Stetson Box Score | Florida Atlantic Box Score

DeLAND, Fla. – The No. 5 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball team stormed through the opening day of the Stetson Beach Invitational, claiming victories over host No. 9 Stetson to open the day at the Cooper Sand Volleyball Courts, returning to take down No. 17 ranked Florida Atlantic and finish the day in sweeping fashion.
 
Starting off Friday morning's action, No. 4 pair Hannah Zalopany and Ari Homayun continued their winning ways sweeping their opponents with smooth shots and strong hitting to 21-11 and 21-16 wins. In the No. 5 spot, the senior leadership of Ginger Long's strong net presence and Mikayla Tucker's digging pushed the 'SandBows' ahead 2-0 at the end of the first round.

Hawai'i's No. 2 pair of Emily Maglio and Katie Spieler, and No. 3 Hannah Rooks and Ka'iwi Schucht made quick work of a strong Hatters squad, currently ranked ninth in the nation and an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national tournament participant each of the last four years as the Atlantic Sun champion.

The experienced redshirt freshman Maglio was once again dominant, and her senior partner Spieler, continued to put their talent on display with an array of saves and spikes.

On the other court, Rooks and Schucht found a great team rhythm with each passing set to power through their counterparts. The Hatters were able to muster their only point of the match versus Nikki Taylor and Lara Schreiber, as Sara Putt and Vendy Strakova pushed past UH's No. 1 pair, 23-21, 21-15.
 
In the second match against Florida Atlantic, the Owls couldn't stop the Rainbow Wahine from a powerful sweep. The SandBows won all ten sets and pulled away after a close start to the second round.
 
After leading 2-0 early in the match, play was halted due local lightning strikes accompanied by heavy winds and rain. After the delay of about an hour, play resumed once again and the UH didn't look back. The No. 1 pair of Taylor and Schreiber found their edge on the strength of Taylor's timely blocking and the slick defense of Schreiber, through Delaney Clesen and Gabrielle Dischler to win in straight sets, 21-18, 21-12.
 
All systems are clicking for Hawai'i as they look to upend the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles, who won against FIU and UCLA to open up the tournament. Play will begin at 10:30 am EST (4:30 a.m. HT) and later in the day UH will face No. 10 FIU to wrap up action on the weekend in the Sunshine State.
 
Final: Hawai'i 4, Stetson 1
DeLand, Fla., Cooper Sand Volleyball Courts
1. Sara Putt/Vendy Strakova (STET) def. Lara Schreiber/Nikki Taylor (UH) 23-21, 21-15
2. Katie Spieler/Emily Maglio (UH) def. Kristin Lind/Rachel Noble (STET) 21-14, 21-15
3. Hannah Rooks/Ka'iwi Schucht (UH) def. Emily Carroll/Kaylee Anderson (STET) 21-18, 16-21, 15-11
4. Hannah Zalopany/Ari Homayun (UH) def. Madison Akins/Lauren Durham (STET) 21-11, 21-16
5. Ginger Long/Mikayla Tucker (UH) def. Jamie Walsh/Alexa Richardson (STET) 21-9, 21-18
 
Final: Hawai'i 5, Florida Atlantic 0
DeLand, Fla., Cooper Sand Volleyball Courts
1. Lara Schreiber/Nikki Taylor (UH) def. Delaney Clesen/Gabrielle Dischler (FAU) 21-18, 21-12
2. Katie Spieler/Emily Maglio (UH) def. Chelsey Takavec/Heather Weiss (FAU) 21-13, 21-12
3. Hannah Rooks/Ka'iwi Schucht (UH) def. Brittany Pellitteri/Andrea Galinis (FAU) 24-22, 21-16
4. Hannah Zalopany/Ari Homayun (UH) def. Ashlan Cunningham/Jazmine Barker (FAU) 21-13, 21-9
5. Ginger Long/Mikayla Tucker (UH) def. Nicole Grant/Natalie Fraley (FAU) 21-13, 22-20