Box Score Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. -- The No. 9 University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (27-5) fell to the No. 14 Pacific Tigers (26-7) in the Bankers Classic Championship Match at the Spanos Center. The loss snaps a 24-match winning streak for Hawaii as they head into the NCAA tournament.

Kim Willoughby had an amazing night with 41 kills and 26 digs. Nohea Tano also added a great performance with 10 kills and 12 digs, while hitting .667. Maja Gustin also added 15 kills and nine digs, while Margaret Vakasausau had 61 assists and 16 digs.

Pacific took an early lead in game 1, jumping out 5-2 before Hawaii stormed back to tie the game at five. The teams traded small runs with the Tigers holding a 15-14 edge at the media timeout. Both teams continued to fight, with the lead not going above two points either way until a 5-1 run put Pacific up 25-21. But the Wahine used a 4-0 run of their own to tie it up at 25. They traded points again before Pacific scored the last two to take game 1 by a score of 30-28. Willoughby ended the first game with an amazing 12 kills.

Game 2 continued to be played close until a 6-1 Wahine run put Hawaii up 9-6. UH extended their lead to 15-9 on a 4-0 run going into the media timeout. They continued to roll out of the break, extending their lead to 20-10 to force Pacific coach Jayne McHugh to call a timeout. The Tigers mounted a small comeback but it wasn't enough as the Wahine took the second game 30-19.

The Tigers stormed out of the gates in game 3, taking a 10-3 lead. But Hawaii fought back with a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 11-8. Pacific responded with a 4-0 run to extend their lead back to seven points. The Wahine continued to fight but a late red card on the Hawaii bench and a hitting error gave Pacific the 30-21 win in game 3.

Hawaii started out the fourth game with fire in their eyes, jumping out to 4-0 and 9-4 leads early on. The Tigers reeled off four straight points to cut the lead to one before Hawaii pulled their lead back up to 15-10 at the media timeout. UH continued to dominate, pushing their lead to 25-16 before taking the game 30-20.

In the fifth and deciding game, the Wahine jumped out to a 3-0 lead to force McHugh to take a timeout. The Tigers responded, cutting the lead to 6-5 before Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji called a timeout of his own. Pacific took a 12-9 lead before a 3-0 Wahine tied the game at 12. But the Tigers ran off with a 3-0 run to end the match with a 15-12 win.

The Wahine now await the announcement from the NCAA to find out when and where they will be playing in this year's tournament. By winning the conference tournament Hawaii clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be at 10 a.m. HT on Monday, November 24, and will be aired on Fox Sports West 2 in Honolulu.

All Tournament Team

Jennifer Joines, Pacific
Courtney Miller, Pacific
Margaret Vakasausau, Hawaii
Kim Willoughby, Hawaii
Joanne Saunders, Fairfield
Kim Turner, Utah
Jamie Hamm, Pacific (MVP)