Box Score Box Score

HONOLULU - The No. 16 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (15-5) defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-7) 30-28, 30-25, 22-30 and 30-23 in front of a crowd of 6,027 at the Stan Sheriff Center Tuesday, ending their stretch of seven matches in 11 days.

Sarah Mason hit .320 with 22 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and two aces to lead UH. Jamie Houston added 21 kills and seven digs to mark the first time UH had two players with over 20 kills in the same match since Kim Willoughby and Lily Kahumoku had 21 apiece in the NCAA semifinal loss to Florida in 2003.

Jayme Lee paced the UH defense with 23 digs and three assists. Kari Gregory hit .450 with 10 kills, five digs and five blocks while Juliana Sanders added nine kills and six blocks. Kanoe Kamana`o ended the night with 58 assists, eight digs, two blocks and three kills.

In game one, the two teams kept it tight as there were 10 ties and three lead changes. A four-point Irish run gave Notre Dame the advantage at 12-9, only to see three-straight kills by Mason tie the game at 12. After trading a few sideouts, the Irish ran off a 6-1 run to take a 20-15 advantage, forcing a UH timeout. Hawai`i whittled away at their deficit, bringing it down to two points at 23-21. The Rainbow Wahine struggled getting any closer as the teams traded nine sideouts to lead ND with a 28-25 edge. But Mason willed UH to victory, putting away a block solo and her 10th and 11th kills of the game, starting a five-point run to end the game 30-28.

Hawai`i came out firing to start the second game, using a six-point run on the serve of Kamana`o to take a 7-2 edge. But Notre Dame fought back, using a four-point run to tie it back up at 11-11. The two teams traded small runs to get to another tie at 15-15. The Rainbow Wahine used a three-point run to get their lead to 24-20, only to see ND come back with a 3-0 spurt of their own, cutting it back to 24-23. But Hawai`i had another run in them, scoring the final three points of the game to take it 30-25.

After a couple of early runs by both teams at the start of the third game, the two teams played another highly contested game that featured 13 ties and three lead changes. ND seized control in the middle of the game, going on a 5-0 run to go ahead 20-16. UH responded with three-straight points to get back within one, but the Irish weren't going to let the game get away, using a 6-1 run at the end to take game three 30-22.

Notre Dame continued to control the pace to start game four, taking a 6-3 edge early on. But UH fought back, using a huge 9-3 run in the middle of the game to hold a 20-17 advantage. Notre Dame kept it close, pulling within one at 24-23 on a kill by Adrianna Stasiuk. But Hawai`i wouldn't let it get away as Lee served the Rainbow Wahine on a six-point run to end the match with a 30-23 win in game four.

UH will not play again for 10 days, before hosting Idaho on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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