HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team (0-3, 0-0 Big West) returns home to host the 2022 Outrigger Volleyball Challenge tournament which runs from Thursday, Sept. 1 - Sunday, Sept. 4 and includes Texas State, West Virginia and #23 UCLA at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine look to rebound after going 0-3 at the  high-powered Texas A&M Invitational last week in College Station, Texas. It is the first time since 2017, head coach Robyn Ah Mow's first season, that UH has started the season at 0-3.
  

OUTRIGGER VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Date | Time | Opponent				Thursday, Sept. 1 4:45 p.m.  |  West Virginia vs. UCLA 7:00 p.m.  |  Hawai'i vs. Texas State Friday, Sept. 2 4:45 p.m.  |  UCLA vs. Texas State 7:00 p.m.  |  Hawai'i vs. West Virginia  Sunday, Sept. 4 2:45 p.m.  |  Texas State vs. West Virginia 5:00 p.m.  |  Hawai'i vs. UCLA
Location				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu, O'ahu
Promotions				• Tournament-sponsor Outrigger Hotels and Resorts will award gift cards on each night of the Outrigger Volleyball Challenge.  Thursday, September 1 - DAY OF GIVING The University of Hawai'i Athletics Department is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Rainbow Wahine athletics which currently features 12 intercollegiate teams. This significant day marks the home opener for Rainbow Wahine volleyball team, our first and most storied women's program. Please join us in celebration and donation at https://hui.uhfoundation.org/g/wahine to provide continued support to the success of our female student-athletes. Friday, September 2 3,000 Souvenir Team Photos will be available to fans. There will be an autograph session with the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team following Friday's match at Gate B. Sunday, September 4    The all-tournament team and championship trophy presentation will take place at the conclusion of the Hawai`i match on Sunday,
Game Day Information				CLICK HERE
Television				Spectrum OC16 - Ch. 16 (SD) or Ch. 1016 (HD) | Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (color analyst)
Live Stream				ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai'i)
Radio				ESPN Honolulu - 1420 AM / 92.7 FM | Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
Live Audio Stream				ESPNHonolulu.com  | Sideline Hawaii App
Live State				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | Texas State | West Virginia | UCLA
Social Media				@HawaiiWVB  | #HawaiiWVB #GoBows | @HawaiiWVB  | Facebook

HAWAI'I VS. TEXAS STATE (3-0, 0-0 SUN BELT)Series History: UH leads Texas State, 2-0
Streak: UH won 2. Last meeting was a 3-0 win on 12/2/05 in the NCAA First Round in Austin, Texas
Head Coach: Sean Huiet (Third season)

• The Bobcats roll into Honolulu after going 3-0 in the Cardinal Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Texas State defeated Houston Baptist in four sets while sweeping UIW (Incarnate Word) twice.
• The two programs have met only twice, the last time coming in the 2005 NCAA First Round (Houston, Texas). UH won in three (pre-rally scoring), 30-25, 30-28, 30-23

HAWAI'I VS. WEST VIRGINIA (2-1, 0-0 BIG XII)Series History: UH leads 1-0
Streak: UH won 1
Head Coach: Reed Sunahara -  (Eighth season)

• The Mountaineers enter the second week of play with a 2-1 record, defeating Loyola and Duquesne in last week's Penn State Classic. In the tourney finale, WVU fell to host Penn State, 1-3.
• This is just the second time WVU has face UH. The first was in the 2019 Outrigger Volleyball Classic as UH defeated WVU, 3-1 (9/12/19). 

HAWAI'I VS. #23 UCLA (1-1, 0-0 PAC-12)Overall record: UH is tied with UCLA 38-38.
Streak: UH won 1. Last meeting was in the championship match of the 2019 Outrigger Volleyball Challenge (9/14/19) as the 'Bows swept the Bruins
Head Coach: Michael Sealy (13th season)

• The Bruins went 1-1 last week at the Utah State Invitational. UCLA fell in four to host Utah State (25-27, 27-29, 25-22, 19-25) but swept Big West rival Cal Poly (25-17, 25-21, 25-18)
• The Bruins and the Rainbow Wahine have one of the most storied rivalries in program history. UH and UCLA had met every season since 1974, the first year of women's volleyball at Hawai'i. But, category 4 Hurricane Lane canceled the 2018 season opening Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Invitational thus snapping the streak at 44. UH and UCLA are tied in their all-time series, 38-38. In 2019, UH snapped a four-match losing streak to the Bruins with a sweep to capture the 2019 Outrigger Volleyball Challenge.
• Prior to Michael Sealy being hired as UCLA's head coach, he served four years as an associate head coach under former UH head coach Dave Shoji.

HEAD COACH ROBYN AH MOWOverall record: 86-32 (Fifth season)
At Hawai'i: Same
Big West: 60-8 (Fifth Season)

UH head coach Robyn Ah Mow enters her fifth season (sixth overall - BWC did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19). Overall she has an 86-32 record and a 60-8 mark in the Big West Conference. She was voted BWC Coach of the Year the last two seasons (Co-Head Coach in 2019) and was named the 2019 AVCA Pacific North All-Region Coach of the Year. The two-time first team AVCA All-American and three time Olympian setter took over the program following legendary head coach Dave Shoji. Ah Mow has led her alma mater to back-to-back Big West titles. Last year, the 'Bows upset SEC runner-up, No. 24 Mississippi State in the NCAA First Round (in Seattle, Wash.) in a five set thriller, 17-25, 25-14, 25-13, 21-25, 15-11. Ah Mow led UH to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, extending UH's streak to 28-straight and 39 overall NCAA appearances

LAST TIME OUT...

• The Rainbow Wahine look to bounce back after a rough roadtrip in which they went 0-3 against host Texas A&M, No. 6 Pittsburgh, and No. 25 San Diego. It was the first time that UH has started the season on the road since 2005. The 'Bows took the Aggies to five sets in the opener before being swept by both Pitt and USC to conclude the three-day tournament. Junior middle blocker Tiffany Westerberg was named to the Texas A&M Invitational all-tournament team after posting 25 kills and a team-high 7.0 blocks.
• Unforced errors plagued the 'Bows in the tourney. UH committed 59 hitting errors and 26 serving errors. Against TAMU alone, UH had 35 total errors combining hitting and serving.
• Against TAMU, five of UH hitters all notched 10 or more kills for the first time since playing TCU in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament ironically also in College Station, Texas. Riley Wagoner finished with a team-high 21 kills while hitting a lofty .364. Amber Igied followed with 13 kills, Westerberg added 12 and Braelyn Akana and Caylen Alexander both put down 10 kills apiece.
• Four Rainbow Wahine also finished the TAMU match with 10+ digs which was the first time since four Rainbow Wahine since last year's home match vs. CSUN (11/26/21) 
• Against No. 6 Pitt, UH fought hard, but was unable to get momentum as the Panthers swept the 'Bows, 25-17, 25-16, 25-21. Westerberg led UH with nine kills while Wagoner had 11 digs for her first double-digit dig match of the season.
• In UH's tourney finale, San Diego got out of the gates fast, starting the match with an 11-1 lead. Hawai'i however responded on a 9-to-2 scoring run of its own to close to within four points at 13-9. USD would maintain their lead as they took Set 125-18. In the second set, the Toreros slowly built a lead and never trailed to capture the second set 25-21. The third set saw Hawai'i jump out to a six point lead at 12-6, but USD quickly erased their deficit as they leapfrogged UH into the lead on an 11-to-3 run of their own. UH stayed within striking distance and closed to within a point at 23-22 on a Torero service error, but USD held off the 'Bows charge to seal the sweep, winning Set 3, 25-23.

NEWS & NOTES

• Head Coach Robyn Ah Mow - UH head coach Robyn Ah Mow has entered her fifth season (sixth overall - BWC did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19). Overall she has an 86-32 record and a 60-8 mark in the Big West Conference. She was voted BWC Coach of the Year the last two seasons (Co-Head Coach in 2019) and was named the 2019 AVCA Pacific North All-Region Coach of the Year. The two-time first team AVCA All-American and three time Olympian setter took over the program following legendary head coach Dave Shoji. Ah Mow has led her alma mater to back-to-back Big West titles. Last year, the 'Bows upset SEC runner-up, No. 24 Mississippi State in the NCAA First Round (in Seattle, Wash.) in a five set thriller, 17-25, 25-14, 25-13, 21-25, 15-11. Ah Mow led UH to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, extending UH's streak to 28-straight and 39 overall NCAA appearances
• High-powered Preseason Schedule for 'Bows - Five of the seven teams that the Rainbow Wahine will face this preseason, are all ranked or have been receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches' Poll. Last week UH took on No. 6 Pitt and No. 25 San Diego. This week the 'Bows battle Texas State, who has received votes for the first two weeks, and No. 23 UCLA and next week in the Hawaiian Airlines series, UH will play No. 25 USC. Hawai'i entered the season receiving votes as well, but dropped out this week.
• Igiede Solid in the Middle - Junior middle blocker Amber Igiede was a prominent force in the middle last week leading UH with a .355 hitting percentage (31-4-76). After beginning the first match vs. Texas A&M with no kills thru the middle of the second set, she was able to put down 31 kills including match highs against Pitt and San Diego. In the first match vs. TAMU though, Igiede was held without a block for the first time in her career, snapping her 52-match streak with at least one block. She did however record a team-season best 4.0 blocks against San Diego.
• Westerberg Slides into the Middle - For junior middle blocker Tiffany Westerberg who started her collegiate career playing in the middle then saw action both on the left and at opposite, she has made the transition back to middle blocker and was selected to the Texas A&M all-tournament team after putting up solid numbers in three matches. She put down a career-high 12 kills and was in on three blocks in the opener. Overall, she finished the week with 25 kills and a team-high 7.0 blocks.
• Wagoner Leading UH in Kills - Outside hitter Riley Wagoner made her presence immediately known in UH's first match as she led UH with a career-high 21kills while hitting a lofty .364 (21-5-44). On defense, she posted a game-high 11 digs vs. Pitt. Overall the junior who has always played with calm confidence, buried a team-best 34 kills with a service ace, 20 digs and a block. Wagoner, who was a starter last year for the indoor wvb squad, also proved herself earning All-Big West honorable mention honors on the beach volleyball side with partner Ilihia Huddleston this past spring.
• Alexander Shines in Collegiate Debut - Rookie hitter Caylen Alexander made her collegiate debut last week, starting all three matches. She posted double-digit kills against both Texas A&M and San Diego while notching at least one service ace in every match for a team-best five aces over the weekend. In the tourney finale vs. USD, the 6-0 opposite put down 10 kills while hitting a UH season-best .474 (10-1-19). She finished the week with 22 kills, averaging 2.2 k/setnine digs and a block.
• Picked to Finish First in Big West - On Monday, the Big West's Preseason Coaches' Poll was released and Hawai'i was voted to finish first, edging out conference rival UC Santa Barbara. UH received six first-place votes from the 11 conference head coaches for 96 points. The Gauchos garnered five first place votes and tallied a total of 94 points. Cal Poly came in third with 79 points and Long Beach State tallied 75. In the 10 seasons since rejoining the Big West in 2012 (the BWC did not play in 2020), UH has been voted to finish first eight times—including the last two and has won the BWC crown in four of the last six seasons.
• Igiede, Lang Selected To Big West Preseason Team - Hawaii's two returning all-Big West first team players—Amber Igiede and Kate Lang—both were selected to the Big West Preseason Team as voted on by the head coaches. Igiede, a 6-3 junior middle blocker, led the 'Bows and finished fourth in the Big West with 316 kills and a .388 hitting percentage while coming in third with 135 total blocks. She also recorded 113 digs and was one of two Rainbow Wahine to start all 30 matches. Lang, UH's sophomore setter, concluded 2021 atop the Big West rankings with 10.36 assists per set. Lang dished out 901 total assists and finished the year with 12 double-doubles while recording 50+ assists on three occasions.
• Ham Makes an Impact - Junior Kendra Ham, who transferred to UH last year from BWC rival Cal Poly, came off the bench this past week and did work in the back row for the Rainbows. Primarily coming in as a serving/defensive specialist, the 6-0 tall Ham put up a career-high 12 digs vs. TAMU and 11 against USD. For the tourney, she recorded five kills while in the front row and had a pair of service aces and is currently second on the team with 28 total digs.
• Lang Setting the Stage - Returning sophomore setter Kate Lang recorded a pair of double-doubles last week. She had 55 assists and 11 digs in the opener vs. TAMU and 25 assists and 12 digs vs. USD. Against the Aggies, five Rainbow Wahine all put down at least 10 kills each (Wagoner-21, Igiede-13, Westerberg-12, Alexander-10, Braelyn Akana-10). In all, all seven hitters suited up had at least one kill in the match. For the weekend, Lang had 104 assists, 27 digs, five kills, and one block.
• Battle in the Backrow - Returning starting libero Tayli Ikenaga and redshirt junior transfer Talia Edmonds have been pushing each other through UH's two-a-days this fall. Both saw action this past week...sometimes on the court at the same time. Ikenaga led UH with a pair of 10+ dig matches with a team-high 17 vs. TAMU & 15 vs. USD. In all Ikenaga leads UH with 35 digs. Edmonds 13 digs in her UH debut vs. TAMU. She is third on the team with 25 digs.
• de Goede Returns to Action - Last year as a true freshman, Annika de Goede had an outstanding series against Southern California. In two matches, she put down 19 kills in 39 swings for a .359 hitting percentage. In all, the Netherlands native played just four early matches before she suffered a season ending injury that allowed her to obtain a medical redshirt for 2021. De Goede has come back healthy and is ready to roll. Last week she appeared in one match and had one kill and one block against Pitt.
• Filling the Void left by Van Sickle, Williams - The 2022 Rainbow Wahine will need to fill the giant void left by five letterwinners not returning—most notably 2021 BWC Player of the Year, outside hitter Brooke Van Sickle and all-BWC middle Skyler Williams. Van Sickle was solid in all facets of the game, leading UH with 384 kills (3.73 K/S), 38 service aces and 460.5 total points. On defense she was second on the team finishing with 324 digs and at the net, was the highest ranked UH non-middle blocker with 63.0 total blocks (.61 BLK/S). Williams was a four-year fixture in the middle of the UH's front line. The two-time all-BWC first team honoree finished 2021 strong, finishing with 94.0 blocks and 196 kills as the other half of UH's twin towers in the middle attack with Igiede.
• Picked to Finish First in Big West - On Monday, the Big West's Preseason Coaches' Poll was released and Hawai'i was voted to finish first, edging out conference rival UC Santa Barbara. UH received six first-place votes from the 11 conference head coaches for 96 points. The Gauchos garnered five first place votes and tallied a total of 94 points. Cal Poly came in third with 79 points and Long Beach State tallied 75. In the 10 seasons since rejoining the Big West in 2012 (the BWC did not play in 2020), UH has been voted to finish first eight times—including the last two and has won the BWC crown in four of the last six seasons.
• Igiede, Lang Selected To Big West Preseason Team - Hawaii's two returning all-Big West first team players—Amber Igiede and Kate Lang—both were selected to the Big West Preseason Team as voted on by the head coaches. Igiede, a 6-3 junior middle blocker, led the 'Bows and finished fourth in the Big West with 316 kills and a .388 hitting percentage while coming in third with 135 total blocks. She also recorded 113 digs and was one of two Rainbow Wahine to start all 30 matches. Lang, UH's sophomore setter, concluded 2021 atop the Big West rankings with 10.36 assists per set. Lang dished out 901 total assists and finished the year with 12 double-doubles while recording 50+ assists on three occasions.