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HONOLULU—The No. 8 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team pulled away in the end to defeat Long Beach State in five sets, 22-25, 25-12, 16-25, 25-21, 15-8. In a match filled with momentum swings and runs, the Rainbow Wahine got a season-high 20.0 blocks to help propel them past the 49ers to remain undefeated at 6-0 in the Big West. Overall, UH improved to 16-1 while Long Beach State fell to 14-5 overall and 4-2 in conference. Hawai'i has now won 11-straight matches—its longest win streak since UH won 19 in a row in 2012.
 
The Rainbow Wahine were led by Kalei Greeley, Tai Manu-Olevao and Nikki Taylor who all pounded 12 kills apiece. Greeley added three blocks, five digs, an assist and an ace. Manu-Olevao recorded her first double-double of the season with her 12 kills and 12 digs. She also added three assists, a pair of aces and two blocks (one solo) to lead UH with 15.5 points in the match. Taylor had an ace, an assist, seven digs and three blocks on the night. Olivia Magill rejected a match-high 11 blocks to tie her season-high that she set against Iowa on Sept. 4. Magill had eight kills and hit .381 on the night with no errors in 21 attempts.
 
Setter Kendra Koelsch had a solid all-around match, finished just one block shy of tallying a triple-double. She notched career-highs with 41 assists, 13 digs, and nine blocks. It was just her third career start.
 
Long Beach State came out firing on all cylinders and led early throughout the first set by as many as 10 points three times, the last time at 23-13. But Clare-Marie Anderson then served eight-straight while UH's block got going rejecting four 49er attempts. UH closed to within two points at 23-21 then staved off one set-point, but Long Beach State took the first set, 25-22. The first set loss snapped UH's 19-set win-streak dating back to the third set against CSU Bakersfield.
 
The Hawai'i block which came alive at the end of the first set, then asserted itself in the second set with seven blocks as UH carried their momentum into Set 2. Hawai'i jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back. Hawai'i had an almost perfect sideout percentage, converting on 11-of-12 opportunities for a 91% success rate. Through the first two sets, UH already had 11.0 blocks with Magill & Koelsch with six apiece to lead the 'Bows.
 
In Set 3, the pendulum of momentum swung back to Long Beach State as they won set 3 going away, 25-16. The 49ers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and UH never could recover from the initial blow.
 
But, in Set 4 UH would even the match at 2-2 with a 25-21 win. The set saw six ties and two lead changes in a see-saw battle. The difference came when Taylor served for three points to give UH an 18-14 lead that allowed the 'Bows to breathe a little. Long Beach State kept chipping away, but UH held off the 49ers to force the fifth and deciding set.
 
In the fifth set, LBSU got out to an early 2-0 lead that was quickly erased as the 'Bows caught up to tie at 2-2. Later, with Manu-Olevao serving five-straight, UH bolted out to an 8-3 lead to stagger the 49ers. Hawai'i would ride out the rest of the set as they cruised to a 15-8 score to seal the win.
 
Hawai'i is now 2-0 in five set matches this season. It was the third straight time the Hawai'i and Long Beach State has played five sets and it snapped UH's two-match losing streak to the 49ers. The Rainbow Wahine are alone atop the Big West standings at 6-0. Cal Poly is behind at 4-1 while LBSU and UC Davis (next week's opponent) are both tied at 4-2 for third place.
 
The Rainbow Wahine continue their final homestand of the season with UC Davis and UC Irvine coming to town. UH will face the Aggies on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 pm and then the Anteaters on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 pm in the Stan Sheriff Center.