Win No. 22 in a row proved to be a Texas-sized task for the University of Hawaii, but it pulled through. ADVERTISING Win No. 22 in a row proved to be a Texas-sized task for the University of Hawaii, but
Win No. 22 in a row proved to be a Texas-sized task for the University of Hawaii, but it pulled through.
Olivia Magill reeled off a career-high 19 kills on .472 hitting Friday and the No. 7 Rainbow Wahine came back to beat TCU 17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 15-13, escaping to reach the second round of the NCAA tournament in College Station, Texas.
Hawaii (27-1), the Big West champion, will face SEC champion Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m HST Saturday for a berth in regionals. The Aggies (24-6) swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their first-round match.
With No. 1 hitter Nikki Taylor hitting an uncharacteristic 14 errors, the Rainbow Wahine received double-digit kills from five players to survive. Taylor led the way with 21, Kalei Greeley recorded a season-high 16 kills and a career-high 17 digs, Hilo native Tai Manu-Olevao finished with 14 kills with 10 digs and middle hitter Emily Maglio added 13 kills and hit .417.
Taylor may have struggled at times but the Big West Player of the Year came through with five kills in the fifth set, including on match point after Greeley’s error gave the Horned Frogs (19-10) a sideout.
Trying to extend her career, Manu-Olevao was almost as good in the fifth set. Sandwiched around a pair of Taylor kills, Manu-Olevao put a ball to give UH an 8-7 lead, and the match was never tied again.
Tayler Higgins posted a career-high 65 assists for UH, which was slightly outhit but finished with 84 kills to TCU’s 67.
Regan McGuire had 16 kills for the Horned Frogs, who beat the nation’s No. 1 block 14.5-8.
