HONOLULU – The No. 6 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (6-1) swept through the San Diego State Aztecs (5-2) 25-17, 25-18 and 25-13 in front of a crowd of 5,157 at the Verizon Wireless Volleyball Challenge at the Stan Sheriff Center Thursday.
After a back-and-forth start to the first set, the Rainbow Wahine ran off seven straight points on Ka`aihue's serve to go ahead 15-8. UH kept that cushion the rest of the way, taking the first set 25-17.
Hawai'i went on a couple of big runs early in the second set to jump out to a 10-4 advantage. SDSU fought back with a four-point run to get it to 10-8. But that was as close as the Aztecs got in the set, dropping the second set 25-18.
In the third set, UH scored the first five points on the serve of
Emily Maeda. The Rainbow Wahine kept the pressure on for the rest of the set while UH was able to employ a lineup with five freshmen later in the set as Hawai'i cruised to a 25-13 third set win.
In the first match of the day, St. Mary's defeated UC Irvine in four sets. UH will play UC Irvine at 7 p.m. tomorrow, following the 5 p.m. match between St. Mary's and San Diego State.
For the fifth year, UH and Verizon Wireless are teaming up to support Verizon's HopeLine program. Fans attending the tournament this weekend can drop off used wireless phones and accessories, which will be used to help survivors of domestic violence. HopeLine drop boxes will be located at the main entrance of the Stan Sheriff Center from 4-8 p.m. In addition, a new permanent HopeLine collection bin is available inside the arena.
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