NORTHRIDGE, Calif.--The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team (15-6, 8-2 BW) heads off on its penultimate regular season roadtrip as they take on CSUN (4-17, 2-8 BW) on Friday, Oct. 27th and Cal State Bakersfield (6-16, 2-8 BW) on Saturday, Oct. 28th. First serve at the Matadors' newly named Premier America Credit Union Arena is at 3:00 p.m. HT. The Roadrunners host the Rainbow Wahine the following day at The Icardo Center early at 1:00 p.m. HT.
| HAWAI'I vs. CSUN |
| Date | Time |
Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. HT |
| Location |
Premier America Credit Union Arena (2,200) - Northridge, Calif. |
| Live Video Stream |
ESPN+ |
| Radio |
ESPN Honolulu: 1420 AM / 92.7 FM - Tiff Wells (Play-by-play) |
| Live Audio Stream |
espnhonolulu.com | Sideline Hawaii App |
| Live Stats |
gomatadors.com |
| Game Notes |
Hawai'i | CSUN |
| Social Media |
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| HAWAI'I vs. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD |
| Date | Time |
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 | 4:00 p.m. HT |
| Location |
Mott Athletics Center (3,032) - San Luis Obispo, Calif. |
| Live Video Stream |
ESPN+ |
| Radio |
CBS 1500 - 1500 am - Tiff Wells (Play-by-play) |
| Live Audio Stream |
cbssportshawaii.com | Sideline Hawaii App |
| Live Stats |
gopoly.com |
| Game Notes |
Hawai'i | Cal Poly |
| Social Media |
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HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (15-6, 8-2 Big West)
Head Coach: Robyn Ah Mow (Seventh Season)
Record at UH: Overall: 123-42 | Big West: 87-11
Overall Record: Same
CSUN MATADORS (4-17, 2-8 Big West)
Head Coach: John Price (Second Season)
Series Record: UH leads, 31-2
Streak: UH has won last 17
Last meeting: Earlier this season in Honolulu, UH swept the Matadors, 25-13, 25-14, 25-12. The Rainbow Wahine hit a season-best .402 while holding CSUN to a -.035 hitting percentage.
Amber Igiede put down a match-high 13 kills while hitting a season-best .722 with no errors on 18 swings in three sets.
Paula Guersching added seven kills and hit .400 (7-1-15)
CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD (6-16, 2-8 Big West)
Head Coach: Giovanna Melo (10th Season)
Series Record: UH leads 7-0
Streak: UH has won seven
Last meeting: Hawai'i opened the Big West season in Honolulu with a sweep over the Roadrunners, 25-8, 25-20, 25-19. The eight points given up in Set 1 was a season low for a UH opponent this season.
Amber Igiede led the way, posting match-highs of 12 kills and five blocks.
LAST TIME OUT...The Rainbow Wahine concluded their longest roadtrip of the season with a sweep at UC Davis, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19. UH returned home to record its second three-set win of the week with a 25-19, 25-18, 25-11 win over UC Riverside on Saturday.
• Thirteen players saw action in UH's sweep at UC Davis with nine notching at least two kills and 11 with at least one dig. Hawai'i was led by Igiede's 12 kills with
Caylen Alexander adding nine.
Kendra Ham came off the bench to play the final frame and put down five kills on seven swings for a season-high .714 hitting percentage.
Tayli Ikenaga got her second straight start at libero and came up with a match-high 11 digs. Igiede's 12 kills led UH and she became just the 16th Rainbow Wahine to record 1,200 career kills. She hit for a .455 percentage vs. the Aggies and the middle blocker also notched her seventh match with at least a kill, an assist, a service ace, a dig and a block.
• On Saturday back at the Stan, the 'Bows began the second round with an efficient three-set win over the Highlanders. UH hit .388 (49-11-98) for the match while holding UCR to a .157 hitting percentage. Igiede led UH with a match-high 18 kills while hitting .556. Fourteen players saw the court with 10 coming up with at least one kill and 11 scooping up at least one dig.
NEWS & NOTESTOUGH SCHEDULING
- The Rainbow Wahine are in the middle of a tough stretch in their schedule. UH played three road games in five days at UC Santa Barbara (10/13), at Cal Poly (10/14) and at UC Davis (10/17). The 'Bows returned for a single match this past Saturday against UC Riverside to start The Big West's second round. Hawai'i then took off on Wednesday for two more road matches at CSUN (10/27) and Cal State Bakersfield (10/28).
IGIEDE EARNS 10TH BIG WEST WEEKLY AWARD OF HER CAREER
- On Monday, senior middle blocker Amber Igiede earned her third Big West Offensive Player of the Week honor this season. For her career, she now has accumulated 10 BW weekly awards - one Freshman of the Week, two Defensive Player of the Week awards and a total of seven Offensive Player of the Week honors since 2021)
- In UH's wins at UC Davis and vs. UC Riverside, Igiede led Hawai'i with a combined 30 kills averaging 5.00 kills/set with a team-best .510 hitting percentage (30-5-49) plus five total blocks. Against the Aggies, Igiede became just the 16th Rainbow Wahine to amass 1,200 career kills. The middle blocker pounded a match-high 12 kills while hitting .455 (12-2-22) with a block and a service ace.
- At UCD, Igiede recorded her seventh match with at least a kill, an assist, an ace, a dig, and a block.
- Against UC Riverside, the Baton Rouge, La., product put down a match-high 18 kills while hitting a match-best .556 (18-3-27) while adding four blocks. Igiede has recorded double figure kills in 18 of UH's 21 matches this year.
- Last week she moved up a run on the UH career kills record book, passing former UH standout Jessica Sudduth (1,220) to No. 15 in with 1,221 career kills .
- She is the only Rainbow Wahine to have recorded at least a kill, a dig and a block in all 21 of UH's matches thus far.
- For her career, she has put down at least one kill in all 110 career match and has been in on at least one block in 109 our of 110 career matches played.
- Against Western Carolina at the Fight in the Fort tournament in Texas, Igiede put down a season-high 21 kills while hitting .625 in just three sets. In UH's match vs. CSUN, she hit a season-high .722 (13-0-18).
- This past summer, Igiede trained with the nation's elite collegiate players. She was invited to train with the U.S. Women's National Team led by head coach Karch Kiraly.
- Earlier this season against USC (Sept. 2), Igiede became the 21st Rainbow Wahine to record 1,000 career kills. She was the first since McKenna Granato accomplished the feat in 2018. She also is No. 6 in career blocks with 483.
- Igiede is the reigning Big West Player of the Year and the senior has earned all-Big West first team honors three times.
LANG DISHING OUT ASSISTS
- Junior setter Kate Lang is averaging a career-best 10.37 assists which leads the Big West and ranks her at No. 32 in the NCAA DI. She also leads the league with 788 total assists which ranks No. 39 in the NCAA.
- She has eight double-doubles this season, most recently coming at UC Santa Barbara when she recorded 43 assists and a career-high 22 digs.
- Lang earned Big West Setter of the Week honors a record five-straight times to start this season.
- With Lang primarily at the controls of the UH offense, Hawai'i leads the league and is ranked No. 16 in the NCAA with 12.86 assists/set and 13.74 kills/set. UH also leads the league and is ranked No. 80 in the NCAA with 977 assists.
HAKAS PLAYING FOR SOMETHING BIGGER
- These last few weeks have been full of emotion and anguish for freshman pin-hitter Tali Hakas. Hakas, who was born in Uruguay moved to Israel when she was 12 with her family, recently concluded her mandatory service in the Israeli army finishing her career as a sergeant. After UH's home win over Cal State Fullerton, Hakas started receiving messages from home regarding the recent Hamas attack. With her family still in Israel, and her two brothers currently serving in the Army and the Army reserves, her family and country have been in the forefront of her mind, but volleyball has been a safe refuge for her. She arrived in Hawai'i right before the start of two-a-days in August and made an instant impact.
- The high-energy player started the first nine matches at opposite. For the season, she has 73 kills with 101 digs, 21.0 blocks and six service aces.
THE STARTING SEVEN
- UH started with the same lineup through the first 18 matches with the exception of Kendra Ham replacing Hakas at opposite in Match #9. Hawai'i has shaken up their starting seven, tinkering to find a stable and efficient combination. Paula Guersching has taken over at outside hitter with Riley Wagoner both on the left. At Cal Poly, Caylen Alexander has taken over on the right at opposite, while Tayli Ikenaga has started the last three matches at libero.
- Hawai'i has started the same seven in the last three matches with Igiede and Kennedi Evans in the middle; Paula Guersching and Riley Wagoner on the left; Caylen Alexander at opposite; Lang setting and Ikenaga at libero.
- Only Igiede, Lang and Kennedi Evans have started all 21 matches. But only Igiede and Lang have started all of UH's 76 sets thus far.
THE PERCENTAGES
- Hawai'i is 10-0 when hitting above .250 for the match and 5-6 when hitting below .250.
- On the flip-side, defensively UH has held their opponents' hitting percentages to under .200 for 15 matches--including the last 11-straight--and is 13-2 in those matches.
GUERSCHING FINDING GROOVE
- Junior transfer Paula Guersching was dinged up in fall two-a-days and was unable to play at her full potential. But having started six of the last seven matches she has emerged as an offense threat for the 'Bows. Since getting her first start for UH at UCSD, Guersching has put down 58 kills while hitting .303.
- In her last two starts, she played in just the first two sets and has recorded a combined .429 hitting percentage (11-2-21).
- In conference action, Guersching is second on the team with 74 kills averaging 2.74 kill/set with a .330 hitting percentage. She leads UH in the BW with 10 service aces..
- At UCSB, she put down a UH career-high 16 kills with a .366 hit% (16-1-41). She followed that by posting 12 kills at Cal Poly.
- The 6-2, junior from Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany transferred to UH from Youngstown State this year after a prolific Penguin career. The 2022 Horizon Player of the Year dominated her first two collegiate seasons at YSU. In her final year as a Penguin, Guersching finished ranked in the top five in the NCAA, finishing third with 5.24 kill/set and 5.87 points/set; fifth with 12.84 attacks/set and 576 total kills; and sixth with 646.0 total points—all of which were YSU single-season records. The-native became the fastest player in YSU history to reach 1,000 career kills finishing her two seasons with 1,006 while becoming the first YSU player to earn AVCA All-America honorable mention honors.
EVANS SOLID IN THE MIDDLE
- Senior middle Kennedi Evans has been solid in the middle and is one of three Rainbow Wahine to start all 21 matches this season.
- Last season, Evans saw limited playing time after transferring from Utah last season, while still recovering from an injury that curtailed her career at Utah.
- Overall, Evans has 114 kills averaging 1.52 kill/set and hitting .253. On defense she is second on the team with 62.0 total blocks.
- In conference, Evans has upped her game, putting down 60 kills with a 1.82 kill/set average hitting at a .293 clip.
- At both UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, Evans put down a career-high (for both UH and Utah) 13 kills.
- Evans and Igiede are the only UH players to have been in on at least one block in every match this season.
ALEXANDER RISING
- After not starting at UCSD, UCI and UCSB, sophomore pin-hitter Caylen Alexander made her return to the starting line up at Cal Poly, but at opposite replacing Ham on the right.
- In UH's most recent match vs. UCR, Alexander recorded her 500th career kill and ended the match with 503 career kills.
- Against the Mustangs, she recorded her seventh double-double of the season coming through with 12 kills and 10 digs while added two aces and two blocks.
- Alexander has been in on 33 total blocks this season alone—seven more than she had all last year when she was voted the BW Freshman of the Year
IKENAGA & EDMONDS BATTLING IN THE BACK ROW
- Junior Tayli Ikenaga has earned her way back into the starting lineup at libero for the last three matches.
- She was the starting libero for her first two seasons with 56 starts .
- Senior Talia Edmonds was the starting libero in the first 18 matches, Edmonds leads UH with 210 digs and a 3.23 dig/set average. The senior who transferred from Michigan State last season has been the quarterback of the back row.
- Ikenaga started the final four sets at UCSB where she came up with a season-high 17 digs. She got the starting nod in the following match at Cal Poly and scooped up a team-high 12 digs with three assists and two aces. She was targeted 20 times without a serve-receive error against the Mustangs.
- She has recorded four-straight games with 10+ digs
WAGONER STEADIES TEAM
- Senior pin-hitter Riley Wagoner leads UH with 17 service aces and is third with 175 kills and 165 total digs.
- Wagoner has six double-doubles this season and 19 for her career. Her last came at UCSB when she put down 13 kills with 16 digs.
HAM COMING THRU
- Senior opposite Kendra Ham started 10-straight matches starting at TCU through UH's road match at UCSB.
- In UH's last two matches, Ham has come off the bench and provided a spark with a combined 8 kills with no errors in 11 attacks for a .727 hitting percentage.
- Overall, Ham has appeared in38 sets and has 69 kill, 103 digs, and 17.0 blocks.
