SAN JOSE, Calif. » Cool and calm across the ocean, seventh-ranked Hawaii collected another volleyball sweep Tuesday. The Rainbow Wahine walked out of Spartan Gym with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-19 victory over San Jose State.
The Western Athletic Conference match was watched by a crowd of 812 that was, essentially, neutral. Many fans showed up wearing Hawaii shirts and stood for match point. But the resurgent Spartans (9-14, 4-6), with four players from Hawaii, had their share of followers, including one with a sign that read "Lei Down Hawaii."
It never happened.
Hawaii (22-1, 10-0 WAC) won the opening set behind Kanani Danielson’s nine kills and an 11-4 surge at the end, anchored by Jane Croson’s serving.
The Rainbow Wahine scored six of the last seven points in the second against SJSU, with Chanteal Satele getting two of her match- and UH career-high 15 kills — five in each set.
Mita Uiato made a spectacular save on the final point, changing direction to track a ball that ricocheted off the basketball standards folded against the ceiling. She fisted it up while flying face first at Danielson. Earlier, Uiato had gone flying when she ran into libero Lizzie Blake.
The Wahine took control early in a third set where freshman Kalei Adolpho started in the middle and Emily Hartong took over for Croson — hitting zero (4 kills, 4 errors) — on the left. Adolpho went 5-for-7 with two blocks.
No matter what San Jose did — and, with the exception of some ballhandling lapses, the Spartans might have played to their potential — it was never enough. The team that went to the 1984 final four and was a regular participant in the NCAA tournament through 2001, has now lost its last 41 against UH.
The Wahine have also won 37 straight sets against the Spartans, who took out Utah State and Idaho last week and could be Hawaii’s first opponent at next month’s WAC tournament.
"We have a greater sense of intensity on our side," San Jose State coach Oscar Crespo said. "But on their side, Hawaii is doing that. They are really getting tighter, not letting teams get the best of them. Their ballhandling is better. They are attacking well on the left side. I definitely feel Hawaii got tighter in a good way in the last five or six points of each game."
For the 17th consecutive match — the Wahine have not lost since Sept. 4 — UH made all the right moves when it absolutely had to have them.
"That’s encouraging," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "San Jose is playing much better than they have. It was not an easy match, but we’re making plays again."
Uiato compared the late-set surges to the end of every Rainbow Wahine practice.
"Our B side is very competitive, they challenge us every day at practice," she said. "We’re always playing against teams that are really scrappy and want to beat us."
Shoji was also encouraged by the offense of Satele and Brittany Hewitt and "of course, Kanani is Kanani. When all that is happening, we’re pretty good."
Danielson was so good in the opening set — 9-for-15 — Shoji had to remind Uiato to look more to the middle. In the second, Satele had her five kills, Croson and Emily Hartong three apiece and Hewitt and Danielson two each.
"Kanani could probably get 30 kills," he said, "but we need to be a little more balanced."
The Wahine hit .348, their best percentage in five matches. Every attacker but Croson, who led the defense with 10 digs, hit .333 or better.
"We just hit really well tonight," Uiato said. "We found the seams. Kanani demolished them.
"We tooled a lot. The middles did really good. The passes made it possible so all four hitters were in good spots."
Freshman Savanah Leaf, the reigning WAC player of the week, led the Spartans with 12 kills — six in the second set. With 33 assists, Caitlin Andrade, San Jose State’s junior setter out of Kamehameha, moved into fifth place on the career assists list.
Notes
After wins over Notre Dame (twice), Utah State and Idaho last week, Hawaii remained seventh in the NCAA’s second RPI of the season. Illinois is still first, followed by Nebraska, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Texas and Minnesota.
Hawaii plays at Fresno State Thursday and Nevada Saturday. Both matches begin at 4 p.m. Hawaii time and will be broadcast live on KKEA, 1420-AM.
WAC STANDINGS
|
W |
L |
PCT. |
GB |
ALL |
Hawaii |
10 |
0 |
1.000 |
— |
22-1 |
NMSU |
7 |
1 |
.875 |
2 |
18-5 |
Idaho |
5 |
4 |
.556 |
412 |
11-11 |
Fresno St. |
4 |
4 |
.500 |
5 |
10-11 |
Utah State |
4 |
5 |
.444 |
512 |
9-13 |
San Jose St. |
4 |
6 |
.400 |
6 |
9-14 |
Nevada |
1 |
7 |
.125 |
8 |
4-16 |
Louisiana Tech |
0 |
8 |
.000 |
9 |
9-16 |
Tuesday
Hawaii def. San Jose State 25-17, 25-20, 25-19
Thursday
Hawaii at Fresno State, 4 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Idaho
New Mexico State at Utah State
San Jose State at Nevada
Saturday
Hawaii at Nevada, 4 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Utah State
New Mexico State at Idaho
San Jose State at Fresno State
NO. 8 HAWAII DEF. SAN JOSE STATE 25-17, 25-20, 25-19
RAINBOW WAHINE (22-1, 10-0 WAC)
|
S |
K |
E |
ATT |
PCT |
D |
BS |
BA |
PTS |
Hewitt |
3 |
7 |
2 |
15 |
.333 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
Danielson |
3 |
14 |
2 |
27 |
.444 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
Croson |
2 |
4 |
4 |
20 |
.000 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Uiato |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
-1.000 |
7 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
Satele |
3 |
15 |
2 |
28 |
.464 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
17 |
Hartong |
3 |
5 |
0 |
14 |
.357 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
Goodman |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Tuaniga |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Lelepali |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Stauber |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Maeda |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Adolpho |
1 |
5 |
0 |
7 |
.714 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
Blake |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
TOTALS |
3 |
50 |
11 |
112 |
.348 |
48 |
1 |
10 |
66 |
SPARTANS (9-14, 4-6 WAC)
|
S |
K |
E |
ATT |
PCT |
D |
BS |
BA |
PTS |
Blume |
3 |
5 |
4 |
19 |
.053 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
Miraldi |
3 |
4 |
2 |
11 |
.182 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
Leaf |
3 |
12 |
3 |
32 |
.281 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
Akana |
3 |
6 |
2 |
12 |
.333 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
Andrade |
3 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
.200 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Miller |
3 |
5 |
1 |
16 |
.250 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
O’Reilly |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Amian |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
-.250 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Pieper |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
O’Connell |
2 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
.625 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
Casino |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TOTALS |
3 |
39 |
13 |
108 |
.241 |
40 |
2 |
4 |
46 |
Key — s: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct: hitting percentage; d: digs; bs: block solo; ba: block assists; pts: points (kills plus blocks plus aces). Service Aces — Hawaii 5 (Danielson, Croson, Uiato, Satele, Blake). SJSU 1 (Blume). Service errors — Hawaii 5 (Croson 3, Hewitt, Lelepali). SJSU 4 (Leaf 2, Blume, Miller). Assists — Hawaii 47 (Uiato 42, Stauber 2, Danielson, Hartong, Blake). SJSU 39 (Andrade 33, Blume 2, Akana 2, Miller, Pieper). Officials — Bill Forrester, Ray Mink. T — 1:24. A — 812.