After the first two sets Sunday it looked like Hawaii would cruise to another Big West women’s volleyball sweep, their 12th in a row. But Cal State-Fullerton wasn’t ready to give up and had a very different idea — like beating the Rainbow Wahine for the first time ever after 42 losses.

In the end, UH recovered to win the match — barely. The Titans snapped UH’s string of consecutive sets won at 22 and gave the Wahine all they could handle in a 25-13, 25-20, 25-27, 13-25, 15-10 marathon that went 2 1/2 hours at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawaii survived to improve to 4-0 in conference and 7-5 overall. Fullerton is now 1-3 and 4-7.

Reigning conference offensive player of the week Brooke Van Sickle notched a match-high 21 kills to go with 19 digs for UH, and the Wahine dominated at the net with 14 blocks to nine.

UH’s block and Van Sickle’s terminating swings proved decisive in the final set to 15 points. Back-to-back blocks, both including Amber Igiede (who was match-high with nine blocks), and Van Sickle’s kill put Hawaii up 10-5.

Fullerton still wasn’t done, though, and rallied to 13-10. A Van Sickle kill finally got the sideout and put the Wahine at match point; Van Sickle took care of that, too, and it was finally over.

Julia Crawford led the Titans with 18 kills and Makena Ala’ilima added 18.

At the beginning, it looked like it would be an easy night for the Wahine.

Hawaii scored the first five points of the match, four of them on kills by Van Sickle. Then Igiede was involved in three blocks during a four-point sequence. The third, a solo, made the score 16-7.

Fullerton put together three points to close to 22-13, but it was way too little, too late.

Freshman Braelyn Akana combined with Igiede on a block and then her kill ended the first.

The Wahine outblocked the Titans 8-0 in the first set, with Skyler Williams and Igiede each in on four of them. Williams had 13 kills and Igiede 12 for the match.

UH again jumped off to a fast start in the second set, leading 8-2. But the Titans rallied back to close within three points, the last at 16-13. From that point, Igiede and Williams dominated the middle. Williams’ fourth kill of the stanza gave Hawaii a 2-0 lead in sets.

Fullerton took its first lead of the match with the first point of the third set. The Wahine fired back with three points in a row, but the Titans kept pace and took an 18-17 lead. Crawford and Ala’ilima came up big over and over again with six kills each in the survival set.

The Titans kept the momentum going to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set, and the Wahine never fully recovered until the start of the final set.