Match Notes

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—The No. 8 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team 24-1, 14-0 Big West) will close out the Big West regular season with two more road matches at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. The Rainbow Wahine are in the middle of a span of six-straight road matches to end the conference season.

On Tuesday, the 'Bows captured the Big West title outright with a three-set sweep at UC Irvine, 26-24, 25-21, 25-14. For the Rainbow Wahine, it is their eighth Big West crown and their 24th overall conference title. It also marked their third Big West title in the last four seasons since rejoining the league in 2012 and their 20th title in the last 21 seasons. Hawai'i improved to 24-1 overall and 14-0 in conference by winning its 19th-straight match of the year.

Hawai'i rose five spots this week to No. 27 in the RPI, but UH fell one slot to No. 8 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll on Monday.

The Rainbow Wahine continues to lead the NCAA in the last rankings with 3.37 blocks per set average. Olivia Magill has been solid at the net and is ranked No. 5 in the nation averaging 1.59 blocks per set which is tops in the Big West Conference as well. Right behind her in the league rankings are teammates Emily Maglio and Nikki Taylor who sit in second (1.25 BPS) and third (1.23 BPS). With its strong blocking and stingy defense, UH is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA holding opponents to a .143 hitting percentage for the season.

As of Nov. 16, Hawai'i also continues to lead the league in five statistical categories: hitting percentage (.287), blocks (3.36 p/s), kills (14.05 p/s), service aces (1.52 p/s) and opponent hitting percentage (.145).

UH's Nikki Taylor earned her fourth Big West Player of the Week on Monday after a 21-kill performance that helped the 'Bows clinch at least a share of the conference title. She added nine digs to just miss out on recording her sixth double-double of the year. She also contributed five blocks, including one solo. On Tuesday night, Taylor led all players with 20 kills en route to the sweep at UC Irvine. It marked her seventh match this season and the third time in the last four matches that she's recorded at least 20 kills.

Match 26 Information
Who: No. 8 Hawai'i (24-1, 14-0 Big West) vs. Cal Poly (19-6, 11-3 BWC)
When: Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 pm (PT)
Where: San Luis Obispo, Calif.  (Robert A. Mott Athletics Center– 3,032)
Streaming Video: Hawai'i's match at Cal Poly can be viewed at BigWest.tv
Radio: UH's match against the Mustangs can be heard on ESPN 1420 am with Tiff Wells covering the play-by-play.
Audio Webcast: Fans can listen to the UH match at Cal Poly online at http://www.espn1420am.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at gopoly.com
Series Record: Hawai'i has a 36-4 record against Cal Poly. Earlier this season, UH defeated the Mustangs in Honolulu in three sets: 25-20, 25-12, 25-19. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine swept Cal Poly (10/24) at home 25-17, 25-18, 25-22. On the road (11/22), Cal Poly won the first set before UH would come back to take the next three sets 21-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-16.

Match 27 Information
Who: No. 8 Hawai'i (24-1, 14-0 Big West) vs. UC Santa Barbara (7-18, 3-11 BWC)
When: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 pm (PT)
Where: Santa Barbara, Calif.  (Thunderdome)
Streaming Video: Hawai'i's match at UCSB can be viewed at BigWest.tv
Radio: UH's match against the Gauchos can be heard on NBC SportsRadio 1500 am with Tiff Wells covering the play-by-play.
Audio Webcast: Fans can listen to the UH match at UC Santa Barbara online at http://www.nbcsportsradiohawaii.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at www.ucsbgauchos.com
Series Record: UH has a 35-8 record against the Gauchos. Earlier this season UH downed the Gauchos in three sets, 25-13, 25-14, 25-19 on Oct. 3. But last season, UCSB battled the 'Bows in Santa Barbara (11/21) with UH winning in a tightly contested five-match decision, 25-23, 25-23, 27-29, 19-25, 15-12. In the first meeting between the two schools last year, UH won in four sets in Honolulu (10/26) 25-22, 19-25, 25-15, 25-16.