The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa women’s volleyball team (5-5, 2-0 Big West) began defense of its back-to-back Big West titles with two straight-set victories over UC Davis, 25-22, 25-14 and 25-21 on Friday, September 23, and UC Riverside, 25-17, 25-23 and 25-13 on Saturday, September 24, at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
In the first match, junior outside hitter Riley Wagoner led the Rainbow Wahine with her first double-double of the season putting down a match-high 12 kills with 11 digs. UH’s middle blockers had a solid night on both sides of the net. Amber Igiede came through with 10 kills and added four blocks, two digs, two service aces and an assist for a stuffed stat line. Tiffany Westerberg tallied a season-best .412 hitting percentage with eight kills and one error in 17 attacks. On defense Westerberg was in on a match- and season-high five blocks.
Sophomore setter Kate Lang issued a match-high 29 assists as the ’Bows hit .293 for the match with 20 kills coming from the middle attack. Fellow sophomore libero Tayli Ikenaga recorded her seventh overall and third straight double-digit dig match with a match-high 13 digs and was perfect on serve receive in 10 chances.
In the second match, freshman outside hitter Caylen Alexander powered the Rainbow Wahine putting away 15 kills—including seven in the final set alone—as UH hit a season-best .414 hitting percentage. Joining Alexander with double-digit kills were Igiede and Wagoner who both finished with 12 kills apiece.
Lang finished with a match-high 39 assists as four UH hitters tallied eight or more kills. She distributed the kills around as the middles accounted for 20 kills and the pin-hitters with 29. Ikenaga led a trio of Rainbow Wahine with 10 or more digs. The sophomore libero popped up 17 digs for her eighth double-digit dig match this year.
