Rainbow Wahine look to extend Big West lead

The Rainbow Wahine saw it’s lead in the Big West women’s volleyball standings grow since they last took the court.
After Friday’s sweep of UC Irvine, UH had a rare Saturday off and got some help in the conference race when Long Beach State knocked off second-place UC Santa Barbara at the Walter Pyramid. As such, the Wahine enter today’s match with UC San Diego with a 1-1/2 game lead on the Gauchos and have a chance to open up some breathing room against the Tritons.
While the Big West title chase makes for a fun follow, UH coaches and players have maintained throughout the season they’re solely focused on the next match. Today that happens to be UC San Diego.
The Tritons took the first set against UH on Oct. 8 before the Wahine rallied for a 22-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-21 in at RIMAC Arena in San Diego. Today’s match marks the return of UCSD senior outside hitter Trinity Castaneda, who began her career at UH, and ‘Iolani graduate Naya Dong, the Tritons’ libero.
Updates for the third all-time meeting between UH and UCSD follow:
SET 3
>> UCSD takes the lead when UH is called for a back-row blocker. Westerberg’s shot down the line is ruled in. UCSD challenges. Call stands, 1-1. Westerberg and Igiede combine on another UH block and rotation error on UCSD gives UH a 4-2 lead.
>> UCSD comes back to tie it at 5-5 before Igiede gets the serve back for UH with her 10th kill. Wagoner serves up an ace and Igiede teams with Lang on her 10th block to tie her career high. She also has a double-double. Wagoner scores on a back-row swing and Van Sickle goes cross court on a 1-v-1. U up 10-5. Timeout UCSD.
>> Williams rotates into the front row and gets kill No. 11 and a solo block for a 14-7 UH lead. A Van Sickle ace pushes the lead to 16-8. Timeout UCSD. Tonight’s attendance 1,957 (2,908 tickets issued).
>> Wagoner rolls one into the middle of the UCSD defense and taps down a block. Westerberg hammers an overpass to give UH a 19-9 lead.
>> A block and an ace brings UCSD to 19-12. Igiede with a tip in the middle and another sideout kill for her 12th of the night. Ava McInnes with back-to-back kills and Castaneda puts down her 11th to cut the UH lead 21-16. Timeout UH.
>> Igiede with No. 13 to make it 22-16. UCSD with another run and a McInnes ace cuts the UH lead to 22-19. Van Sickle hits long and it’s a two-point margin. Van Sickle gets one through the seam, 23-20. Van Sickle goes off the block and UH has match point. The match ends with UH’s 15th block (Williams/Van Sickle) and UH wins it 25-14, 25-21, 25-20.
>> Igiede finishes with her second career double-double with 13 kills (.545) and 10 blocks. Williams added 11 kills (.526). Van Sickle leads the UH defense with nine digs and finishes with six kills.

SET 2
>> UCSD takes a 4-1 lead with Naya Dong on the service line. Ikenaga goes back to serve and UH ties it up at 4-4. UH goes ahead 6-5 on a block by Wagoner and Igiede. Igeide is in on two more blocks, teaming with Lang and Van Sickle, and UH leads 8-6. UH now with six blocks to UCSD’s one. Igiede hits wide for he first error of the weekend then comes right back for the sideout and her seventh kill of the day.
>> Williams’ tip falls for her eighth kill in 10 swings. A tight set results in a UCSD error and UH leads 11-8. Timeout UCSD.
>> Van Sickle is still looking for her first kill of the match but has seven digs and two blocks and sends a bump set to Westerberg for a kill, UH up 12-9. Westerberg teams with Williams and Igiede on back-to-back blocks for a 14-10 UH lead.
>> Looked like UCSD had four contacts, but no call and the Tritons win the point on a back-row kill. No challenge from UH. Van Sickle gets one to fall for her first kill on her 12th attempt. Igiede’s dig in the back row sets up Williams’ ninth kill. UCSD setting error gives UH a 19-13 lead. Timeout UCSD.
>> A Van Sickle/Williams block gives UH a 20-13 lead. UCSD goes on a 3-0 surge before Williams gets her 10th kill. The Tritons give Williams her first error with a solo block by Grace Cannon. UCSd closes to 22-20 when a tough serve by Dong leads to a UH attack into the net. After a service error, a Westerberg/Igiede block gives UH set point. The Tritons fight off the first, but Igiede ends it with her ninth kill. UH takes the set 25-21 and leads the match 2-0.
>> Williams hitting .562 (10-1-16) with Igiede at .500 (9-1-16). Igiede also with eight blocks and six digs.

SET 1
>> UCSD scores on a Trinity Castaneda tip to open the match. Kate Lang establishes the middle right away and Skyler Williams has three kills in a 4-0 UH run.
>> UH’s defense keeps a rally alive and Riley Wagoner ends it from the left side. Lang gives Wagoner a 1-on-1 for her third kill and a 9-3 UH lead. Timeout UCSD.
>> UCSD goes on a 3-0 run with two errors by Van Sickle as the crowd tries to give UH a boost. Amber Igiede ends the rally in the middle. UH up 12-8.
>> Williams stays hot with two more kills and has five kills in six swings. Castaneda keeping UCSD close with her fourth and fifth kills to cut the UH lead to 14-12. After a service error, UCSD hits long and Tiffany Westerberg goes off the block for her second kill. Timeout UCSD with UH up 17-12.
>> Tayli Ikenaga serves up the first ace of the match. Wagoner’s roll shot finds the floor and UH leads 19-12. Igiede hammers in the middle then gets a solo block for a 21-13 lead.
>> UH closes the set with a 4-0 run. Igiede puts away her fourth kill and Van Sickle gets a block to give UH set point. The Tritons dig Van Sickle’s attempt, but a double-contact call on the set ends the set. UH wins it 25-14.

Starters for @HawaiiWVB vs. UCSD: OH Brooke Van Sickle, MB Amber Igiede, OH Riley Wagoner, MB Skyler Williams, S Kate Lang, OH Tiffany Westerberg, L Tayli Ikenaga. @StarAdvertiser pic.twitter.com/SItJxRMYwH

---

— Jason Kaneshiro (@jasonkaneshiro) November 15, 2021