LAS VEGAS — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team saw its seven-match winning streak come to an end on Sunday, falling to longtime rival UCLA in a five-set battle in the finale of the Lucky Aces Women's Volleyball Invitational at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The 80
th meeting between the storied programs
featured 37 ties and 17 lead changes with UCLA rallying for the 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 18-16 win.
The Rainbow Wahine (8-3) had three match points in the fifth set, and momentarily appeared to secure the win in their second straight five-set match. But a net violation extended the match, and the Bruins went on to tie the set and move ahead. UH fought off two match points before falling short and UCLA (9-2) captured the tournament title
.
Outside hitter
Panna Ratkai paced the Hawai'i attack with a team-high 19 kills while taking a season-high 66 swings, adding 10 digs for a double-double
. Middle blocker Miliana Sylvester matched her career high with 16 kills on .344 hitting while leading the front row with seven blocks.
Outside hitter
Tali Hakas added 14 kills and surpassed 500 kills for her career. Libero
Victoria Leyva anchored the backline with 23 digs
and setter Adrianna Arquette directed the offense with 47 assists, seven digs, and three blocks.
Arquette and Ratkai represented UH on the All-Tournament team.
UCLA was led by Maggie Li's 20 kills and Marianna Singletary's 11 kills, and held a 15-10 advantage in team blocks.
The Rainbow Wahine set the tone early in the first set, hitting .303 to claim a 25-19 victory. Ratkai powered the offense with five kills in the set, and an ace from Cameron Holcomb pushed UH out to a 14-9 lead. A late service ace by Ratkai made it 20-16, and kills from Maëli Cormier, Ratkai, and Hakas closed out the opening frame.
UCLA answered in a tight second set that saw 15 ties and six lead changes. Tied at 18-18, the Bruins created separation with a kill and a block by to go up 21-18. Although Hawai'i fended off two set points behind kills from Sylvester and Ratkai, Singletary put away a final kill to level the match with a 25-22 set win.
Hawai'i responded in the third set by hitting .261, driven by Sylvester's five set kills. Trailing 8-7, UH launched an 11-3 run fueled by a Hakas ace, blocks from Sylvester and Hakas. The Rainbow Wahine expanded their cushion to 22-17 before Ratkai put away set point.
The Bruins opened up an early 10-5 advantage in the fourth set and remained in control to send the match to a deciding fifth set.
The fifth set delivered high drama with seven ties and three lead changes. Hawai'i took early control, mounting an 8-4 lead after an ace from Leyva and a Ratkai kill. UCLA answered with a 4-0 run to tie it 9-9, but Hawai'i earned three match points at 14-11 following a kill by Sylvester. The Bruins fought off all three match points to tie the set 14-14 on a Li kill. After trading points to 16-16, UCLA converted match point on a Li kill followed by a Hawai'i attack error to end the match.
The Rainbow Wahine return home to open their inaugural campaign in the Mountain West with a two-match series with New Mexico on Sept. 25 and 26 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
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