Hawaii setter Kate Lang and outside hitter Caylen Alexander claimed half of the Big West’s weekly women’s volleyball awards on Monday.
Lang was named the Big West Setter of the Week after directing a Rainbow Wahine attack that hit a combined .356 in sweeps of UC Davis and UC Riverside to open conference play. The sophomore distributed 36 assists and had seven digs and an ace against UC Davis on Friday. She added 39 assists against UC Riverside on Saturday, when the Wahine hit .414 with 49 kills and a season-low eight errors. UH’s hitting percentage was the program’s best since a .494 performance on Sept. 29, 2017, in a win over Cal State Fullerton. Lang moved into the Big West lead with 9.57 assists per set overall and 12.50 in conference matches.
Alexander earned her second Freshman of the Week award after posting 23 kills on .375 hitting over the weekend. She had eight kills and a season-high four blocks against UC Davis. She caught fire in the final two sets against UC Riverside and finished the night with a match-high 15 kills on 27 error-free swings to hit .556. She put away seven kills in 15 swings in the third set alone. She also had an ace in both matches, giving her a team-best 17 this season.
UC Santa Barbara right-side hitter Tallulah Froley and libero Macall Peed won the offensive and defensive player of the week awards.
The Rainbow Wahine (5-5, 2-0 Big West) embark on their second road trip of the season this week and face Cal State Fullerton (7-3, 1-1) on Friday and Long Beach State (6-4, 1-1) on Saturday.
Gilbert picks up Big West soccer award
Hawaii forward Amber Gilbert’s fast start to her Rainbow Wahine career continued with her second Big West women’s soccer Freshman of the Week award.
Gilbert, a Mililani graduate, bolted past the Cal Poly defense for a breakaway goal in a 2-2 draw with Cal Poly on Sunday in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Gilbert leads Big West freshmen with eight points (three goals, two assists) this season. She ranks second on the team in goals behind Krista Peterson’s four.
UH (4-2-2, 1-0-2 Big West) enters the week in second place in the Big West standings with five points, trailing Cal State Fullerton (5-3-3, 2-0). The Rainbow Wahine face Long Beach State (2-4-4, 1-0-1) at 4 p.m. Sunday at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
Swimming Hall of Fame induction set
The Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 is set to be inducted at the organization’s eighth induction ceremony. The banquet, which will be open to the public, is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. and will be held at the Japanese Cultural Center Ballroom.
The class of 2021 — 12 individuals who have contributed to Hawaii’s rich and outstanding aquatic history — will join the likes of Duke Kahanamoku and former UH swimming coach and USA Olympic Swim Team assistant coach Soichi Sakamoto, who were among the first to be inducted in 2002.
This year’s inductees are swimmers John Parks, Barry Yap and Kathy Shipman; channel swimmer Stefan Reinke; open water swimmer Jim Budde; diver Jeff Stabile; coaches Jeff Meister and Blake Marr; contributors Sam Aucoin, Chris Gardner and Marcelle Arakaki; and ocean safety’s Alan C. Hong.
Individual tickets for the banquet are $100 and include assigned seating and buffet dinner. A table of 10 will be $1,000. Banquet reservations/purchases can be made at channelswim4@hotmail.com