FT COLLINS, Colo. – The No. 6 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (31-3) fought off a tough No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers (26-9) 18-25, 25-22, 25-23 and 25-20 in the NCAA Regional Semifinal match at Moby Arena on the campus of Colorado State Friday.

 

Kanani Danielson led the Rainbow Wahine, hitting .400 with 21 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Jamie Houston added 15 kills while Amber Kaufman hit .316 with 11 kills and five blocks. Tara Hittle had a team-high 12 digs while Dani Mafua posted 51 assists, seven digs, two kills and two blocks.

 

Purdue jumped ahead 7-3 to start the first set, before a kill and an ace by Houston brought UH back to within two at 7-5. A quick 3-0 Boilermaker run got PU the 13-8 lead. But Aneli Cubi-Otineru picked up the Rainbow Wahine behind the serving line, serving a big four-point run to cut it back to 14-13. Purdue responded with a 4-1 run to get its lead to 18-14. They kept pushing, scoring seven of the last nine points to take the first set 25-18.

 

After scoring the first two points of the second set, Hawai`i allowed Purdue to score seven points in a row, falling behind 7-2. The Boilermakers kept the five-point at 17-12 before Hittle served UH on a 6-0 run to go ahead 18-17. The Rainbow Wahine added a 5-1 run later to get to set point at 24-20. Purdue fought off a couple set points before UH put it away 25-22.

 

Hawai`i ran off three-straight points after allowing a 3-1 Purdue lead to start the third, going ahead 4-3. PU answered later with a 6-1 run to take a 10-7 edge. Hawai`i stayed close until a big three-point run by Purdue got it to 17-11. The Boilermakers kept the six-point advantage at 18-12 until a 7-2 UH run cut it back to 20-19. Purdue scored two points to get it to 22-19. But Kaufman served Hawai`i on a four-point run, putting the Rainbow Wahine ahead 23-22. After allowing a point by the Boilers, an error by Stephanie Lynch and a kill by Houston put it away 25-23.

 

After spotting Purdue a 5-3 edge to start the fourth, UH went on a 6-1 run to go ahead 9-6. Hawai`i got it up to 13-9 before a four-point run by the Boilers tied it at 13-13. The Rainbow Wahine scored four of the next five to go ahead 17-14. The teams traded sideouts for a while until Hawai`i closed it out with a 4-1 run, ending the fourth set 25-20.

 

With the win, the Rainbow Wahine advance to their second regional final in three years and their fourth in the last seven years. UH will face the winner of the Stanford-Florida match tomorrow at 7 p.m. (4 p.m. HST) at Moby Arena. The match will be aired nationally on ESPNU.