The Hawaii women’s volleyball team has shown the ability to battle back from a one-set deficit.
It turns out falling behind two sets doesn’t seem to be a problem either.
The Rainbow Wahine found themselves down 2-0 in a match for the first time this season, only to rally for the 20-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-10 reverse sweep of Oregon State on Friday night in the Outrigger Invitational.
A SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4, 709 continued to get its money’s worth as Hawaii (5-1) improved to 3-1 in five-set matches this season. It has yet to play a match that ended in a sweep and is 3-1 when it loses the first set.
“I’m looking at this stat line and Oregon State had more kills than us. We had more errors than them. They had a higher hitting percentage, ” Hawaii associate head coach Kaleo Baxter said. “We outdug them 94 to 60 and I think that’s just what this team is. When their backs are against the wall, they fight.”
With its pin hitters struggling to put down balls and a block that came up empty in the first two sets, UH turned to its defense to turn things around.
Senior Tayli Ikenaga, the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Week, finished with a match-high 24 digs and was one of five Rainbow Wahine in double figures.
Kate Lang had 18 digs to go along with 50 assists and Tali Hakas added 17 for UH.
Hawaii won despite hitting.176. The Beavers (1-6), who have lost six in a row, hit.225.
“We’re so used to playing the five-setters and we know how to dig deep, ” Ikenaga said. “We took a while to figure it out.”
UH ended up with nine blocks, but had none midway through the third set when freshman Miliana Sylvester got the first one on her own with a solo stuff.
Freshman Maddie Way, who had played in one set all season, replaced Jacyn Bamis as a starting middle in the third set.
She finished with three blocks and seven kills, including the winner on match point to end another match that lasted nearly three hours.
“I don’t want to sit here and say I’m really proud of myself. I’m really proud of the way that we are able to come together,” Way said. “The way that we’re always able to come together, play together and support each other together is what really was going through my head. It’s a really motivating factor.”
The opening set was tied 11 times with the last coming at 18-18.
Hawaii trailed 20-19 when Alexander went long on one of her four hitting errors in the first set. Lauren Rumel followed with a tip that landed between two defenders to make it 22-19.
After a Hawaii timeout, Beavers freshman setter Emma Lilo, a Kamehameha alumna, pulled off a one-handed set to Rumel, who powered a ball through the double block for her third kill in five swings.
An Alexander kill was the only point UH scored the rest of the way as Alara Doganyuz’s serve on set point landed just inside the back line to give the Beavers the lead just a day after they were swept by Texas State.
Unlike its previous three matches in which it dropped the first set, Hawaii couldn’t turn things around in set 2.
Oregon State freshman Alexis Rodriguez, a Mililani alum, made her collegiate debut with OSU ahead 20-15 in the set and served two quick Oregon State points to help put the game away.
She stayed in the match and watched Kelli Schoening end the set with an easy kill as UH didn’t have a block up.
“Our block wasn’t lining up in the first two-and-a-half sets, ” Baxter said. “We thought maybe Caylen would line up a little better on the right and Stella (Adeyemi) and Tali take swings on the outside in practice so it’s no stranger to us to make those changes and feel comfortable and confident in our players.”
Way, who had to wait for her turn in the rotation to enter the third set, put down her first two kills to pull UH with a point at 6-5.
Sylvester recorded UH’s first block with a solo stuff to give UH its second lead in the set at 10-9, but the Beavers seemingly dug everything hit at them.
Annika Hester and Elly Schraeder teamed up for a monster double block on Hakas to give Oregon State a 15-12 lead at the media timeout.
Back-to-back kills from Sylvester pulled Hawaii within a point at 17-16. UH had a swing to tie the match but sophomore Adeyemi was blocked for her fifth hitting error without a kill.
She rebounded with her first kill of the night and an Alexander kill and a Victoria Leyva ace put UH ahead 19-18.
Leyva’s serving run continued with a second ace for a 21-18 lead and Hawaii took the set when an Alexander error was overturned and ruled off the block to give UH life.
The Rainbow Wahine needed five set points to force a fifth set as Hakas ended the fourth set with her ninth kill after OSU cut a 24-19 deficit to 24-23.
UH will face Texas State in a rematch for the tournament title tonight at 7. Hawaii beat the Bobcats in four sets on Tuesday.
