HONOLULU – The No. 6 University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team (7-1) swept through the UC Irvine Anteaters (2-5) 25-17, 25-13 and 25-17 in front of a crowd of 5,359 in the Verizon Wireless Volleyball Challenge at the Stan Sheriff Center Friday.

 

Kanani Danielson hit .419 with 15 kills, nine digs and three blocks to lead UH. Chanteal Satele added nine kills and 10 digs while hitting .389 with Michelle Waber hitting a career-high .429 with seven kills. Brittany Hewitt added seven kills, two aces and two blocks with Dani Mafua posting 36 assists, seven digs and three kills. Elizabeth Ka'aihue led UH with 15 digs.

 

Early in the first set, UH used a 4-1 run to jump ahead 10-6. An ace by Hewitt got it up to 12-7 before UCI answered with three straight points, pulling it back to 12-10. Hawai'i got back on track, rolling off eight of the next nine points to get it to 20-11. The Anteaters pulled it back to 22-17. But that was as close as they'd get with UH taking the first set 25-17 on the strength of a .429 team hitting percentage.

 

Hawai'i opened the second set with an 11-5 advantage. The Rainbow Wahine really started to get it going in the middle of the set, using a couple of four-point runs to get their lead to 21-11. UH continued their strong offensive play in the second set, posting 16 more kills in a 25-13 victory.

 

The Rainbow Wahine opened the third set with a 9-4 lead, only to see the Anteaters run off three points in a row, cutting it back to 9-7. Hawai'i answered with a four-point run of their own, extending their lead to 13-7. UH kept going, getting to match point at 24-13. But UCI wouldn't go away that easy, scoring four more before Danielson's 15th kill ended the set 25-17.

 

In the first match of the day, St. Mary's defeated San Diego State 25-19, 25-15 and 25-17, setting up the championship match with the Rainbow Wahine tomorrow at 7 p.m. UCI will face SDSU in the first match of the day at 5 p.m.

 

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.