LAS VEGAS — Playing on the road for the first time this season, the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team went the distance yet again on Tuesday before falling to UNLV in five sets in a packed Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
The Rainbow Wahine (6-2) dropped the first set and trailed 2-1 before rolling through the fourth set to extend the match to a fifth set for the sixth time this season. UNLV (6-2) surged ahead midway through the decisive set then held off UH's comeback bid to finish off a 25-15, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-13 victory. UH saw a four-match winning streak end and dipped to 4-2 in five-set matches this season.
UH outside hitter
Caylen Alexander, coming off a 38-kill performance last Saturday, again led the 'Bows 23 kills, surpassing the 20-kill mark for the sixth time this season. She also had 10 digs to post her seventh double-double and served up three aces.
Freshman middle blocker
Miliana Sylvester posted the most productive performance of her young career with a season-high 15 kills in 22 swings with one error to hit .636. Outside hitter
Tali Hakas finished with 10 kills and nine digs.
Senior libero
Tayli Ikenaga led the UH defense with 13 digs and reached a milestone in the second set when she recorded the 1,000th dig of her Rainbow Wahine career.
The match also saw the debut of freshman
Adrianna Arquette, who made her first UH appearance to start the fourth set. She finished with three digs and forced an overpass on her serve that led to a Sylvester kill.
UNLV had four players with double-digit kills led by Jordyn Freeman with 13 kills on 18 attempts. Freeman was also in on five blocks, including two solo, and Rebels posted 13 blocks to UH's three. Chloe Thomas and Gabrielle Arretche-Ramos had 12 kills each and Rheanna Deen-Jackson had eight blocks.
UNLV jumped ahead early in the match to open up a 13-6 cushion and maintained control of the first set while hitting .394 to UH's .030.
As they have on several occasions this season, the 'Bows responded in the second set and moved out to a 19-13 lead. UNLV rallied with a 7-0 run to take the lead but Alexander delivered a kill and ace to push UH ahead 23-21 and the 'Bows closed out the set with a Hakas kill to even the match.
The teams stayed close midway through the third set before UNLV broke away to end the set on a 9-1 run that included two kills and three blocks from Freeman.
It was UH's turn to claim momentum in the fourth with Alexander taking over with eight kills on 12 attempts. She landed back-to-back aces, the first in the deep corner and the second off the tape, to give UH a 13-10 lead. UH took command from there and hit .531 in the set with 18 kills and one error in 32 attacks to send the match to the fifth.
UNLV took the lead in the race to 15 with a four-point run before UH answered to close to 8-7. The Rebels again surged ahead and led 13-8 only to see the 'Bows go on a 5-1 run while fending off two match points to close to 14-13. But the comeback came up just short with a UNLV block giving the Rebels their first win in nine all-time meetings with UH.
The Rainbow Wahine continue their three-game road trip on Friday against No. 8 Texas in Austin. They'll also face No. 20 Baylor on Saturday in Waco.
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