HONOLULU — Already a tight-knit group last fall, the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team enters the new season bonded by the experiences of the summer.
Most of the Rainbow Wahine returnees spent two weeks early in the summer traveling through Brazil in the program's first international trip since 2015. They returned from the tour with 13 days of memories formed together on and, perhaps more significantly, off the court that further strengthened their connection.
The Rainbow Wahine will look to carry their chemistry into a 2023 season that opens with the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
UH's nine returnees — including five starters — welcomed six newcomers to the roster prior to the start of training camp on Aug. 8, integrating them into a program coming off of its 40
th NCAA Tournament appearance.
"A little bit more cohesiveness," UH coach
Robyn Ah Mow said in assessing this season's group. "I think the Brazil trip helped with everyone coming back.
"The culture is there. Everybody has to buy into that."
The Rainbow Wahine, the three-time defending Big West champions, enter the season aiming to build on last year's 22-7 mark and 29
th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. They'll open against Northwestern on Friday, then face No. 13 San Diego, which advanced to last year's national semifinals, on Saturday. They'll cap the weekend with a matchup with No. 9 Oregon.
Following is a look at the Rainbow Wahine heading into the Ah Mow's sixth season as head coach and seventh overall.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Amber Igiede, 6-3, Senior;
Kennedi Evans, 6-2, RS-Senior;
Jacyn Bamis, 6-1, RS-Sophomore.
Igiede has elevated her game each season since arriving on campus in 2019 and returns as the reigning Big West Player of the Year. An AVCA third-team All-American in 2022, she added to her experience as one of 18 collegiate players invited to train with the U.S. National Team in March. She led the Wahine last season with 3.79 kills per set and a league-high .433 hitting percentage. She also put down 1.29 blocks per set, including 39 solo.
Evans saw action in seven matches last season as she continued her comeback from a knee injury suffered prior to transferring from Utah. Her progress since the fall was evident in UH's spring matches against Minnesota. Bamis enrolled at UH last spring semester after averaging 1.45 kills per set in 17 appearances, including 15 starts, last season with Clemson.
PIN HITTERS
Riley Wagoner, 6-0, Senior;
Kendra Ham, 6-0, Senior;
Chandler Cowell, 5-10, Senior;
Paula Guersching, 6-2, Junior;
Tyla Reese Mane, 6-1, Junior;
Caylen Alexander, 6-0, Sophomore;
Stella Adeyemi, 5-11, Freshman;
Tali Hakas, 5-11, Freshman.
Wagoner earned All-Big West first team honors last season as a six-rotation mainstay. She finished 2022 second on the team with 3.33 kills per set and 2.48 digs per set and is one of the team's primary passers in serve receive. Alexander emerged as a weapon on the left side as well and was named the conference Freshman of the Year after posting 2.78 kills per set and a team-high 33 service aces. Ham established a regular role as a serving and defensive specialist and can contribute in the front row as well.
Guersching transferred from Youngstown State, where she was voted the Horizon League Player of the Year and was an AVCA All-America honorable mention pick. She finished third nationally with 5.24 kills and 5.87 points per set. Hakas served two years in the Israeli army before starting her college career while Adeyemi completed a decorated high school career in Nebraska. Cowell suffered a knee injury during spring practice and will support the team from the sideline in her senior season.
SETTERS
Kate Lang, 5-10, Junior;
Jackie Matias, 5-9, Freshman.
Now in her third season working under the instruction of Ah Mow, a three-time U.S. Olympian, Lang enters her junior year with an established connection with most of the hitters around her. A two-time All-Big West first-team selection, she earned the conference's inaugural Setter of the Year award after leading the league with 10.30 assists per set for a UH attack that hit a league-best .262 overall and .292 in Big West play. She also posted eight double-doubles (assists and digs) and 24 service aces.
Matias, a former All-State setter at Punahou, joins the active rotation after spending a year in the UH program as a redshirt.
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
Talia Edmonds, 5-7, Senior;
Tayli Ikenaga, 5-5, Junior;
Colby Lane, 5-4, Junior.
Since joining the Wahine in 2021, Ikenaga has worn the libero jersey in 56 of UH's 59 matches over the past two seasons. A former outside hitter at Moanalua, she's averaged 3.21 digs per set in her career in helping the Wahine score in transition with the first touch in the back row. Edmonds appeared in all 107 sets in her first year in the program after transferring from Michigan State. A defensive specialist most of the season, she took over at libero when Ikenaga missed three matches due to injury and popped up a career-high 28 digs against UC San Diego. She finished the season with 1.97 digs per set.
Lane joins Ah Mow as the program's McKinley High School alums after playing two years at Seattle University (2019-20). She played in 24 matches with the Redhawks, averaging 1.10 digs per set.
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