HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team opened a three-match homestand by outlasting CSUN in a five-set duel on Sunday to give head coach Robyn Ah Mow her 100^th conference victory.
 
The Rainbow Wahine started fast then dropped the second and third sets before finishing off the fourth and fifth in the 25-22, 17-25, 28-30, 25-19, 15-12 win at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
With the win, UH (13-7, 7-3 Big West) moved into a tie for second with Cal Poly in the Big West standings, two games behind league leader UC Davis. The Rainbow Wahine went to a fifth set for the ninth time this season, and the third time in Big West play, and improved to 6-3 overall in those matches.
 
Caylen Alexander put away 28 kills for the second straight match to lead four UH attackers in double figures. The junior posted her 12^th match of the season with 20-plus kills and contributed 15 digs on defense in her 12^th double-double of the season.
 
Tali Hakas matched her career high with 12 kills and set a career best with four aces and had 12 digs. Stella Adeyemi put together an efficient performance with 13 kills while hitting .414 and hammered match point to seal UH's 18^th straight win in the series with CSUN (7-14, 2-8).
 
Libero Tayli Ikenaga posted 21 digs and setter Kate Lang added 17 in her 12^th double-double of the season. Freshman Victoria Leyva matched her season high with 15 digs
 
Amaris Smith led CSUN with 15 kills and the Matadors finished with 10 aces and 10 blocks as a team.
 
UH raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening set and with both offenses operating well above .300, CSUN chipped away to close to 20-17 before Miliana Sylvester put away her first kill in the middle and Hakas followed with an ace. The CSUN block kept the Matadors close and the margin shrunk to 23-21 to prompt a UH timeout. Alexander's cross-court kill gave UH set point at 24-22 and she teamed with Bamis on the 'Bows' first block of the match to close out the set.
 
CSUN jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the second set before UH put together a 5-1 run that included two kills and a block by Hakas. But CSUN held on to close out the set and even the match.
 
The third set featured 17 ties and eight lead changes and UH survived three CSUN set points before moving ahead at 28-27. But the closed the set on a 3-0 run and finished it off with an ace to threaten UH's winning streak in the series.
 
UH led 12-7 in the fourth set and weathered a 4-1 CSUN run to take a 21-17 lead on back-to-back kills by Alexander and block by Jacyn Bamis. Ikenaga had three digs in a rally that ended with a Bamis kill that pushed UH's lead to 22-17. The 'Bows closed out the set when Adrianna Arquette forced an overpass and Adeyemi tapped down the kill to send the match to the fifth set.
 
The teams traded sideouts early in the fifth set and Alexander's solo block gave UH a 10-8 lead. But a CSUN kill and an ace off the tape tied the set and the Matadors took their first lead at 11-10. UH scrambled to set up Adeyemi for a kill and an overreach by CSUN pushed the 'Bows ahead again. Adeyemi and Sylvester sent back a block for a 13-11 lead and Alexander's serve set up a Sylvester kill to give UH match point. Adeyemi then put away her final kill of the night to end the 3 hour, nine minute marathon.
 
UH continues the homestand against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 1 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.