Box Score Box Score
FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 15 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (8-4, 2-0 WAC) defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs (2-13, 0-2) 30-23, 30-22 and 30-23 in front of a crowd of 1,404 at the Save Mart Center Friday.
Amber Kaufman posted 10 kills and three blocks while hitting .444 in two games played. Jamie Houston hit .333 with 12 kills and three blocks also in just two games. Juliana Sanders hit .357 with with seven kills and six blocks in two games while Jessica Keefe led UH with seven blocks. Sarah Mason added a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, with Kanoe Kamana`o putting up 45 assists and 10 digs.
The Rainbow Wahine started out sluggish, allowing the Bulldogs to tie game one at 9-9 off a 4-1 run. But UH responded with a 5-1 run to go ahead 14-10. Fresno State pulled back within a point at 15-14 before Sanders led a 4-0 run that gave Hawai`i a 19-14 edge. Cheryl Selenak served a four-point Bulldog run that got them within a point again at 23-22. But the Rainbow Wahine went on a huge run, scoring seven of the final eight points in the game to win 30-23. UH outhit the Bulldogs .324 to .000 in game one.
Hawai`i jumped ahead 5-0 to start game two on a block by Kamana`o and Kaufman, forcing an early Bulldog timeout. A four-point Fresno State run pulled them within two points at 10-8. But UH responded, scoring nine of the next 11 points to push their lead to 19-10. From there, the Rainbow Wahine put it in cruise control, taking the game 30-22 on a kill by Houston. Kaufman hit .571 with five kills and three blocks in game two alone.
UH found themselves in a dog fight at the start of the third game, holding a slight 7-6 edge. The Rainobw Wahine used a five-point run to go up 12-6, but allowed a big 7-1 spurt that got Fresno State back within a point at 18-17. But Hawai`i responded with a 9-2 run of their own, pushing their lead to 26-19. The Bulldogs got back within three at 26-23, but it was too little, too late, as UH took the match with a 30-23 game three victory.
Hawai`i will travel North for a match at San Jose State tomorrow at 8 p.m. Pacific time (5 p.m. HST).
-UH-
