UH blocks out CSUN

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. >> The Big West Conference’s player of the year in women’s volleyball last season is applying the lessons she learned on the sand and in the open air to competitions on wood under artificial light.

As a result, Hawaii’s Nikki Taylor not only reached a personal milestone Thursday night but also demonstrated the potential to surpass last year’s achievements.

Taylor registered her 1,200th career kill as the Rainbow Wahine remained undefeated in conference play with a 25-14, 25-15, 25-15 sweep of Cal State Northridge at the Matadome. The match lasted 88 minutes.

No. 12 Hawaii (12-4, 5-0) will take a 26-match winning streak against Big West opponents into Saturday night’s contest against conference co-leader Long Beach State (11-7. 5-0).

Taylor got her 1,200th kill in the third set, when she pounded a spike off a two-player block to give UH a 16-11 lead. She finished with 13 kills, 11 digs and an ace.

“It’s definitely a great accomplishment,” said Taylor, the 15th Wahine to reach 1,200 kills. “It means a lot to know that I have teammates who trust me enough to set me a lot. That’s what means more to me than the actual numbers.”

UH coach Dave Shoji believes Taylor has a chance to produce an even better season than last year, when she made the AVCA’s All-America second team. Taylor finished fifth nationally with 5.48 points per set and led the Big West in kills per set, aces per set, total kills, service aces and total points.

“I thought she had a great year, and it’s going to be hard for her to duplicate that,” Shoji said. “But I think she’s on track to do that. She’s our biggest weapon and she’ll see a lot more sets.”

Beach volleyball proved pivotal to Taylor’s development. The Kaiser High graduate played the past three seasons with three different partners. She earned a place on the All-America first team as a freshman and sophomore and helped the SandBows to the inaugural Big West championship last spring.

“It just helps her overall game,” Shoji said. “She’s become a very good defender. She moves well. She gets her feet to almost all the balls. Just because it’s sand, her feet are better. It’s also helped her stamina, I think.”

In addition, beach volleyball honed Taylor’s ability to analyze and anticipate.

“It really makes you read the game a lot more because there are only one or two people in sand,” she said. “It really makes you try to think of things that are going to happen before they actually happen. Playing sand has really made me respect the touches I get when I play indoor.”

After dominating the first set against CSUN (6-11, 2-3), the Wahine had to overcome deficits in the next two. The Matadors built a 6-2 lead in Set 2 before UH moved ahead 10-8. When CSUN tied the score at 11, the Wahine responded with a 14-4 blitz. Emily Maglio led the surge with a kill off a quick set and three block assists.

It was tied eight times in the tight Set 3. CSUN held leads of 3-1 and 10-9 before Hawaii secured the win with a 16-5 spree.

“Obviously, we controlled the match, but we didn’t control all the little points,” Shoji said. “We need to be much better if were going to beat Long Beach and just take care of the free-ball plays. The digs needs to be where the setter can set the ball.”

But Shoji offered a different assessment when reflecting on Taylor’s most recent achievement.

“She’s not done yet,” he said with a smile. “We’re expecting her to get to 1,300.”

Junior libero Savanah Kahakai had a match-high 14 digs as all 14 Wahine on the travel roster played.

For the Matadors, sophomore hitter Aeryn Owens had six kills and senior hitter Julie Haake added five. CSUN was without starting setter Lauren Conati.

Hawaii held the Matadors to negative .040 hitting, the third straight match the Wahine’s opponent was negative.

Note

Taylor is at 1,202 kills and needs 19 to pass Jessica Sudduth (1997-2000) for 14th on the career list. Taylor’s double-double was her fourth this season.