HONOLULU--The No. 22 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team (14-3, 4-2 Big West) returns home after splitting their last two matches on the road. The Rainbow Wahine fell at Cal Poly, but rebounded with a sweep over UC Santa Barbara. This week, the Rainbow Wahine host a pair of Big West Conference matches to close out the first round against UC Riverside (5-12, 1-5 Big West) and UC Davis (12-7, 4-2 Big West). Friday's match (October 18) vs. the Highlanders starts at 7:00 p.m. and is Dig Pink night, as the 'Bows recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Sunday's match against the Aggies (Oct. 20), UH Athletics will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Stan Sheriff Center. Sunday's match has a start time of 5:00 p.m.

MATCH #18
TEAMS: No. 22 Hawai'i (14-3, 4-2 Big West) vs. UC Riverside (5-12, 1-5 Big West)
DATE: Friday, Oct. 18, 2019
TIME:  7:00 p.m.
SITE: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, O'ahu
PROMOTIONS: Hawaii Pacific Health is the sponsor of Friday's "Pink Night" match
·        Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. 
·        First 500 fans will receive a pink foam shaka at Gate A.
·        The H-Zone store located at Gate B will be selling pink apparel
TELEVISION: Spectrum Sports will televise both of UH's matches this week with Kanoa Leahey handling the play-by-play and Chris McLachlin doing the color commentary. The pregame/post-game show will feature Scott Robbs, Lisa Strand Ma'a, and Ryan Kalei Tsuji. Fans in Hawai'i can watch on Spectrum channels 16 and 1016 (HD).
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.tv  (Must be a Spectrum cable subscriber to stream in Hawai'i).
RADIO: ESPN Honolulu (1320 am/92.7 FM) - Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
AUDIO STREAMING: ESPNHonolulu.com -or- the Sideline Hawaii app.
LIVE STATS: Live in game stats can be linked to at HawaiiAthletics.com women's volleyball schedule page
TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased at Stan Sheriff Center Box Office, online at ETicketHawaii.com, or by phone at (808) 944-2697 (BOWS).
SERIES HISTORY:  Hawai'i holds a 25-0 record over the Highlanders. Last season, UH defeated UC Riverside at home (9/29/18) in three sets, 25-15, 25-19, 25-17 and on the road in a sweep (10/19/18), 25-16, 25-17, 25-22.

MATCH #19
TEAMS: No. 22 Hawai'i (14-3, 4-2 Big West) vs. UC Davis (12-7, 4-2 Big West)
DATE: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019
TIME: 5:00 p.m. HT
SITE: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, O'ahu
PROMOTIONS: Coca-Cola is the sponsor of Sunday's "25^th Anniversary of the Stan Sheriff Center"
·        Throwback Ticket Pricing - $7 adult tickets in limited areas [ Buy Online ]
·        First 1,000 fans to receive a commemorative 25th anniversary Coca-Cola cup (FREE Coca-Cola fountain drink fill)
·        FREE mini cupcakes will be given (while supplies last) upon exiting after completion of the match
·        25% off of Commemorative 25th anniversary shirt at H-Zone (Oct. 20 only)
·        Sodexo concession discount
TELEVISION: Spectrum Sports will televise both of UH's matches this week with Kanoa Leahey handling the play-by-play and Chris McLachlin doing the color commentary. The pregame/post-game show will feature Scott Robbs, Lisa Strand Ma'a, and Ryan Kalei Tsuji. Fans in Hawai'i can watch on Spectrum channels 16 and 1016 (HD).
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.tv (Must be a Spectrum cable subscriber to stream in Hawai'i).
RADIO: CBS Sports Radio Hawai'i AM 1500 - Tiff Wells (play-by-play) (IF there is no ALCS game on Sunday, the match will move over to ESPN Honolulu)
AUDIO STREAMING: CBSSportsHawaii.com -or- the Sideline Hawaii app.
LIVE STATS: Live in game stats can be linked to at HawaiiAthletics.com women's volleyball schedule page
TICKETS: Tickets can be purchased at Stan Sheriff Center Box Office, online at ETicketHawaii.com, or by phone at (808) 944-2697 (BOWS).
SERIES HISTORY:  Hawai'i leads UC Davis 13-1 all-time. Last season, UH swept UC Davis to open conference play (9/21/18), 25-189, 25-21, 26-24 on the road. In Honolulu, UH defeated the Aggies in four sets on Senior Night (11/16/18), 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 25-14.

GAME NOTES:

• Hawai'i split their matches last week, falling in three at Cal Poly on Friday, but bouncing right back to sweep previously unbeaten UC Santa Barbara in the Big West. The Rainbow Wahine fell three spots in the AVCA Coaches Poll from No. 19 to No. 22, but the 'Bows rose in the NCAA's RPI into the Top 10, coming in at No. 9. Hawai'i remains the lone Big West team to be ranked in the AVCA and the top ranked BWC team in the RPI (see bottom, left of page 3 for full RPI rankings of Big West schools). Hawai'i is ranked No. 5 in total times being ranked in the AVCA Top 25 poll with 507 weeks.
• Newcomers Making AN Immediate Impact - Coming into the season, one of the 'Bows' biggest questions was how their nine newcomers (including five freshmen) would gel with the seven returnees and how the team would perform at game time. But the new Wahine have answered all doubters and have proven that they are athletic and resilient. The nine newcomers account for 697 of UH's 910 kills which is 76% of UH's current offense. The nine also account for 664 of UH's 1,008 digs (66%); and 141 of the team's 174.5 total blocks (81%). The five freshmen alone have combined for 582 kills (64%), 328 digs (33%) and 111 total blocks (64%).
• Senior setter Norene Iosia has really shown her versatility, mettle, and leadership this year. Since UH's home loss to UC Irvine, Iosia has reverted to her role from last year's team as setter/outside hitter. The senior from Torrence, Calif. has recorded double-doubles in the last six straight matches--which is all six of UH's Big West matches. Overall this year, she has 10 double-doubles and 54 for her career. She also has five triple-doubles in her career. Last week during UH's match at Cal Poly, Iosia became just the 15th Rainbow Wahine in history to record 1,000 career digs. She needed just six to join the exclusive club, but tallied 12 for the match. After posting 14 more digs at UCSB, Iosia enters this week with 1,020 career digs. Iosia also is climbing the UH career record book in assists. Currently, she is ranked at No. 9 with 2,865 career assists. She is also ascending the UH career record book in service aces. She is one ace shy of tying former UH standout Nikki Taylor for No. 8 with 117 career service aces. Overall this season, Iosia leads UH with 361 assists, 176 digs and 25 service aces. Iosia is ranked No. 73 in the NCAA and second in the Big West in service aces this season.  Iosia is one of three UH players to play in all 68 sets (Bailey Choy & Hanna Hellvig).
• Freshman outside hitter Hanna Hellvig has been carrying the offensive load for UH. She leads the Rainbow Wahine with 208 kills. She is averaging 3.06 kills per set while hitting at a .228 clip. Hellvig is second on the team with 54 total blocks (six solo) and 148 digs. She is one of just three Rainbow Wahine to have played in all 68 sets this season. Hellvig has earned a pair of Big West Freshman of the Week awards this season. Hellvig has led UH in kills in eight of the last 10 matches. Last week, at UCSB, she recorded a match-high 14 kills to lead all players. She has recorded five double-doubles this season--the last coming against Cal State Fullerton.
• Manoa Roofing Company - After starting the year out-blocking their opponents in their first 10 matches, the Manoa Roofing Company has actually been out-blocked in five out of the last seven matches. However, the 'Bows are still out-blocking their opponents 174.5-to-126.5. It is the most blocks for UH through 17 games since the 2015 season. That year, UH had 204 total blocks through 17 matches. The 2019 and the 2015 teams are tied with 35 solo blocks through 17 games. The 2015 squad led the NCAA for much of the year in blocks, and finished that year second in the nation with 332.5 total blocks.
• Senior outside hitter McKenna Ross was one of the keys in UH's win at UC Santa Barbara. After hitting -.214 with two kills against Cal Poly, Ross was on fire against the Gauchos. At UCSB, she logged her third double-digit kill match of the season while hitting .400 for the match. She recorded 12 kills with just three errors in 30 attacks. Ross also had two blocks and six digs in the Thunderdome. After missing the first six games of the season due to a medical issue, Ross has posted 79 kills, 56 digs, 10 blocks, five assists and a service ace over the last 11 matches.
• Junior middle blocker Skyler Williams enters Week 8 leading the Big West in hitting percentage, with 110 kills and just 29 errors in 205 attacks for  a .395%. Williams is also ranked at No. 35 in the NCAA in hitting percentage. She is eightth in the league averaging 0.93 blocks per set. Overall, Williams' 110 kills is fourth on the team. She is third on the team with 52 total blocks. Earlier this year, Williams helped lead UH to three wins to capture the 2019 Heineken Rainbow Wahine Invitational title in Week 2 and for her efforts, earned her first career tournament Most Valuable Player Award and her first Big West Defensive Player of the Week Award (Sept. 9). She led UH with 12 blocks while pounding 32 kills and tallying a .481 hitting percentage against Army, Sacramento State, and Denver.
• Freshman middle blocker Amber Igiede has definitely made an impact as a rookie. She leads the Big West and is ranked No. 39 in the NCAA DI with 1.28 blocks per set. Igiede is ranked third in the league in both total blocks (74) and fourth in hitting percentage (.350). In UH's win over Cal State Fullerton, Igiede recorded a career-high 10 blocks (two solo). The last time UH had a player record 10+ blocks was in 2017 when Emily Maglio had three-straight matches with 10 blocks during the conference season.
• Against Cal State Fullerton, freshman Tiffany Westerberg made her first collegiate start, but at outside hitter. Previously, the versatile Canadian had seen action primarily as a middle blocker. The rookie who is actually originally from Fresno, Calif., has appeared in 36 sets in 15 matches this season and has 55 kills and 17.5 total blocks (five solo).
• Six rotation outside hitter Riley Wagoner has been unflappable when on the court. She has started 15 matches thus far and played in 61 out of 68 total sets for UH. Wagoner, who is the first player at UH from the state of Ohio, has accumulated 90 kills with 32 assists (third on the team) and she is fourth on the team with 139 digs with 35.0 total blocks. Wagoner recorded her first career double-double at CSUN posting a career-high 11 kills with 10 digs to help lift Hawai'i to a four set win over the Matadors.
• Senior transfer, setter Bailey Choy and Norene Iosia have combined their efforts to issue out 704 assists. Choy has dished out 343 assists and is third on the team with 145 digs and tied for second with 13 service aces. Choy has recorded six double-doubles--the last coming against Cal State Fullerton with 28 assists and 16 digs.​​​​​​​ Choy played her first three seasons at Utah. She graduated early and transferred home to play her final season as a Rainbow Wahine. Currently, Choy is pursuing her Master's degree in accounting. She started three seasons for the Utes, started 99 matches while issuing 3,254 career assists with 860 digs, 47 total blocks and 88 service aces. As a junior, played all 128 sets for the Utes (the most by any player) and led Utah with 1,096 assists (8.56 per set) and posted a team-high 48 service aces and 17 double-doubles to go with 325 digs and 14 total blocks
• Six rotation outside hitter, junior transfer Brooke Van Sickle has done all the things to help UH succeed this season. She has ammassed 115 kills, 122 digs, 30 blocks, 18 assists and 10 service aces over UH's first 15 matches.The redshirt junior, Oregon transfer is from Battle Ground, Wash., but was born in Hilo, Hawai'i. She played two full seasons on the women's indoor volleyball team and one for the beach vb team at Oregon. Van Sickle appeared in 67 career matches spanning three seasons with 30 starts with 237 sets played. She tallied 203 kills, 42 service aces and 468 digs. Volleyball is in Van Sickle's blood. Her father Gary played for the UH men's volleyball team from 1988-90. Her mother, Lisa (Bragado) Van Sickle played collegiate volleyball at Hawai'i Pacific and professionally indoors in Argentina and later played sand volleyball. Her Aunt Danalee (Bragado) Corso played on the AVP beach tour.
• With arguably UH's top-two pin-hitters out with injuries, the Hawai'i coaching staff has done everything they could to solve the puzzle of who to play when. The 'Bows, who mostly used a libero-less, 6-2 offense to start the season, has since switched to a 6-2 offense utilizing setter Norene Iosia as a pin hitter when in the front row and the libero, Rika Okino as seen more action subbing for the middles. Losing Jolie Rasmussen during the West Virginia match (Sept. 12) and Brooke Van Sickle during the UC Irvine match (Oct. 4) has forced the coaches to find the best line up combinations, but it will also hopefully make the team stronger as a whole. Although UH has struggled at times recently, the 'Bows continue to try right the ship and they are showing their depth and athleticism. Rookies Tiffany Westerberg and Braelyn Akana both both showed their versatility as they saw action at outside hitter, not at middle blocker where they had been playing over the last three matches.
• Hawai'i fans NO KA 'OI - Fan support remains a constant for the Rainbow Wahine. Hawai'i has never been outside the top three in national attendance and ranks second this season only to Nebraska. UH swept UCLA at the Stan Sheriff Center before 8,657 people, the largest crowd to watch any volleyball game this year in the NCAA. (The Stanford-Nebraska rematch is second with 8,632.) It was UH's biggest crown since the 2013 Senior Night against CSUN on Nov. 23, 2013. Hawai'i has averaged a home attendance of 6,095 with a 67,049 total through 11 home matches this year.
• The Stan Sheriff Center will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary this Sunday, just a day before the original opener date of Oct. 21, 1994. Originally named the Special Events Arena, it was soon renamed after the man who lobbied for its construction--former UH athletics director Stan Sheriff. It has served as the home of the UH men's and women's basketball and men's and women's volleyball teams since 1994 and it has hosted a number of other memorable events in its 25-year history.
• The first ever event held in the SSC was a women's volleyball match between the Rainbow Wahine and San Jose State on October 21, 1994. Both head coach Robyn Ah Mow and associate coach Angelica Ljungqvist played in that inaugural game. Since that game, the women's volleyball team has had 14 sellouts in the 10,300-seat arena.
• Since its construction, the SSC has seen many changes. In 2011 a new state-of-the-art scoreboard was installed. The board, which cost approximately $2 million has a main LED scoreboard with four HD-quality video boards, which features live game action, replays, statistics, and promotional activities. In 2014, the upper and lower concourse walkways were resurfaced and work on the SSC's dome was completed. And most recently this past summer, the hardwood court of the arena was resurfaced.