Refining skills is the primary focus of spring practice. Performing under pressure situations was an added benefit of the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team’s exhibition series with Minnesota.

The Rainbow Wahine went to five sets with the Golden Gophers for the second straight night with the Big Ten power again coming out with the win, finishing off a 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 15-13 win on Wednesday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

Although the Golden Gophers will return home with two wins, the Wahine will have ample experience to build on when they get back into the practice gym.

“You can try and mimic it in practice, putting the score at 23-20 and having us work back. But it’s not really the same until you get into that situation,” UH middle blocker Kennedi Evans said of facing fifth-set scenarios on both nights. “Being in the high-pressure fifth-set situations is really helpful being in the Stan, in the environment of a game.”

Sophomore outside hitter Mckenna Wucherer led Minnesota for the second straight night with 19 kills in 37 attacks. She also had 10 digs and six of the Gophers’ 14 aces. Lauren Crowl added 11 kills on .323 hitting and All-Big Ten setter Melani Shaffmaster distributed 46 assists.

Caylen Alexander led UH with 16 kills and Evans put away 13 of her 23 swings in a .478 hitting performance. Tiffany Westerberg, who moved from middle to the outside this spring, had 11 kills and Amber Igiede and Kendra Ham finished with 10 each.

Evans was a late addition before the start of fall camp and took a gradual approach to returning from a knee injury she suffered the previous season at Utah. She finished with 10 kills in seven appearances off the bench in the fall and started both nights against Minnesota.

“It’s really fun to have this opportunity to train and get better and it’s been very helpful to have this spring to get adapted more to the program and how we run things,” Evans said.

“She’s just a little more in tune,” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said. “Physically her knee is obviously getting better and she can be more agile.”

Setters Kate Lang and Jackie Matias again rotated for much of the match. Lang finished with 37 assists and two aces and Matias had 12 assists and two kills, one off of a dig.

“I’m really trying to incorporate my relationship with Mylana (Byrd),” Lang said referencing her two seasons with last year’s lone senior. “I’m trying to think about what Mylana did for me as a freshman and how she hooked me in and I’m doing that for Jackie hopefully.”

The teams agreed to play four sets regardless of the outcome of the first three, but that became moot after Minnesota ran away with the first set and UH answered a 9-0 Gophers run with a 10-2 surge to take the second.

Minnesota closed the third set with a 7-0 run, with Arica Davis delivering three consecutive aces, the last falling off the tape and to the court. UH responded with an 8-1 run to finish the fourth, including aces from Lang and Alexander.

Minnesota surged to a 9-4 lead in the fifth, but UH went on a 5-0 run and tied the set on Lang’s second ace. Wucherer’s final kill gave Minnesota match point at 14-11 and UH stayed alive with a kill from Igiede, who then teamed with Annika de Goede on a block. But Julia Hanson ended the comeback and the match with her ninth kill.

“The one thing that sticks out is they keep fighting,” Ah Mow said.