Hawaii’s Maya Nakamura extended her hot start and freshman Chloe Borges earned her second straight complete-game victory in the Rainbow Wahine softball team’s 3-1 win over North Dakota in the Outrigger Hawaii Invitational on Friday.
Nakamura went 3-for-3 and drove in a run to help the Rainbow Wahine (3-5) earn a split of their doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. The sophomore second baseman is 12-for-17 in UH’s past five games to raise her season batting average to .583.
Borges struck out three and allowed six hits in her second win of the tournament.
In UH’s first game of the night, Abilene Christian scored on two Wahine errors and pitcher Riley White held the Rainbow Wahine to three singles in a 2-0 win.
The loss overshadowed an 11-strikeout performance for UH freshman Brianna Lopez. The left-hander gave up eight singles and walked four. Lopez finished with UH’s first double-digit strikeout performance since Brittany Hitchcock posted 13 in a 12-inning win over UC Davis on May 9, 2019.
By virtue of the third tiebreaker, North Dakota is the top seed in today’s bracket, followed by Abilene Christian and Hawaii.
UH and Abilene Christian meet today at 10 a.m. and North Dakota plays Montana at noon. The losers play for third place at 2 p.m. and the winners meet in the championship game at 4 p.m.
BeachBows split on opening day
Evan Silberstein’s debut as interim head coach of the University of Hawaii beach volleyball team produced a split on the opening day of the Heineken Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic.
The 10th-ranked Rainbow Wahine swept Saint Mary’s 5-0 in their season-opening dual Friday morning at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki. The BeachBows then dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 7 Stanford.
UH’s No. 4 flight of Sarah Penner and Ilihia Huddleston was the lone pairing to win both of its matches. The duo defeated Saint Mary’s Aeriel Sundt and Trinity Durfee 21-15, 21-19, then outlasted Stanford’s Maddie Dailey and Camdyn Doucet 27-25, 21-15.
The BeachBows’ No. 3 flight of Kylin Loker and Riley Wagoner went to three sets in both matches. Loker and Wagoner rallied past King Kekaulike alumna Chandler Cowell and Selbie Christensen 20-22, 21-13, 15-12 in their opener. They again forced a third set against Stanford’s Maya Harvey and Emmy Sharp before the Cardinal duo pulled out a 21-17, 18-21, 15-13 win for the clinching point.
UH’s No. 1 flight of Brooke Van Sickle and Kaylee Glagau also went the distance after dropping the first set, but Stanford’s Xolani Hodel and Maddi Kriz closed out a 21-17, 18-21, 15-12 win.
The BeachBows face No. 2 UCLA today at 8 a.m. The tournament semifinals are scheduled for noon and 2 p.m., with the championship match at 4 p.m.
UH water polo routs Loyola Marymount
Hawaii senior Elyse Lemay-Lavoie scored four goals and the fifth-ranked Rainbow Wahine water polo team routed No. 18 Loyola Marymount 20-5 to open the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Friday in Irvine, Calif.
Lemay-Lavoie took just six shots in the match and the Rainbow Wahine (7-2) scored on 62.5% of their attempts. Five UH players scored two goals each, and 12 players contributed to the scoring.
UH sophomore goalie Bridget Layburn made five saves and senior Molly DiLalla finished with six.
The Wahine face No. 6 Michigan today at 6 a.m. The Wahine and Wolverines split their meetings earlier this season.
Igiede at USA Volleyball tryout event
Hawaii middle blocker Amber Igiede is among some 200 collegiate players participating in USA Volleyball’s Women’s National Team Open Program this weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The event, formerly known as the “Open Tryout,” is led by U.S. WNT head coach Karch Kiraly, and the staff includes assistants Tama Miyashiro, a Kalani graduate, and Alfee Reft, a former UH men’s standout.
The tryout runs through Sunday and is part of the selection process for the U.S. national team, the NCAA Elite Athlete List and the 2022 Collegiate National Team.
Igiede hit a team-high .338 and led the Rainbow Wahine with 136 blocks while helping UH win the Big West title and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UH Hilo wins on senior night
The Hawaii Hilo women’s basketball team (14-9, 11-8 PacWest) celebrated its senior night with an 89-49 rout of Chaminade (1-18, 0-15 PacWest) at McCabe Gym on Friday.
The Vulcans poured in 17 3-pointers, with senior Sara Shimizu accounting for eight.
Sasha Phillip tied her season-high scoring with 12 points for Hawaii Hilo.
HPU splits baseball doubleheader
Hawaii Pacific baseball (8-4, 2-0 PacWest) split its doubleheader matchup with Hawaii Hilo (10-4, 0-2), winning the first game 8-0 and dropping the second game 7-4 at Hans L’Orange Park on Friday.
