of players put onto the preseason all-conference team in F Elijah Price and G Vaugn Weems while UNLV saw first-year forward Jackson Kiss picked as the conference’s preseason Freshman of the Year and graduate student G AJ Storr and sophomore F Tyrin Jones snag spots in the all-conference team.

Wyoming sophomore G Naz Meyer rounded out the preseason all-conference team for the Mountain West after averaging nearly 13 points and five rebounds per game as a freshman for the Cowboys.

“I’m fired up,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said at Mountain West Media Day in Las Vegas when asked about the program’s move into a new conference. “We’re actually rekindling old rivalries. We all used to be kind of in the WAC together … Both things can be true: we’re very appreciative of our time in the Big West [and] we’re very excited to transition into the Mountain West.”

Hawai’i returns just two players from the 2025-26 squad that won the Big West tournament title and made the NCAA Tournament last March, bringing in 13 new faces to the program ahead of the first run through the Mountain West.

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Oct 19, 2026

 HONOLULU – Host a block party, reap the rewards after. University of Hawai’i middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after posting 22 total...

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Clippers hold off Warriors late with Wagler’s clutch bucket

Clippers hold off Warriors late with Wagler’s clutch bucket

Oct 4, 2026

Clippers hold off Warriors late with Wagler’s clutch bucket

Darius Garland celebrates one of his made three-pointers during Sunday’s preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo, HSRN

HONOLULU – Welcome back, NBA.

After spending a week enjoying the Aloha Spirit and working through training camp, the Los Angeles Clippers kicked off their preseason slate with a 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon in Hawai’i.

Playing a preseason game in the islands against each other for the second time in three years, the Clippers and Warriors provided an exciting back-and-forth contest for the packed-out crowd inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

Clippers rookie G Keaton Wagler, who was selected fifth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, scored 15 points on 3-of-15 shooting (8-of-9 FT) off the bench in 30 minutes. Despite the rough shooting day, Wagler hit the biggest shot of the game when he knocked down a 19-foot stepback jumper to put Los Angeles ahead for good with 14 seconds left to play.

After going 0-for-4 from long distance in the matchup against the Clippers in the islands in 2024, Warriors G Steph Curry delighted fans in attendance with 10 points and a pair of made three-pointers in 13 minutes of first-half action.

The 38-year-old guard was one of four Warriors to finish in double figures in the loss. Golden State was led by sixth-year center Charles Bassey’s 12 points and eight rebounds and got 11 points each from rookie UDFA Graham Ike and fifth-year guard Brandon Williams.

F Rui Hachimura led all scorers with 21 points in 15 minutes of action, knocking down 8-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 from long distance in his first game action for the Clippers.

G Darius Garland also chipped in 15 points in 15 minutes of work for Los Angeles, sitting out the second half with the rest of the starters.

The Clippers will return to action on October 10, visiting the Toronto Raptors for the second of three scheduled preseason games. The Warriors have a quicker turnaround, taking on the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday before heading to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Wednesday as part of a six-game preseason slate.

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Hawaii Sports Radio Network Partners with Local Brand Sugar Caddy

Hawaii Sports Radio Network Partners with Local Brand Sugar Caddy

Oct 1, 2026

Hawaii Sports Radio Network Partners with Local Brand Sugar Caddy

Hawaii Sports Radio Network play-by-play announcers Chaz Mihara & Cara McClean in their Sugar Caddy polos getting ready to call an OIA girls volleyball game.

HONOLULU — Hawaiʻi Sports Radio Network is proud to welcome locally owned Sugar Caddy as the network’s Official Apparel Partner.

As part of the exclusive partnership, Sugar Caddy will outfit HSRN’s full-time team throughout the year, with the brand represented wherever the network goes — from OIA broadcasts and high school championship events to University of Hawaiʻi athletics coverage, interviews, media days and community appearances.

Hawaii Sports Radio Network’s Ku’ulei Agbayani, Paul Brecht, and Kyle Galdeira in their Sugar Caddy polos at Pearl City High School for OIA Football.

“Sugar Caddy just felt like the right fit for HSRN,” said HSRN Operations Manager Kuʻulei Agbayani. “We love what they’ve built as a local brand, but even more than that, their values align with ours. We both believe in supporting local, uplifting one another and finding ways for Hawaiʻi businesses to grow together.”

Co-founded by ʻEwa Beach native Ian Pantorilla and his brother-in-law Branden Agbunag, Sugar Caddy began during the COVID-19 pandemic after the two picked up golf and saw an opportunity to create apparel that was affordable, comfortable and more representative of the Hawaiʻi they knew.

What began as a family side project has since grown into a thriving local business while maintaining its focus on family, faith and community. Pantorilla said the original group spent years working their full-time jobs while putting the money earned from Sugar Caddy directly back into the business.

Hawaii Sports Radio Network’s Michael Lasquero in his Sugar Caddy polo covering University of Hawai’i football. 

Today, Sugar Caddy offers locally designed golf and lifestyle apparel for men, women and keiki, including polos, hats, outerwear and accessories. The company has built its identity around bold designs that reflect Hawaiʻi while working with Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi-based artists to bring those designs to life.

That local connection remains an important part of the brand’s identity.

“We’re gonna do good business with good people, and then be good people while doing it,” Pantorilla said of the philosophy behind Sugar Caddy.

You’ll now see Sugar Caddy apparel throughout HSRN’s coverage of local sports as our team hits the sidelines, press boxes, gyms, fields and arenas across Hawaiʻi and on the continent.

Find your next fit at SugarCaddyHI.com.

Hawaii Sports Radio Network play-by-play announcers Kyle Galdeira and Paul Brecht wearing ‘Mint Chocolate’ by Sugar Caddy. | Get yours at sugarcaddyhi.com

HSRN’s Ku’ulei Agbayani & CHaz Mihara wearing ‘Black Hinahina’ by Sugar Caddy at Roosevelt High School for OIA Girls Volleyball.

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Oct 19, 2026

 HONOLULU – Host a block party, reap the rewards after. University of Hawai’i middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after posting 22 total...

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Hakas hits career-high mark as Hawai’i handles New Mexico in Mountain West opener

Hakas hits career-high mark as Hawai’i handles New Mexico in Mountain West opener

Sep 26, 2026

Hakas hits career-high mark as Hawai’i handles New Mexico in Mountain West opener

Tali Hakas handles a heavy hit from New Mexico during Hawai’i’s sweep on Friday night. | Photo Credit: Riley Guillermo

HONOLULU – Service pressure, near-perfect passing and a pretty strong debut in the Mountain West.

The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team tallied a sweep of New Mexico on Friday night, (25-17, 25-13, 25-21), as Tali Hakas tied a career-high with 17 kills to lead the way in a convincing conference-opening win for the Rainbow Wahine.

“Obviously happy with the sweep,” head coach Joshua Walker said following the rapid takedown of the Lobos. “We were able to try and do some different things as far as lineups, got a little bit of a 6-2 out there, so once again, just trying to keep finding ways to be efficient and try to find solutions and we had enough tonight.”

The Rainbow Wahine saw the return of preseason all-conference selection Cha’lei Reid, who finished with three kills as she made it back on the court for the first time in nearly a month after recovering from a shoulder injury that held her out for the majority of the non-conference slate.

“It did suck, like sitting out and stuff,” Reid said of her eight-game absence. “Definitely tried to keep a positive mindset throughout this whole past month, just doing recovery and taking care of my shoulder and just being a good teammate from the responsibilities that I had while being injured.”

While she started slow in her return-to-play, middle blockers Miliana Sylvester and Rachel Purser helped pick up the slack as the duo combined for 16 kills and only three errors on 32 total attacks.

Hawai’i also displayed another night of dynamic denials, racking up 9.0 blocks as a group. It marked the sixth time this season that the Rainbow Wahine totaled at least nine blocks in a match.

The service pressure by Hawai’i also provided issues for New Mexico as the hosts hammered nine aces across the three frames. Senior outside hitter Panna Ratkai posted a season-best five aces for UH while freshman Cameron Holcomb tallied a career-high four aces.

Hawai’i wasted little time taking control of the opening set, racing out to a 10-point lead by the media timeout before ultimately taking the frame, 25-17, behind the dynamic duo of Ratkai and Hakas. Ratkai racked up four of her five aces in the set while Hakas had seven kills for the Rainbow Wahine.

The second set brought even better results as Hawai’i hit a match-high .531 in the frame, seeing Rachel Purser and Miliana Sylvester continue a perfect night out of the middle.

“We want, obviously, as many threats as possible across the front of the court,” Walker said of the increased offensive action for the middle blocker spot. “When we’re passing well, we want our middles to be a threat because that puts pressure on [New Mexico] to decide what they have to do on good passes.”

Hawai’i handled business in the third frame as well, cycling through some of the depth before stepping on the gas to close out the team’s fifth sweep of the season.

Victoria Leyva provided elite defense again for the Rainbow Wahine, totaling a team-best 21 digs in the victory. Adrianna Arquette added her fifth double-double of the season for UH, handing out 33 assists while tacking on 11 digs.

Reagan Miller paced the Lobos, putting down 10 kills on 23 swings and tallying a team-high three blocks in the loss.

Hawai’i and New Mexico will reconvene for Round 2 on Saturday night inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with first serve set for 7:00 p.m. HT.

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Oct 19, 2026

 HONOLULU – Host a block party, reap the rewards after. University of Hawai’i middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after posting 22 total...

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Mitchell brings fast, fun rebrand to familiar Rainbow Wahine basketball product

Mitchell brings fast, fun rebrand to familiar Rainbow Wahine basketball product

Sep 24, 2026

Mitchell brings fast, fun rebrand to familiar Rainbow Wahine basketball product

New Hawai’i HC Khalilah Mitchell leads the way in one of her first practices leading the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

HONOLULU – Meet the fast and furious Rainbow Wahine.

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team kicked off practices for the 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, marking the true start to first-year head coach Khalilah Mitchell’s tenure.

“Grateful, excited, nervous, confident, prepared, all at one time,” Mitchell said of the feelings after officially kicking off her head coaching career.

Mitchell was tabbed by many as a top option to replace former head coach Laura Beeman, who retired in March after spending the past 14 years leading the Rainbow Wahine. An LSU women’s basketball alum who had been with Beeman and UH for seven years, Mitchell provided a perfect combination of continuing a culture of excellence while bringing her own style to the table.

The Rainbow Wahine will play in a read-and-react offense under Mitchell, providing plenty of players with different opportunities to score and be playmakers as part of a free-flowing system that thrives in transition.

“It’s a style that I’m familiar with, [that] I played at LSU,” the former Tigers guard-turned-coach said. “I wanted to bridge that gap between my experience as a player, what I learned from Coach B and the roster, the personnel that we have.”

That quick reaction, transition-heavy style will require an elite level of conditioning for a Hawai’i roster that enters the 2026-27 season with a dozen players total. If there are no more additions to the roster before the regular season starts in November, it’ll mark the first time in the 21st century that the Rainbow Wahine enter a campaign with 12 players or less.

Though the numbers are lower than usual, Mitchell and the rest of the Rainbow Wahine roster remain confident in the stylistic switch as they move into the Mountain West.

“I definitely embrace that a lot,” sophomore guard Bailey Flavell said of the new, faster offensive system. “I love to play fast, play freely. I’m really excited for this season and our new style of play; I think it’ll be super beneficial.”

Flavell, who also played for the New Zealand senior national team in the FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualification Tournament from August 17-23, did share that her summer included a lot running in preparation for her second college season.

Hawai’i G Bailey Flavell drives into the paint during the start of her sophomore year practices. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

“We want to get up and down,” Flavell said. “In order to maintain that pace throughout a whole game, you’ve got to be really fit.”

Mitchell hopes Flavell wasn’t the only one preparing for a faster pace of play heading into 2026-27.

“Every piece is so vital to complete this puzzle that we have,” Mitchell said of the 12-player roster. “The style of play is a real transition, so I’m really hoping they get in shape the way I need them to [over the next six weeks].”

Hawai’i returns eight players from last year, including 51.5% of the team’s scoring and over 54% of the total minutes played from 2025-26. Flavell was named the Big West’s Freshman of the Year honoree while 6-foot-5 center Ritorya Tamilo earned Sixth Player of the Year recognition in Hawai’i’s final Big West campaign.

Jade Peacock and Jovi Lefotu each provide experienced options at the guard spots while Tee Bond looks to build upon flashes from her freshman campaign as she enters Year 2 with the program.

Her sister, Taryn, is one of four new faces on the roster for the Rainbow Wahine. She joins Mt. San Antonio College transfer Liz Udeze, Siena transfer Zyriah Price and 6-foot-2 freshman forward Payton Mills as the newest members of the UH family.

Rebecca Moors and Kyra Webb are also back as experienced, athletic wing options for Mitchell’s debut season and 6-foot-4 Fiamma Serra looks as though she could be ready to contribute more after a mostly developmental freshman campaign.

For the Rainbow Wahine to be successful in 2026-27, they’ll need complete dedication to the new style and a dash of luck in the health department. With 12 players total, injuries take away depth for games and can impact preparation by taking away the ability to play 5-on-5 in practices.

“They have completely bought in,” Mitchell said of her team. “Like you said with the low numbers, it’s been hard sometimes because if something happens to one person, it trickles down … Some people [don’t get substitutions] and they’ve embraced that.”

While they have yet to release the full schedule for 2026-27, leaks from other programs have shown that a challenging non-conference slate is on the way for Hawai’i. Some of the programs with Hawai’i listed on their non-conference schedules include Oregon, California, Stanford, Columbia and San Diego State – all five of which recorded 20 or more wins and made either the NCAA Tournament or WBIT last season.

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Sylvester snags Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors

Oct 19, 2026

 HONOLULU – Host a block party, reap the rewards after. University of Hawai’i middle blocker Miliana Sylvester was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning after posting 22 total...

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