If there is a distinction to be made between being injury-riddled and just plain short-handed, UH-Hilo women’s volleyball team can probably explain it.
If there is a distinction to be made between being injury-riddled and just plain short-handed, UH-Hilo women’s volleyball team can probably explain it.
Either way, it didn’t make a difference Monday as the Vulcans started their last road trip – the dreaded Utah/Southern California swing – with a loss.
The good news was that senior Siera Green was back on the court, and in her home state, no less. Still down two hitters, however, UH-Hilo was swept by Dixie State 25-16, 25-9, 25-23 in St. George, Utah.
Outblocked 14-3, the Vulcans’ sixth consecutive loss ensures the program will sustain its sixth consecutive losing season.
After missing four matches with a knee injury, No. 1 hitter Green returned to offer a team-high six kills and 15 digs, but UH-Hilo (8-14, 5-10 Pacific West Conference) barely mustered a positive hitting percentage (25 kills, 24 attack errors) and was anemic during a second-set rout in which it compiled 11 errors against just three kills.
The Vulcans were more balanced in the third set and had a chance to extend the match as Armani Moultrie posted all three of her kills.
But the Trailblazers (11-13, 9-7) took the last four points of Game 3, getting Kayla Chapman’s ninth kill to seal the match.
UH-Hilo has lost seven of eight since its high point of a season, a four-set win against Notre Dame de Namur on Oct. 9, back when the Vulcans were healthy. Outside hitter Lucee Fitzgerald (ankle) hasn’t played since, and opposite hitter Randi Hunter (knee) missed her second consecutive match.
Amber Tai, Evelin Solyomvari and Kiley Davis helped pick up the slack with four kills apiece, and libero Mina Grant had 18 digs.
Meanwhile, this was the last such Utah/Southern California road trip for UH-Hilo. Dixie State is set to bolt for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference next season, and the Trailblazers hit .274 as they opened their final homestand as PacWest volleyball member.
Tied for 11th in the PacWest and with five matches remaining, first-year coach Vuls Gene Krieger needs two victories to match the win total that Tino Reyes attained before being let go after a 10-15 campaign last season.
Getting to 10 wins could be a challenge, considering the health issues and the teams remaining on the schedule.
UH-Hilo still has three matches remaining against teams in the upper-echelon of the conference. On Wednesday, the Vuls will be in San Diego to face Point Loma (6-10, 9-15), then they get no rest before heading north to take on Azusa Pacific (10-5, 12-4) and Concordia (15-8, 11-5) on back-to-back days Thursday and Friday.
Conference front-runner Cal Baptist (24-0, 16-0) looms during the final homestand and senior night is Nov. 18 against Hawaii Pacific (7-16, 5-10).