Box Score Box Score

RENO, Nev. - The No. 2 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine (25-1, 11-0 WAC) survived the Nevada Wolf Pack (12-14, 5-6 WAC) 28-30, 30-26, 30-22 and 30-24 in front of a near-capacity crowd of 1,251 at the Virginia Street Gym Thursday.

Kim Willoughby led the way with 27 kills while Lily Kahumoku had 19 kills, 16 digs and a .405 hitting percentage. Nohealani Tano hit .389 with nine kills while Maja Gustin and Lauren Duggins added seven and six kills, respectively. Melissa Villaroman also got into double-digits with 12 digs.

Hawai`i spotted the Wolf Pack two points to start game one before going on a four-point run to go up 4-2. Nevada then went on an 8-2 run to take a 10-6 advantage. UN kept their four-point lead at 13-9, forcing UH head coach Dave Shoji to take his first timeout. The Wolf Pack continued to be a threat to take the first game of the Rainbow Wahine in WAC play this season, as they extended their lead to 22-16. But UH wasn't going to give in that easily, as they came back with a 6-1 run to tie the game at 23-23. Nevada took back the lead and got it up to 28-26 before taking the first game 30-28, giving UH their first lost game of the 2003 WAC season.

The Rainbow Wahine opened up the second game 4-1, capped by two straight aces by Kanoe Kamana`o. UH kept the pressure on, as they took leads of 19-12 and 21-14 before the Wolf Pack battled back to cut the deficit to 23-20. UN was able to get within a point at 26-25, but it wasn't enough as the Rainbow Wahine ended it on a 4-1 run, taking game two 30-26.

The third game started out close as Nevada held UH to a 8-7 advantage. But Hawai`i then began to flex some muscle, as they ran off eight of the next 10 points to take a 16-9 lead. The Rainbow Wahine extended their lead to 20-11 and 26-15, before taking game three 30-22.

Nevada kept it close for a while in game four, as they held UH to a 7-7 tie early on. But Kahumoku would take over, finishing the fourth game with nine kills, including the match-winner, leading UH to the 30-24.

The Rainbow Wahine will head to Fresno, Calif., tomorrow, to play the second-place Fresno State Bulldogs on Sunday, Nov. 9, in the newly-built Save Mart Center. Hawai`i will be able to clinch their eighth-straight WAC title with a win in Fresno.

Match Statistics

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