Wahine hammer Northern Arizona

On a night that saw Hawaii coach Dave Shoji play catch-up with Penn State’s Russ Rose for all-time career wins, the Rainbow Wahine caught momentum early and rode it to a quick 25-18, 25-15, 25-18 sweep of previously undefeated Northern Arizona on Friday night.

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,027 saw the Rainbow Wahine (7-3) take 85 minutes to knock the Lumberjacks (9-1) from the unbeaten ranks; NAU had come in as one of 15 undefeated teams nationally.

They also saw Shoji keep pace with Rose, whose Nittany Lions improved to 10-1 with sweeps of Eastern Illinois and DePaul earlier Friday. The coaches are tied at 1,135 victories.

"He’s having a great career as well," Shoji said of longtime friend Rose. "More power to him,"

Victory No. 1,135 came via a balanced attack, with junior middle Olivia Magill putting down 11 swings with just one error, and sophomore hitter Nikki Taylor also with 11 kills in her second start of the season. Freshman hitter Kalei Greeley added seven kills, while senior middle Kalei Adolpho and junior hitter Tai Manu-Olevao combined for 12 kills with just one error.

Manu-Olevao also had 10 digs to go along with four of the team’s eight aces. Senior libero Sarah Mendoza had a match-high 14 digs.

The teams meet again Saturday at 7 p.m. Both Shoji and NAU coach Ken Murphy expect the the ‘Jacks to play better.

"Hawaii did a good job of pressuring us with their serves and I hope we deal with that pressure a little better, create some pressure ourselves," said Murphy, whose team had five aces. "The speed of No. 10’s (Manu-Olevao) serve caught us by surprise and No. 9 (Magill) was very tough to defend."

Northern Arizona, used to playing at altitude at home (7,000 feet), couldn’t deal with the altitude of Hawaii’s offense. The Wahine put up a big front line in some rotations with Magill (who plays taller than her listed 6-foot-1), the 6-3 Taylor, 6-2 Greeley and 6-1 Adolpho. Taylor was in on five blocks and Magill and Adolpho both four as Hawaii won the blocking game 9-6.

"I thought we played with confidence, got out to a better start than we’ve been having," Shoji said. "We played a complete match for a change."

Manu-Olevao helped Hawaii get past its early struggles in Set 1 with a serving run that included two aces, giving the Wahine a 9-5 lead. Hawaii had trouble closing it out, needing four swings, the last by Adolpho on a slide play.

Manu-Olevao’s serve was key to the Wahine’s success in Set 2. Her 5-0 stay at the back line included the third of four aces and lifted Hawaii to a 16-9 margin.

An ace by Taylor pushed it to 21-13 and, after NAU closed to 21-15, Greeley held service for the final four points. The closing run included Adolpho’s slam of a service overpass and the senior captain teaming with junior hitter Keani Passi for a block of Lauren Jacobsen.

Jacobsen led the ‘Jacks with 12 kills.

"It was fun tonight, it’s fun when we’re doing well," Adolpho said. "We made it a point to come out strong and we took control of the match."

Saturday’s fans not only get a chance to see Hawaii’s past with the annual alumnae match at 5 p.m., but also think about its future. Irvine College sophomore middle Annie Mitchem, the defending national junior college player of the year, confirmed her oral commitment to play for the Rainbow Wahine next season.

"I’m really excited, I’ve wanted to play for Hawaii since I was in ninth grade," the 6-foot-2 Mitchem said in a phone call from California on Friday. "It’s a perfect fit for me. I didn’t look anywhere else. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else."

Mitchem, coached by former Warrior All-American Tom Pestolesi, is a six-rotation player. In last month’s season opener against Concordia, she had 16 kills, 16 digs and 10 blocks for the No. 2 Lasers (6-0).

The Friendswood, Texas, native is expected to be one of three early signees in November. The others are Punahou senior McKenna Granato, a 5-11 outside hitter and PrepVolleyball.com All-American, and Casey Castillo, a 6-3 outside hitter from Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, Calif.

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 — NAU 5 (Vander Ploeg 2, Barton, Williams, Hill). Hawaii 8 (Manu-Olevao 4, Taylor 2, Mendoza 2). Service errors — NAU 10 (Jacobsen 4, Kemper 2, Stephens, Vander Ploeg, Williams, Hill). Hawaii 5 (Higgins 2, Taylor, Manu-Olevao, Mendoza). Assists — NAU 28 (Barton 25, Kemper, Stephens, Williams). Hawaii 35 (Higgins 31, Mendoza 3, Greeley). T — 1:25. A — 4,027. Referees — Ernie Ho, Ryan Sakagawa.