HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team opened Mountain West Conference play in commanding fashion, sweeping New Mexico 25-17, 25-13, 25-21 on Friday night at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine (9-3, 1-0 MW) announced their arrival in their new conference by serving up nine aces and putting down nine blocks in the sweep of the Lobos (2-9, 0-1) as UH picked up its eighth win in the last nine matches.
Outside hitter
Tali Hakas powered the Hawai'i attack, matching her career high with 17 kills against just two errors while hitting a season-best .484 across 31 swings. Hakas also contributed four blocks, including two solo.
Middle blockers
Miliana Sylvester and
Rachel Purser each put away eight kills while hitting .412 and .400, respectively. Outside hitter
Panna Ratkai added six kills and led UH from the service line with a season-high five aces. Freshman
Cameron Holcomb also set a season high in firing four aces.
UH setter
Adrianna Arquette, the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, directed the offense with 33 assists and added a team-high 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Libero
Victoria Leyva came up with 21 digs, three shy of the program's record in a three-set match.
In their first meeting with New Mexico since 2014, the 'Bows set the tone early in the first set, breaking away mid-frame behind Hakas's seven kills. Ratkai sparked a decisive 5-0 run by delivering four consecutive service aces to expand the UH lead to 17-5 before the Wahine closed out the set.
Hawai'i put on an offensive masterclass in the second set, hitting an extraordinary .531 with 18 kills and just one attack error on 32 attempts. Sylvester and Purser combined for nine kills in the set, and a service ace by Holcomb highlighted an 8-0 spurt that pushed the Hawai'i lead to 18-9.
Holcomb kept the momentum going in the third set, serving back-to-back aces during a 6-0 run to give UH an early 8-2 cushion. New Mexico rallied late, trimming the deficit to 20-19 following an ace from Mina Stanojevic. However, Hakas answered with three late kills and partnered with Sylvester for a match-ending block to cap the 25-21 victory.
Reagan Miller led New Mexico with 10 kills on .304 hitting, while libero Camila Canedo collected a match-high 20 digs.
Hawai'i and New Mexico meet again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center for the second match of the series.
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