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HONOLULU – The No. 20 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team saw an epic comeback bid fall short on Friday in a five-set defeat to No. 22 Oregon in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic. Set scores were 25-18, 25-14, 19-25, 18-25, 15-8.
 
Hawai'i (3-2) was completely outclassed in the opening two sets but returned from intermission a completely different team. Olivia Magill ripped five of her match-high 18 kills in the third set and Tai Manu-Olevao (14 kills) recorded six kills in the fourth set alone to push the match to the deciding frame.
 
With the score tied 5-5 in the final set, OU scored four unanswered points to all but seal the win. Kacey Nady (8 kills, 7 blocks) had a block and a kill in the mini run and the Ducks (6-0) cruised to the win.
 
Kalei Greeley had 13 kills and Sarah Mendoza and Tayler Higgins both had a match-high 14 digs. Liz Brenner shared match-high honors with 18 kills for the Ducks and Amanda Benson added a team-high 13 digs.
 
The 'Bows jumped on the Ducks early upon their return from the locker room. Three early kills from Greeley helped UH build an 11-5 lead and force an OU timeout. The run continued but after a kill from Brenner and a Nady block, Oregon had cut the lead to 19-14. A flurry of points from Manu-Olevao after a UH timeout ended the run and lifted the 'Bows to the 25-19 win.
 
Oregon was never close as UH dominated set four to push the match to the deciding fifth set. A Manu-Olevao kill midway through sparked a 7-2 run and the 'Bows won going away.
 
The Rainbow Wahine have a quick turnaround as they face St. John's at noon on Saturday on the final day of the tournament. The match will be followed by Oregon and New Mexico.