Serve aggressive. Serve tough. Most important, serve in.
Hawaii’s hot and cold outing from the service line this season got hot when needed Saturday night against Northern Arizona. The Rainbow Wahine (8-3) finished with nine aces against three late errors when turning back the Lumberjacks 25-20, 25-23, 25-18 in front of 4,543 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The sweep of NAU (9-2) gave Hawaii its first three-match winning streak of the season and a mental boost as it heads off to UC Davis (4-7) to open Big West play Friday. The Wahine saw the continued emergence of junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao as a consistent threat, with her 13 kills and .414 hitting adding balance to the offense.
While Hawaii’s block was missing for most of the 98 minutes — UH was outblocked by NAU 6-5.5 — what the Wahine gained was tough performances from the serving line, particularly from sophomore setter Tayler Higgins (four aces) and senior libero Sarah Mendoza (two).
"I think of it as controlled aggressiveness," said Higgins, who pushed her ace total to 22 this season. "As a team, we’ve been really on or really off with our serves. We need to be more consistent.
"Winning three in a row gives us a good feeling as we leave the preseason behind us and focus on the conference."
It’s no coincidence that Hawaii’s win streak coincides with the return of sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor, who is 3-0 in the starting lineup.
"We’re still fixing up our game," said Taylor, who finished with eight kills. "This gives us a good jump start.
"We knew NAU would come back and play better. We had to pick up our game."
NAU coach Ken Murphy said he felt his team adjusted to the environment, as well as got a better matchup on UH junior middle Olivia Magill.
"But Hawaii is young, strong and tough to defend at all three spots," Murphy said. "They are for sure a Top 25 team. That they aren’t … well, I know I voted for them. "
Hawaii, which fell out of the AVCA Coaches Top 25 for the first time since 1992 earlier this week, got another solid defensive performance from Mendoza (10 digs) and a career-high 16 digs from Manu-Olevao.
"Tai stepped up big time tonight," Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji said. "She led the team, not only statistically, but is becoming a leader on the court.
"We needed to win this series. We were never in synch, it was ragged, but our serving helped us win the series."
The mantra to start quick was evident in Set 1 as Hawaii took control early behind the errorless hitting of Manu-Olevao. The junior hitter put down her first five swings, helping the Wahine to a 15-11 lead.
Taylor, in her third consecutive start, added two kills, and another by senior middle Kalei Adolpho pushed the lead to 20-15. NAU closed late, to 23-19, but could get no closer. Manu-Olevao ended it with her seventh kill on nine swings.
The quick start stayed on the makai side and with the ‘Jacks, who used tip and dump shots effectively en route to a 10-8 lead in Set 2. Taylor got on a serving roll for six straight and Hawaii took the lead for good at 15-10. NAU made things interesting, pulling to within 22-21 on an ace by Sydney Kemper. The teams traded points and, at 24-23, it ended anticlimactically on a service error by Hannah Hill.
"Ragged" was the word after intermission. Hawaii, which to that point had seven aces and no errors, went ahead early at 3-0, but had two consecutive errors in helping NAU tie it at 4.
It would be tied eight more times, the last at 15, when Adolpho connected on three straight swings to give the Wahine breathing room at 19-17. The ‘Jacks hung around until 20-18, then got hung in a bad rotation; Higgins served for the final four points, her fourth ace setting up match point. Magill finished it off with her seventh kill.
NAU had only dropped five sets coming into Honolulu. The ‘Jacks left losing six. They got nine kills each from Lauren Jacobsen and Kemper, and an outstanding performance from libero Stacia Williams (14 digs).
Green 2, White 1
Shouts of "Go ‘Bows" alternated with "Go Mom" as some 40 alumnae returned for the annual match that was both friendly and fierce competition.
The Green won 15-25, 25-22, 25-24 (time limit), with highlights including former setters and defensive specialists taking swings on the outside such as Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Mita Uiato and Ali Longo. Ah Mow-Santos, a three-time Olympian, wowed the early arriving crowd with a blind back dump set for a point.
Family ties included mom Lee Ann and daughter Chanteal Satele and sisters Lauren Duggins-Chun and Elise Duggins. Another ‘ohana pair had been expected with sisters-in-law Elizabeth Ka’aihue Stolzman and Kanoe Kamana’o Ka’aihue, but Ka’aihue gave birth to daughter Mikayla early Saturday morning.
