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UH & Nittaidai Exhibition

Men's Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball Outlasts Nittaidai In Five

Box Score

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team went the distance in a five-set victory over Nittaidai of Japan, Sunday in the second of two exhibition matches at the Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, and 15-11.
 
Unlike the teams' first match on Friday, the Warriors (6-9, 3-7 MPSF) did not have it easy, needing a gritty comeback in Set 3 to take a two sets to one advantage pulling away late in the fifth set for the victory.
 
Senior outside hitter Steven Hunt once again led the Hawai'i attack with 19 kills on .268 hitting. Sophomore middle blocker Nick West controlled the middle with 13 kills and a team-high eight blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Shane Welch came off the bench to post three kills and eight blocks.
 
Shuzo Yamada led Nittaidai with 19 kills on 49 swings. Shohei Yamamoto and Daichi Watanabe also reached double-figure kills with 13 and 12, respectively.
 
As a team, UH out-hit Nittaidai, .323 to .218 while out-blocking the smaller Japanese squad, 18-to-9.
 
In Set 1, the Warriors surged ahead 17-12 with a 6-1 run, ignited by a pair of Averill kills. After starting the set with two early errors, the Warriors finished with 10 straight kills. UH also finished with six blocks in the opening set victory.
 
Nittaidai grabbed a 11-7 lead to start Set 2 and extended it to 17-10 after the Japanese squad put together three big blocks during a 5-2 spurt. Down 24-18, the Warriors erased five set points to pull within two before Nittaidai closed out the set by stuffing Hunt, its sixth block of the game.
 
The Japanese squad rallied from an early 11-8 deficit in Set 3 with a five-point run capped by back-to-back kills by Yamada. Nittaidai eventually took a 15-12 lead before the Warriors rallied and closed out the set by out-scoring the Japanese squad, 13-4.
 
UH took an early lead in Set 4 before Nittaidai rallied to tie it at 15. The Warriors led 19-17 following consecutive kills by Marks and Hunt. Nittaidai tied it at 20 then took a 22-20 lead after a pair of Warrior hitting errors before closing out the set with back-to-back kills by Yuichiro Komiya and Yamada.
 
The teams traded side-outs for the early part of Set 5 until Sam Biscaro and West teamed to stuff Yamada for a 9-7 Warrior lead. Hunt's 19th kill gave UH a 12-9 lead they would not relinquish.
 
The Warriors return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action next week as they embark on a four-match road trip at USC, March 2 & 4, in Los Angeles, Calif., and at Stanford, March 6-7, in Stanford, Calif.
 
 
-UH-
 
 
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