Box Score

HONOLULU – The No. 10 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (5-2) swept through the St. Mary's Gaels (6-1) 25-22, 25-16 and 25-8 in front of a crowd of 5,728 in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center Thursday.

 

Kanani Herring hit .360 with 11 kills and 12 digs to lead the UH attack. Jamie Houston chimed in eight kills, five digs and three blocks while Nickie Thomas hit .600 with six kills and five blocks. Amber Kaufman added a six-kill, two-block night while hitting .500. Dani Mafua added her third double-double of the year with 29 assists and 12 digs while Tara Hittle had 14 digs to lead all players. Aneli Cubi-Otineru had six kills and nine digs while Stephanie Ferrell hit .857 with six kills, on just seven swings, in two sets of action.

 

Neither team could break away early in the first set, as the difference never went above two points with UH holding an edge of 15-14 at the media timeout. Herring served a 4-0 Hawai`i run that gave them the set's biggest lead at 17-14. St. Mary's clawed its way back, using a timely four-point run to put them ahead 22-20. But the Rainbow Wahine had one last run in them as Stephanie Brandt came in and served UH to the final five points of the set, taking it 25-22.

 

Hawai`i got out early on the Gaels in the second set, using a five-point run on Houston's serve to go ahead 8-4. Mafua served another big UH run to get the lead to 14-7. The Rainbow Wahine got their lead to 19-9 before coasting to a 25-16 victory in the second set.

 

The Rainbow Wahine continued to roll in the third set, jumping out to early leads of 6-2, 12-3 and 15-4. Hawai`i never let St. Mary's get anything going as UH sided out on eight of the Gaels' nine serves in the set, taking it 25-8. Ferrell led the charge in the set, going a perfect 4-for-4 on kill attempts.

 

Hawai`i continues the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational tomorrow, facing Pacific at 7 p.m. No. 9 Washington faces St. Mary's in the first match of the day at 5 p.m.