The first serve of Friday’s match proved to be a portent of a rough afternoon for the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team.
San Diego setter Isadora Tercario’s opening offering crossed the net and dove to the court for a tone-setting ace and the No. 22 Toreros ran away to a 25-13, 25-17, 25-19 sweep of the Rainbow Wahine in the Utah Classic in Salt Lake City.
San Diego (2-1) raced to a 19-4 lead in the first set, took command with a seven-point run midway through the second and held off UH in the third to send the Wahine (2-3) to their second loss of a three-match stay in Utah.
The finale doesn’t figure to be any easier with UH set to face 19th-ranked tournament host Utah (4-0) today at 3 p.m. at the Huntsman Center.
San Diego’s Katie Lukes posted 15 kills while hitting .303 and Grace Frohling added 12 kills to help the Toreros avenge two 2019 losses to UH.
The Wahine opened that season with a five-set win at the Stan Sheriff Center and ended the Toreros’ year with a sweep in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in December.
While UH sat out the 2020 season, San Diego advanced to the second round of the modified NCAA Tournament this past spring.
In Friday’s rematch, a new-look UH starting group struggled to get full swings early on and San Diego held the Wahine to a negative hitting percentage for most of the 85-minute sweep.
UH finished the match at .030 with 23 total kills against 20 errors. Senior Brooke Van Sickle, who entered the match averaging 4.79 kills per set, led the Wahine with eight kills in 29 attempts and 11 digs. Braelyn Akana, who made her first start of the season, was next with four kills. Amber Igiede finished with three kills in 14 swings and was in on six of UH’s 10 blocks.
Coming off a five-set loss at Utah Valley on Thursday, UH coach Robyn Ah Mow altered the starting lineup on Friday, with Akana and freshman middle blocker Anna Kiraly making their first starts and Riley Wagoner returning to the starting group after coming off the bench in the previous three matches.
San Diego opened the match with the first of its five aces and led 13-3 when Frohling finished an eight-point run on the service line. After a Van Sickle kill made it 13-4, San Diego scored the next six points to make it 19-4 and cruised to the finish.
UH returned to its more familiar lineup, bringing senior middle Skyler Williams and freshman Martyna Leoniak in to start the second set and went on an 8-1 run early on. The Wahine led 14-13 before San Diego moved ahead on two UH errors. Frohling added two kills and teamed with Gabby Goddard on a block to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Toreros a 20-14 lead.
San Diego opened up a 6-2 cushion in the third set and allowed just four natural points to the Wahine, ending the match with a 4-1 stretch, with Lukes closing out the win for the Toreros.
In the final match of the day, Utah rallied for a 28-30, 25-22, 25-22, 25-17 win over San Diego. Two-time AVCA All-American Dani Drews led Utah with 23 kills. The Utes began the day by sweeping Cal Poly, which came back to sweep Utah Valley later in the afternoon.
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Rainbow Wahine volleyball
At Salt Lake City
Hawaii (2-3) vs. No. 19 Utah (4-0)
>> When: Today, 3 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1500-AM
>> Streaming video: pac-12.com/live/university-utah
