HONOLULU
— The preseason Big West favorite University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team opens the season in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Friday against Fairfield. The Rainbow Wahine will end a 623 day stretch between competitions against the Stags. Hawai'i will also compete against Marquette on Saturday and close the tournament with Texas A&M on Sunday.
***City and County of Honolulu officials have notified the University of Hawai'i that fans will not be allowed at UH Mānoa's season-opening events due to the state's recent record surge in COVID-19 cases and the resulting overwhelmed hospital capacity. The decision to host fans will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks. (
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HEAD COACH ROBYN AH MOW
Overall record: 64-21 (4th season)
At Hawai'i: Same
SERIES VS FAIRFIELD
Overall record: UH leads 1-0
Streak: UH, 1
- The two programs have met once back in 2006, a 3-0 sweep by the Rainbow Wahine in the Stan.
- Jamie Houston tallied 17 kills in the win while Kari Gregory and Jessica Keefe each added four blocks.
- Hawai'i tallied 11 total blocks as a team and 57 kills.
SERIES VS MARQUETTE
Overall record: MU leads 1-0
Streak: MU, 1
- Marquette stole the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 5 sets back in 2017.
- Emily Maglio put away 14 kills and Norene Iosia added three signature aces.
- Three Rainbow Wahine had double-digit dig numbers with Savanah Kahakai leading with 18.
SERIES VS TEXAS A&M
Overall record: UH leads 7-1
Streak: UH, 2
- Hawai'i owns a 7-1 record over the Aggies, winning most recently in 2015 and in 2000.
- The 2015 meeting in College Station was a clean 3-0 sweep by the Rainbow Wahine with the first set being the closest, 25-22. Nikki Taylor put down 14 kills and Savanah Kahakai gathered 19 digs in the sweep.
- Hawai'i won the 2000 meeting in four sets, winning the first, third and fourth sets. The closest sets were the first two with scores of 15-11 and 12-15.
- Five Rainbow Wahine were in double-digits for kills with Lily Kahumoku leading the match with 19.
FIRST SERVE
- Hawai'i returns three All-Big West honorees from the 2019 team, including first-team middle blocker selections Amber Igiede and Skyler Williams.
- The Rainbow Wahine will curb a 623 day stretch without playing a competitive match when they take the court against Fairfield on Aug. 27. The last match Hawai'i played in was in the 2019 NCAA Regional against Nebraska.
- The Big West canceled the 2020-21 women's volleyball season on December 10, 2020. The Big West and the Ivy League were the only two D-I conferences to cancel the fall sports season in 2020-21.
- 23 different schools did not compete in women's volleyball in 2020-21, all 11 Big West schools, all 8 Ivy League schools and Saint Francis (NEC), Saint Peter's (MAAC), Alabama A&M and Alabama State (SWAC).
- Five different Rainbow Wahine trained or competed with the BeachBows program this past spring. Highlighted by No. 1/2 pairing Brooke Van Sickle and Amber Igiede, the BeachBows finished runner-up in the Big West at the conference tournament.
- SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center dons a new name for the 2021 women's volleyball season, but The Stan still holds the same prestige as it did before the November 2020 partnership with Bank of Hawai'i.
- Hawai'i continues to post the top fan attendance in the nation, ranking third overall in average attendance in 2019 with 6,684 fans per match. The best fans in the country have helped the Rainbow Wahine hold one of the top three attendance records for decades.
- The Rainbow Wahine were picked to win the conference by the Big West coaches. The defending champions from 2019 received seven first place votes and 117 total points. Cal Poly received four first place votes and 11 total points.
- Hawai'i is the second-tallest team in the Big West in 2021, with an average height of 71.82 inches. The tallest team, Cal Poly, has an average height of 71.91 inches, 0.09 inches taller, or 2.23 millimeters taller.
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