SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—The No. 19 University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team (13-2, 3-1 Big West) embarks on a pivotal roadtrip this week. The Rainbow Wahine battle two undefeated league leaders—two-time defending Big West champions, Cal Poly (12-5, 5-0 Big West) on Friday, October 11 and UC Santa Barbara (15-1, 5-0 Big West) on Saturday, Oct. 12. Both matches are slated to start at 4:00 p.m. HT.

MATCH #16 
TEAMS: No. 19 Hawai'i (13-2, 3-1 Big West) vs. Cal Poly (12-5, 5-0 Big West)
DATE: Friday, Oct. 11, 2019
TIME:  4:00 p.m. HT
SITE: Robert A. Mott Athletics Center (3,032) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
RADIO: CBS Sports Radio Hawai'i AM 1500 - Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
AUDIO STREAMING: CBSSportsHawaii.com -or- the Sideline Hawaii app.
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.tv
LIVE STATS: Live in game stats can be linked to at HawaiiAthletics.com women's volleyball schedule page
SERIES HISTORY:  Hawai'i holds a 40-to-7 record over the Mustangs. But Cal Poly has won three of the last four matches. Last season, UH upset then ranked No. 11 Cal Poly at hom in Honolulu in five sets, 14-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-18, 15-10 (10/25/18). Last year in San Luis Obispo, Calif., UH fell in four sets to #13 Cal Poly, 19-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-27 (10/6/18)
 
MATCH #17 
TEAMS: No. 19 Hawai'i (13-2, 3-1 Big West) vs. UC Santa Barbara (15-1, 5-0 Big West)
DATE: Saturday, Oct.12, 2019
TIME: 4:00 p.m. HT
SITE: The Thunderdome (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
RADIO: CBS Sports Radio Hawai'i AM 1500 - Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
AUDIO STREAMING: CBSSportsHawaii.com -or- the Sideline Hawaii app.
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.tv
LIVE STATS: Live in game stats can be linked to at HawaiiAthletics.com women's volleyball schedule page
SERIES HISTORY:  Hawai'i holds a 41-to-9 record over UC Santa Barbara. Last year on the road, the Rainbow Wahine outlasted the Gauchos in a five-set battle, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10 (10/5/18). But at home in Honolulu, UCSB swept UH 26-28, 22-25, 21-25 (10/27/18)
 
Game Notes

• Hawai'i split their matches last week, falling to UC Irvine in five sets on Friday night, then coming back to defeat Cal State Fullerton in five sets. Both matches were reverse sweeps. The loss against the Anteaters snapped a 40-match win streak over UCI for the 'Bows. It was also the first time since 2012 that UH dropped two sets to Cal State Fullerton. Hawai'i was down two sets and trailing the Titans 13-18 in the third before the 'Bows were able to recover to take the last three sets en route to the win. Hawai'i is now 4-1 in five set matches this year. Against the Titans, it was the ninth time this season that UH notched double-digit team blocks. UH out-blocked Fullerton 14.0-to-9.0. It marked the 12th time this year that UH has out-blocked their opponent. Also against Fullerton, the two teams combined for 213 total digs with UH getting 106 and CSUF with 107. The 'Bows had four players post double-doubles--Hellvig (16K/20D), Amber Igiede (10K/10Blk-first career double-double), Bailey Choy (28Ast/16D) and Norene Iosia finished one kill shy of a triple double (26Ast/17D/9K). Hawai'i checked in at No. 14 in the inaugural RPI released this past Monday.
• The resurgent Rainbow Wahine block has seen the 'Bows out-block their opponents in 12 out of their 15 matches this season--but have managed just on in last three matches. Overall the 'Bows have out-blocked their opponents 164.5-to-113.5 and the team is averaging 2.65 blocks per set. It is the most team blocks that UH has had through 15 matches since 2015 when UH had 170.0 total blocks at the same point. In 2015, UH lead the NCAA in blocks per set for much of the season and finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation with 3.06 blocks per set.  Currently the Rainbow Wahine are ranked at No. 16 in the NCAA and lead the Big West with 2.65 blocks per set.
• Freshman outside hitter Hanna Hellvig has been carrying the offensive load for UH. She leads the Rainbow Wahine with 188 kills. She is averaging 3.03 kills per set while hitting at a .231 clip. Hellvig is also second on the team with 51 total blocks (five solo) and third on the team with 136 digs. Hellvig has earned a pair of Big West Freshman of the Week awards earlier this season. Last week, Hellvig led UH in kills in both matches with 14 and 16 kills respectively against UCI and CSUF. She has recorded 12 double-digit kill matches--including the last eight-straight. Hellvig has led UH in kills in seven of the last eight matches. Against the Titans, she also tied her career-high with 20 digs.
• This past weekend, UH was on the verge of losing two consecutive home conference matches for the first time since 1993. But then the coaches reverted back to their 6-2 offensive system from last year which featured senior Norene Iosia as a setter in the back row and pin hitter in while in the front row. Up through the second set vs. Fullerton, Iosia had not played in the front row all season, but in the third set the coaches shuffled players keeping Iosia in all six-rotations and entering freshman Braelyn Akana into the line up as an outside hitter. That provided the spark that UH needed to hold off the Titans to win in five in a reverse sweep. Iosia ended up one kill shy of recording her sixth career triple double with nine kills, 26 assists, 17 digs, two service aces and a block.
• Overall this season, Iosia leads UH with 327 assists, 150 digs and 24 service aces. Iosia is ranked No. 60 in the NCAA in service aces this season. She is now just six digs away from becoming the 15th Rainbow Wahine in history to record 1,000 digs. The last UH player to accomplish the feat was Savanah Kahakai in 2017. Kahakai finished ranked second all-time in UH history with 1,417 career digs. Iosia currently is at 994 career digs. Also in the career records, Iosia needs two aces to tie former UH standout Nikki Taylor at No. 8 in service aces at 117. Last week, Iosia posted a career-high six aces against UC Irvine while vaulting past former UH greats, Tita Ahuna and McKenna Granato into No. 9 in the the career record book. This season Iosia already has eight double-doubles--including the last four-straight. She now has 52 career double-doubles.
• Freshman Braelyn Akana came into the match vs. CSUF from off the bence in the third set and helped turn the tide in favor the 'Bows. Akana put down six kills and hit .417 with four digs and four blocks--all career highs. Both Akana and Westerberg had previously been used as middle hitters, but both showed their athleticism and versatility switching to play outside in UH's last match. It was Akana's second appearance this season.
• Senior transfer, setter Bailey Choy and Norene Iosia have combined their efforts to issue out 637 assists. Choy has dished out 312 assists and is second on the team with 141 digs and 11 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
• Freshman middle blocker Amber Igiede is ranked at No. 27 in the NCAA and leads the league with 1.35 blocks per set. She is second in the league and No. 49 with 70 total blocks. Igiede who is just the second Rainbow Wahine to hail from the state of Louisiana, has definitely made an impact in her first season. In UH's most recent game vs. Fullerton, Igiede recorded her first career double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks. It was the first time this season that UH had a player with double-digit blocks. 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. Overall Igiede is third on the team and one of four players with over 100 kills so far. She has 102 kills and is averaging 1.96 per set while hitting .355. She leads UH with eight block solos .
• 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.
• Junior middle blocker Sklyler Williams helped lead UH to three wins to capture the 2019 Heineken Rainbow Wahine Invitational title in Week 2. Williams, who earned the tourney's Most Valuable Player Award (first of her career) and her first Big West Defensive Player of the Week Award (Sept. 9) for her efforts, led UH with 12 blocks while pounding 32 kills and tallying a .481 hitting percentage against Army, Sacramento State, and Denver. In the tournament opener vs. Army, Williams put down a team-high and career-high 13 kills with a team-high four blocks (tied with Hanna Hellvig). The following night in UH's sweep over Sacramento State, Williams recorded a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage going 9-for-9 in kills with three blocks. In the tournament finale against Denver, she posted 10 kills with five blocks. In Waco, Texas, she tied her career high with 13 kills against Missouri (9/21/19). Overall, Williams is fourth on the team with 101 kills and third on the team with 48 total blocks. She leads the Rainbow Wahine with a .386 hitting percentage while averaging 2.02 kills per set. For her career, Williams needs just four kills to reach the 200 kill milestone. She has 110 career blocks as well.
• 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 from Fresno, Calif., has appeared in 51 sets in 13 matches this season and has 51 kills and 16.5 total blocks (five solo). This past week against Fullerton, she tied her career high with 5.0 total blocks and six digs.
• Six rotation outside hitter Riley Wagoner has been unflappable. She has started all 15 matches thus far and played in 59 out of 62 sets played for UH. Wagoner, who is the first player at UH from the state of Ohio, has accumulated 84 kills with 32 assists (third on the team) and she is fourth on the team with 134 digs with 34.0 total blocks. Wagoner recently recorded a career-high 11 kills to help lift Hawai'i to a four set win at CSUN.
• Newcomers Making Immediate Impact - Coming into the season, the 'Bows biggest question 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 can play at this level and together as a team. The nine newcomers account for 647 of UH's 832 kills which is 78% of UH's current offense. The nine also account for 636 of UH's 925 digs (69%); and 135 of the team's 164.5 total blocks (802%). The five freshmen alone have combined for 359 kills (52%), 305 digs (33%) and 105 total blocks (64%).
• The Hawai'i coaching staff has implemented a modified 6-2 offense this year which at most times features five hitters (four pin hitters and one middle) at all times with three hitters in the front and two coming out of the back row. Instead of the liberos coming in for the middles, it is the setters who sub for the middles. This year the skill-level of the outsides has allowed Ah Mow's staff to find a creative wrinkle to best utilize all their players' talents and fire power. Last year, UH also used a 6-2 offense with a twist as Norene Iosia and Faith Ma'afala shared the setting duties. The difference being was when Iosia was in the front row, she played at outside hitter.
• Packing the Stanley - 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 to Nebraska. They 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 is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. 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.