Sunday night may or may not have been the University of Hawaii volleyball team’s last home match of the season. ADVERTISING Sunday night may or may not have been the University of Hawaii volleyball team’s last home match of the
Sunday night may or may not have been the University of Hawaii volleyball team’s last home match of the season.
If it was, it went out in style.
Hilo native Tai Manu-Olevao and Olivia Magill shined on Senior Night, and the No. 6 Rainbow Wahine dominated winless Cal State Fullerton 25-17, 25-18, 25-21 in front of 7,921 fans at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
Hawaii (20-1, 10-0 Big West) was well-rounded in winning its 15th consecutive match, hitting .393. Nikki Taylor, Emily Maglio and Kalei Greeley registered nine kills, Manu-Olevau collected eight kills with three aces, and Magill chipped in with seven kills.
“Our middles had a good night,” coach Dave Shoji said on the OCSports telecast. “Nikki didn’t hit for a great percentage. Greeley had a nice night. We had a pretty balanced attack tonight.”
Greeley finished with 11 digs for a double-double.
The Titans (0-21, 0-10) were hurt by 12 service errors.
The Rainbow Warriors still have hopes of being back at Stan Sheriff Center in December as a host of the first two rounds of the NCAA playoffs, but that could depend on how well they play on the road.
Hawaii faces Long Beach State on Friday, the first of six road matches to finish the regular season.
“Just a quirk in the schedule,” Shoji said. “One time and it will probably never happen again.
“Tough to win on the road. We just prepare as best we can, get a good practice week in and prepare for Long Beach State.”
UH-Hilo: Looking to build off the momentum of a recent homestand, the Vulcans also hit the road for a four-match trip, starting Monday at Fresno Pacific.
The Sunbirds are 7-7 in conference play, but Holy Names, Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican are in the bottom third of the Pacific West Conference standings.
Winners of five of six, UH-Hilo (9-6, 7-5) is tied for eighth in the PacWest though it’s only two games behind first-place Dixie State in the loss column.
