Close, but couldn’t close.
Hawaii’s inability to pick up a single point when it mattered, to get a crucial sideout, again cost the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team a chance at a win.
It would have been a big one. A morale-boosting one.
Even if it was just Set 2.
Instead, No. 12 Oregon used a 7-0 run in the second set to ruin Hawaii’s shot at evening the match, riding the arms of Lindsey Vander Weide and Ronika Stone to sweep the Wahine 25-18, 25-23, 25-22 on Thursday. Vander Weide had 15 kills and Stone, the daughter of former NFL All-Pro guard Ron, added 12 as the Ducks (6-3) won in the Stan Sheriff Center for the second time in five seasons.
For the first time this year, Hawaii (4-4) had no one in double-digit kills. Senior middle Sarah Liva tied her season high with nine, with just one error, in hitting .500. But the rest of the connections were not there as the Wahine hit .179 as a team.
“It comes down to doing our jobs,” said Hawaii senior libero Tita Akiu, who finished with a match-high 16 digs before a crowd of 3,046. “It comes down to controlling the things we can control, basically.
“We didn’t execute what we were told to do. I think we can play with more heart. Hopefully, we rally up tomorrow.”
The teams meet again at 7 tonight in the final preconference contest for both. It will be preceded by Hawaii’s alumnae match at 4:30 p.m.
For the second straight match, senior hitter McKenna Granato — the Wahine kill leader — did not finish in double digits. She finished with seven to go with 10 digs.
Oregon libero Brooke Nuneviller, the reigning Pac-12 freshman of the week, finished with 14 digs.
The Ducks had defeated the Wahine twice previously — 1984 and 2014 — both times winning in five. Hawaii wished it had that chance.
“We win the second, it’s 1-1, we have the momentum and maybe things go differently,” Wahine coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos said. “Sure, they have physical girls, but I told our girls all you have to do is execute, do your job, and we’re right there.”
The highlight of Set 1 for Hawaii was junior middle Natasha Burns with her 200th career kill, giving the Wahine the 2-1 lead. Hawaii stayed close through 11, helped by four service errors by the Ducks.
Oregon pulled away for good at 15-11 with a 4-0 run in which the Ducks had two blocks and the Wahine had two other hitting errors. The Ducks were as inefficient from the service line (seven errors) as they were efficient (two errors) in hitting .464.
Set 2 was an even tougher loss. Hawaii was in control early (7-1) and late (23-18) but couldn’t hold on. As happened in the second match against Kansas State, the Wahine got stuck in what was a fatal rotation.
Against the Wildcats in Set 2, Hawaii had five set points — the first at 24-20, the last at 25-24. K-State won it 27-25 en route to the sweep.
Against the Ducks, the Wahine continued to have no answer for Oregon’s tip shots and then couldn’t touch Lauren Page. The senior hitter put down three straight kills to send the Ducks into the locker room up 2-0.
Hawaii didn’t fold, leading 7-5 in Set 3. But Oregon knew it had history, the very recent history, of being able to rally and did.
Down 14-13, the Ducks scored three straight to take the lead for good. Vander Weide’s final kill gave Oregon the first of three match points, with Stone ending it after 95 minutes.
Note
Sophomore Sophia Howling has left the team. The middle from Los Angeles announced her decision on social media Thursday night. She had not played this season and had 35 kills in 17 matches as a freshman.
