HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team emerged from five-set duel with Portland with its third straight victory on Thursday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine (3-4) saw an opportunity to close out the match in the fourth set slip away but surged late in the fifth to earn a 26-24, 21-25, 25-10, 25-27, 15-11 victory in the opener of a two-match series with the Pilots. The win was the program's 499
th victory in the arena since its opening in 1994.
UH freshman
Cha'lei Reid put away a match-high 18 kills and came up with 10 digs in her first double-double performance of her career.
Stella Adeyemi had three kills in the fifth set, including match point, and finished with 16 for the night.
Bri Gunderson added 11 kills and was in on nine of UH's season-high 18 blocks.
Miliana Sylvester also assisted on nine blocks to tie her career high and the team's total was the highest since posting 18 blocks against Washington on Sept. 1, 2019.
Setter
Adrianna Arquette posted her third double-double with 43 assists and 14 digs and contributed seven blocks to the team total. Libero
Victoria Leyva anchored the back-row defense with 17 digs.
Tyla Reese Mane added six kills on 15 swings without an error and contributed a career-high eight blocks.
Portland (5-2) was led by Maui Robins' 16 kills and 10 digs and UH overcame 19 service errors to pull out the win.
UH bolted out to an 8-for-11 start offensively with two blocks and an ace to take a 12-6 lead in the opening set. UH led 23-17 before Portland went on a 5-0 run to close the gap. UH halted the run to earn set point, but Portland closed to within a point then forced deuce. After a timeout, a Portland service error gave UH another set point. The Pilots' next attack was ruled long and upheld after a review to close out the set.
The teams stayed within a couple of points of each other midway through the second set until Portland took an 19-15 lead. UH closed to 22-20 after an ace from Mane and a block by Arquette and Sylvester. But Portland edged out ahead again and closed out the set to even the match.
UH had three more blocks early in the third set and broke away with an 8-1 run to open up a 19-9 lead. The 'Bows remained in control and UH's 15
th block of the night extended the lead to 23-9 before closing out a dominant set.
UH opened up an 11-6 lead in the fourth before Portland rallied to catch the 'Bows at 14-14. The Pilots went up 20-18 before UH went on a 4-0 run and led 22-20 when Sylvester and Arquette teamed up on a block. An ace from Adeyemi gave UH match point at 24-21, but Portland survived the next three points to again force deuce. The Pilots moved ahead and converted on their second set point opportunity with a block to send the match to the fifth.
A tight battle ensued in the deciding set with Portland up 8-7 at the change-over. UH took an 11-10 lead when Adeyemi brushed a shot off the Portland block and into the antennae. A tough serve from
Leilani Lopez led to a Portland error to give UH a 12-10 lead and Sylvester and Mane combined on UH's final block of the night. A Portland service error gave UH another match point and this time the 'Bows closed it out with a kill from Adeyemi.
The Rainbow Wahine and Pilots conclude their series on Friday at 7 p.m. at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
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