Talia Edmonds’ night got off to an unexpected start and ended with another surprise.
When Hawaii libero Tayli Ikenaga suffered an injury moments before first serve of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team’s match against UC San Diego last Saturday, Edmonds had to hustle to the locker room to change her jersey to fill the role.
Some 2 hours and 22 minutes and 28 digs later, she was caught off guard by the number in her stat line after the Wahine managed to grind out a four-set victory to remain undefeated in the Big West and alone atop the conference standings.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Edmonds said. “We were sitting in the locker room after the game and they were like, ‘Oh by the way, you had a career high’ and I was, ‘Oh really?’ I had no idea.”
A regular starter as a defensive specialist in her first season at UH, Edmonds’ experience playing libero at Michigan State proved valuable after Ikenaga had to be helped off the court after suffering the injury late in warmups on Saturday.
Ikenaga had started all 43 matches, encompassing 154 sets, of her UH career prior to watching Saturday’s match from the bench with her ankle wrapped in ice.
“It’s not bad,” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said in her media session on Tuesday. “She’s just gotta get it back, get it stronger and then she’ll be back with us.”
As for Ikenaga’s status for UH’s road trip to Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly this week, “I don’t know. We’ll see,” Ah Mow said.
The Rainbow Wahine (9-5, 6-0 Big West) are scheduled to depart this morning and play at CSU Bakersfield (5-14, 2-5) on Friday and Cal Poly (9-8, 6-1) on Saturday. Cal Poly rallied past CSUB in five sets (21-25, 25-21, 14-25, 25-21, 15-13) on Tuesday at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif., to remain in second place..
With Ikenaga’s injury forcing a lineup shuffle, Edmonds took on an expanded role against UCSD and her digs total was the program’s highest since Tita Akiu’s 34 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. She also served up the first two aces of her UH career, the second coming on match point.
In those moments when Edmonds did go to the bench, she spent much of her time standing or sitting next to Ikenaga.
“It was a two-way thing for sure,” Edmonds said. “It gave me comfort just to be with her in those moments because I know she’s been in that role since her freshman year. … So she was giving me comfort in ‘OK, you’re doing this well.’ … Or she’s seeing these things that I can’t necessarily see when I’m on the court.
“It was this understanding that I’m also there for her. I know it’s terrible to be injured and I’ve gone through my fair share of injuries. So I just knew I want to be there for her as best that I can too.”
While playing libero or DS require the same skill sets whether in floor defense or serve reception, wearing the contrasting jersey (black in Saturday’s case) does come with a broader range of responsibilities along with spending more time on the floor.
“With the jersey on … you are the defensive coordinator in the back row,” Edmonds said. “You’re directing passing patterns, you’re telling people where they need to be on defense, talking to the block a little bit more than you would be as a DS.”
Ah Mow noted Edmonds’ ease in talking to her teammates when she joined the program in January as a graduate transfer, and she provided a presence in relief of Ikenaga beyond her stat line.
“She has such a big voice, she literally tells me where to hit, left or right,” UH middle blocker Amber Igiede said. “She helps a lot and maybe people don’t realize it. Just knowing Talia would be the next in line is very comforting and the work she’s put in, it showed this weekend.”
Big West women’s volleyball
At Icardo Center, Bakersfield, Calif.
Hawaii (9-5, 6-0 BWC) vs. CSU Bakersfield (5-14, 2-5)
>> When: Friday, 3 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM / 92.7-FM
>> Online: ESPN+
