Box Score HONOLULU - The No. 7 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team came back from being down two games to none to defeat the No. 19 Pepperdine Waves 25-30, 26-30, 30-25, 33-31 and 17-15 in front of a crowd of 7,878 in the season-opener at the Stan Sheriff Center Friday.
Jamie Houston led UH with 21 kills, 19 digs and four blocks. Tara Hittle had 17 kills and 21 digs while Juliana Sanders hit .609 with 15 kills and seven blocks. Kari Gregory had 12 kills, six blocks and a .407 hitting percentage while Kanoe Kamana`o finished with 67 assists, 17 digs and four blocks. Jessica Keefe also came up big, hitting .471 with 10 kills.
The Waves jumped out early in the first game, going up 8-3 to start. But a kill by Keefe started a five-point run to tie the game at eight. Pepperdine then took over from the service line, scoring three-straight aces to start a 5-0 blitz that pushed their edge to 14-9. And from there, they never gave up the lead again. The Waves got their lead as high as 21-14 and 25-19 before UH reeled off a 6-1 run to cut it back to 26-25. But Pepperdine would close the game with four-straight points, taking it 30-25 on the strength of seven aces in the game.
The two teams traded points to start the second game with a Gregory kill tying the score at 8-8. But the Waves came out with a 9-2 run that pushed Pepperdine to a 19-10 edge. Hawai`i was able to make a couple late runs, including one where they fought off three game points, before a kill by Sophia Milo put it away, 30-26.
Down two games, Hawai`i made a change, starting redshirt freshman Jayme Lee at libero. The move paid off as Lee steadied the UH passing while providing the Rainbow Wahine with nine digs. A four-point run on her first serve gave Hawai`i a 7-5 lead. But the Waves answered with a five-point run a few points later that pushed them to a 13-10 edge. Pepperdine had a 18-17 advantage before the Rainbow Wahine finally made their big push. Hittle served the 'Bows on a seven-point run to to up 24-18. The Waves were able to cut it back to 25-23, but it wasn't enough, as a solo block by Sanders ended the third game 30-25.
Pepperdine came out firing to start the fourth game, going up 8-1. But Hawai`i was able to gain composure and scratch and claw their way to the first tie of the game at 26-26. From there, it was a battle. A block by Kayla Walker and Cassi Chamberlain gave the Waves match point at 29-27. But, after a Pepperdine service error, Hittle dropped an overpass kill to tie it at 29-29. A kill by Sanders and another by Hittle saved the Rainbow Wahine from Pepperdine's next two match points. Then Houston came up big, putting away consecutive kills to give UH the thrilling 33-31 game four victory.
Hawai`i opened a 4-1 lead to start the fifth game, only to see Pepperdine come back an go up 5-4 to force a timeout by Dave Shoji. The teams then traded small runs and then sideouts to get to a 13-13 tie. Rachel Lumsden, who led all players with 23 kills, put away a kill that got the Waves to match point at 14-13. But a block by Gregory and Keefe kept the Rainbow Wahine alive at 14-14. A Lumsden error gave UH their first match point at 15-14, also forcing a timeout by the Waves. Milo put away one of her 17 kills to tie it at 15-15 before another block by Gregory and Keefe gave Hawai`i another match point at 16-15. This time, the Rainbow Wahine weren't to be denied as Sanders put away the final kill to end the improbable comeback, 17-15.
The two teams will go at it again tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Stan Sheriff Center.
Box Score-UH-
