UCLA sweeps Hawaii for title and third straight win in series

This time there would be no comeback against a Pac-12 team.

Unlike on Aug. 28, when Hawaii pulled out a dramatic five-set win over Arizona, the Rainbow Wahine had no such miracle in their collective pocket when it came to No. 8 UCLA.

The Bruins (6-0) continued to have the Wahine’s number — or numbers — claiming their second consecutive Hawaiian Airlines Classic title Saturday night. Not only was it UCLA’s third straight win over Hawaii (3-3), it was the Bruins’ 37th victory all-time, evening the 43-year-old series.

It also was the first time Hawaii was swept at home since 2014 … also by UCLA. The Bruins also tied the Wahine for most Classic titles with 11.

The season-high crowd of 8,503 left after 111 minutes with the same feeling as the Hawaii players. It was a winnable match that didn’t end up in the win column.

“I felt it should have been a big win for us, but we couldn’t hold up our end,” junior libero Savanah Kahakai said, after finishing with a match-high 19 digs. “I feel like it should have been us that swept in three instead of the other way. For me, it’s the third time it’s happened (losing to UCLA) and I was hoping for a different outcome.

“We fought hard in a championship game. We made the same mistakes as last week, but I think we’ve made a big jump.”

Hawaii senior opposite Nikki Taylor, who missed the previous weekend’s matches with an elbow injury, finished with a match-high 17 kills en route to being named the Most Outstanding Player.

Junior middle Emily Maglio added 12 kills, one off her career high, and was selected to the all-tournament team along with freshman setter Norene Iosia. Reily Buechler led the Bruins with 14 kills and 11 digs.

The MOP honor was bittersweet for Taylor, who took responsibility for errors “I myself shouldn’t have made,” she said, committing 14 hitting errors. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot.

“We don’t have all of our parts yet; our gears are not fully turning.”

Instead, Hawaii’s momentum kept grinding to a halt during each set.

“We had too many unforced errors,” Wahine coach Dave Shoji said, noting the 25 hitting errors that led to a .150 hitting percentage. “Even with those, we could have won any of the three. As I told the team, it’s really a two-point swing when you don’t convert. We threw a lot of points away.

“It’s disappointing. I thought we played hard but kept shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Hawaii looked to have Set 1 under control, with leads of 12-6, 17-13 and 19-15. UCLA took advantage of Taylor’s struggles (three hitting errors) to tie at 19.

Down 22-20, the Bruins scored four straight, capped by a block of McKenna Granato, for their first set point. A kill by Maglio kept the Wahine alive for one point but not a second, with Gianna Guinasso’s serve sailing wide to end it.

The Wahine played catch-up in Set 2, falling behind 3-0 only to take the lead at 6-5 on a kill by Taylor. It was tight until the end, with eight more ties and three more lead changes.

Iosia’s service error gave the Bruins the lead for good. Hawaii pulled to within 23-22 on Maglio’s 10th kill, but UCLA answered with a kill by Buechler and a service overpass slam back by Claire Felix.

Searching for something that would change it up, Hawaii changed setters, replacing Iosia with senior Tayler Higgins. The Wahine used two aces by Taylor to take the lead a 7-6 and the seesaw battle continued with three more lead changes and six more ties.

At 17-17, Buechler put down a kill, then added two dagger aces during a 4-0 deciding run. Hawaii held off two match points but not a third, with UCLA senior Haley Lawless, cleared to play just yesterday, ending it with her fourth kill.

“I think our patience was our strength,” Bruins coach Mike Sealy said.

Hawaii will take today off before returning to the practice gym Monday morning at 7.

“That’s the time the players wanted,” Shoji said.

Shoji also said that senior middle Annie Mitchem, who has been out with a fractured finger all season, is close to being cleared to play.

In Saturday’s opener, Missouri State needed just 83 minutes to sweep Pacific for third place, 25-14, 25-23, 25-19.

Freshman hitter Aubrey Chaffy put down 11 kills and junior hitter Lily Johnson added 10 for the Bears (3-3). Sophomore libero Emily Butters had 17 digs for MSU.

The Tigers (2-4) got 10 kills from Lexi Elman. Junior libero Katrin Gotterba had 14 digs.

All-tournament team

Hawaii: Nikki Taylor (MOP), Emily Maglio, Norene Iosia

UCLA: Jordan Anderson, Jennie Frager

Missouri State: Lily Johnson

Pacific: Lexi Elman

NO. 8 UCLA DEF. NO. 15 HAWAII 25-23, 25-22, 25-22

BRUINS (6-0)

RAINBOW WAHINE (3-3)

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 — UCLA 2 (Buechler 2). Hawaii 3 (Taylor 3). Service errors — UCLA 1 (Schlener). Hawaii 4 (Guinasso, Higgins, Iosia, Taylor). Assists — UCLA 41 (Chandler 37, Formico 4). Hawaii 44 (Iosia 26, Higgins 11, Kahakai 3, Granato, Greeley, Koelsch, Taylor).

T — 1:51. Officials — Wayne Lee, Dickson Chun. A — 8,503.