Portland, Hawaii Set Up Showdown with Thursday Wins

  0 Jil Price Igara | September 07th, 2018 | College - Women's Indoor, News, WCC

Portland and Hawaii each registered victories in Outrigger Volleyball Challenge action Thursday, setting up an exciting Friday matchup between the two. It will mark the first all-time meeting between the programs.

The Pilots are off to a program-best 7-0 start and have won back-to-back tournaments. Portland has a lot to prove after being chosen to finish 8th in West Coast Conference preseason predictions.

Hawaii, which has had its schedule disrupted by inclement weather all season long, is looking for its first tournament title of the season. The Rainbow Wahine are riding a 3-match win streak heading into the matchup.

Match Stats

Portland, which is receiving votes in this week’s VolleyMob Power Rankings, stayed undefeated on the season with a sweep of San Diego State to open Outrigger Volleyball Challenge action inside Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Pilots, off to a program-best 7-0 start, lead the all-time series against the Aztecs, 2-1, following the victory.

The Aztecs were able to tie the first set, 11-11, but were unable to get over the hump as the Pilots strung together an 8-1 rally. Portland controlled the remainder of the set, claiming the 25-18 win.

The second set was a battle, as the teams withstood five lead changes and 10 tie scores. The Pilots edged the Atztecs, tallying 4 of the final 6 points to secure the 25-22 set victory.

San Diego State got off to a strong start in the third set, jumping ahead 9-3. The Pilots came back to knot the score 14-all and used a 6-0 scoring drive to gain an advantage late. Portland closed out the match and secured the sweep with a 25-18 finale result.

Senior Reghan Pukis (12 kills, .417 attack percentage) and redshirt sophomore Izzy Guzik (11 kills, .400 attack percentage) led the Pilots to victory with efficient offensive performances. Junior Cali Thompson dished out 28 assists, while sophomore Carey Williams contributed 15 digs.

High error volleyball (24 attack errors, 10 service errors) doomed the Aztecs, who were led by junior Ashlynn Dunbar’s 13-kill effort.

Portland is one of 28 remaining undefeated programs nationally and has been turning heads so far this season after being chosen to finish 8th in West Coast Conference standings.

Match Stats

Hawaii extended its win streak to 3 with a 4-set victory over Idaho Thursday night in Outrigger Volleyball Challenge play. The Rainbow Wahine served up 10 aces in the win.

Idaho came out of the gate strong to establish a 7-3 lead in the first set before Hawaii put together an 8-1 rally to tie the score, 15-15. The Rainbow Wahine used a 7-1 stretch to pull away and eventually take the opener 25-21.

The Vandals began the second set in similar fashion, pulling ahead 4-1 early. Hawaii fought back to take a 9-8 lead, however, Idaho responded with a 6-1 rally. The Vanals never trailed from there, evening the match with a 25-23 win.

In the third set, the Rainbow Wahine snatched back the momentum and led by as many as 9. Hawaii never gave up its lead en route to a 25-18 win.

The fourth set featured 8 ties, before Hawaii could pull out the 25-22 win with a 4-1 closing rally to silence the Vandals comeback bid.

Senior McKenna Granato paced the Rainbow Wahine with a 19-kill effort, .410 attack percentage, 7 digs and 3 service aces. Senior Faith Ma’afala and junior Norene Iosia dished out 28 and 22 assists, respectively, while senior Tita Akiu logged 22 digs.

Senior Kaela Straw contributed 20 kills, followed by senior Sarah Sharp, who registered 13. Senior Haylee Mathis notched a double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs. Fellow senior Alycia Wodke recorded 21 digs.

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