There is nothing like staying home for real comfort.
Jane Austen’s famous words rang true for the No. 8 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball team Friday on day one of the Big West Conference Beach Volleyball Championship. The top-seeded BeachBows cruised to a semifinal berth with a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Cal Poly in the comforts of their home court at Queen’s Beach.
“It’s nice to have the chee-hus flying from the sand,” UH coach Evan Silberstein said about the home-field advantage. “Our athletes are used to being down here. We talk about representing Hawaii. We talk about the time that we’ve spent at this place. We’re here under the stars and the moonlight, sometimes setting up the net at sunrise all the way to sunset.”
“Everyone’s pretty stoked to be able to host the Big West tournament here at Queen’s. It’s a big opportunity,” UH’s Brooke Van Sickle added. “We practice here pretty much every morning. We’re definitely comfortable here, more than the other teams. We know the heat, and how the wind blows.”
Hawaii vs. Cal Poly has come to be a yearly tradition at the Big West Beach Volleyball Championship. Since the tournament was established in 2016, the ’Bows and the Mustangs have been the only teams to win it all. UH won the first three championships, then finished as the runner-up to Cal Poly in the next three tournaments.
When the now-familiar draw came up again in this year’s tournament, the BeachBows began to lick their chops.
“Moving along in a tournament is what we were really focused on. But we knew it would be sweet to have Cal Poly as part of the draw,” UH coach Evan Silberstein said. “It certainly sweetens the pot for us to get it done against them. They’re a great team. We appreciate the rivalry. They’ve always pushed us to be better, even when we’ve been on the other side of this result.”
UH raced off to a quick start, sweeping the first four matchups. No. 5 pair Chandler Cowell-Sydney Miller were the first to finish, taking down Cal Poly’s Marina Warren and Margo Smith 21-17, 21-10.
Next to finish was No. 4 pair Sarah Burton and Lea Kruse. Burton and Kruse swept Cal Poly pair Emma Zuffelato and Kalee Graff 21-17, 21-14.
The clinching point came from the pair of Brooke Van Sickle and Kaylee Glagau. Playing at the No. 1 court, Van Sickle and Glagau took on Jayelin Lombard and Piper Naess. Van Sickle and Glagau won a tightly contest back-and-forth first set 21-19. They raced to a 20-12 lead in the second set but couldn’t put away the resilient Mustangs. Lombard and Naess fought off four UH match-point opportunities, but a comeback wasn’t in the cards. Glagau ended the brief slide with a high-arching shot to the back-left corner of the court to take win the second set 21-15.
“We’re stoked on the win. We feel confident that we’re up to the challenge,” Silberstein said. “We know that these teams will have a target on our back as the 1 seed. We were undefeated against them in the regular season. So we know that they’re coming after us and we’re ready to take their best volleyball and one-up it, or even take two steps beyond that.”
With the win already in hand, Ilihia Huddleston and Jaime Santer finished off Delaney Peranich and Brooke Golik at the No. 3 court 21-19, 23-21.
“It’s always nice to beat Cal Poly. They’re one of our biggest rivals,” Huddleston, a senior, said. “The mindset is ‘always on to the next’, and we can’t hold on to this win for too long. But it’s a nice win.”
Cal Poly narrowly avoided a sweep with a win in the last match of the day. The No. 2 court was the only one to reach a third set. With the first set tied 20-20, Cal Poly’s Piper Ferch and Izzy Martinez scored the last two points against Riley Wagoner and Kylin Loker to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Wagoner and Loker bounced back in Set 2 with a strong 21-10 win. In the third set, Ferch and Martinez finished off Wagoner and Loker with a 15-10 win.
With the win, Hawaii moves straight to today’s semifinals. The BeachBows will take on second seed and No. 11 Long Beach State in the first semifinal today at 9 a.m.
“I’ve been here for four years now, and I have not won the Big West for beach volleyball,” Van Sickle said. “I want to go out with a bang, and I know all the other seniors do too. So do all the underclassmen. Everyone wants to bring home the trophy.”
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BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
#8 Hawai’i 4, Cal Poly 1
1. Brooke Van Sickle/Kaylee Glagau (UH) def. Jayelin Lombard/Piper Naess (CP) 21-19, 21-15
2. Piper Ferch/Izzy Martinez (CP) def. Riley Wagoner/Kylin Loker (UH) 22-20, 10-21, 15-10
3. Ilihia Huddleston/Jaime Santer (UH) def. Delaney Peranich/Brooke Golik (CP) 21-19, 23-21
4. Sarah Burton/Lea Kruse (UH) def. Emma Zuffelato/Kalee Graff (CP) 21-17, 21-14
5. Sydney Miller/Chandler Cowell (UH) def. Marina Warren/Margo Smith (CP) 21-17, 21-10
Other Scores:
Cal Poly 4, CSU Bakersfield 1
Long Beach State 5, Sacramento State 0
UC Davis 3, CSUN 2
Long Beach State 5, UC Davis 0
CS Northridge 3, Sacramento 2
UC Davis 4, CSU Bakersfield 1
Cal Poly 3, CS Northridge 2
