HONOLULU – The No. 9 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (16-3, 9-1 WAC) swept the San Jose State Spartans (9-13, 4-6) 25-12, 25-22 and 26-24 in front of a crowd of 6,188 at the Stan Sheriff Center Friday.

 

Jamie Houston led the way with 18 kills and 12 digs. Kanani Herring hit .375 with 12 kills and seven digs while Dani Mafua finished with 45 assists and 12 digs. Aneli Cubi-Otineru had eight kills and eight digs and Nickie Thomas pounded five kills while hitting .714 in just two sets.

 

San Jose State got out to an early 7-6 lead in the first set. But Mafua served the Rainbow Wahine on an eight-point run, giving UH a 14-7 advantage. Hawai`i later added a 7-1 run that got it to 21-10 before closing out the Spartans 25-12.

 

SJSU opened a 7-4 edge early in the second set. But Hawai`i answered with a 7-2 run, going ahead 11-9. UH used another 7-2 run to take its biggest lead at 18-13. The Rainbow Wahine would again push to a five-point edge at 22-17, only to see a 4-1 run cut it back to 23-21. But Hawai`i had the answer, taking the second set 25-22.

 

The Rainbow Wahine jumped ahead 6-2 to start the third. But the Spartans battled, pulling within a point at 9-8. SJSU got the deficit to point on a few more occasions, eventually tying the score at 18-18. UH scored the next two points to take a slight 20-18 edge. But SJSU fought back, tying the score at 22-22. The set saw two more ties before the Rainbow Wahine closed it out 26-24.

 

Hawai`i next hosts Fresno State on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m., at the Stan Sheriff Center.