HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team swept past Utah Tech to open the OUTRIGGER Invitational on Thursday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Rainbow Wahine outside hitter
Panna Ratkai put away a team-high 12 kills and put down a solo block on match point. UH evened its record at 2-2 with the 25-17, 25-11, 26-24 victory over the Trailblazers.
Tali Hakas posted her 11
th career double-double with 10 kills and a match-high 12 digs. Setter
Adrianna Arquette distributed 36 assists while directing a UH attack that hit a season-best .309.
Middle blocker
Miliana Sylvester finished with eight kills while hitting .429 and was in on six blocks, including two solo, and freshman
Rachel Purser recorded five kills on seven error-free attempts to hit .714.
UH never trailed in claiming the first two sets and rallied late in the third to complete its first sweep of the season.
The 'Bows opened the match with a 7-1 run before Utah Tech chipped away to close to 13-11. The Trailblazers remained close until UH senior
Leilani Lopez put together a five-point service turn to finish off the set. With UH up 20-17, kills by Hakas, Sylvester and Maeli Cormier gave UH set point and Sylvester and Cormier combined on a block to finish the set.
UH ran away early in the second in building a 15-5 lead. UH hit .409 in the set with 11 kills and two errors and converted on 10 of 11 sideout opportunities to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was a far tighter battle throughout with Utah Tech putting together a 4-0 run to take a 17-16 lead. The Trailblazers led 23-21 when Ratkai put away three straight kills to give UH match point. Utah Tech forced deuce, but a service error gave UH its second match point and Ratkai's block sealed the sweep.
Nana Asiata led Utah Tech with 12 kills and Cale Torgerson added 10.
The Rainbow Wahine next face Loyola Marymount on Day 2 of the OUTRIGGER Invitational. The 'Bows and Lions meet at 7 p.m. LMU opened the tournament with a four-set win over UC San Diego in Thursday's first match.
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