Wahine mop up Aggies

Homecoming weekend was capped by a team block party inside the Stan Sheriff Center Sunday evening.

No. 17 Hawaii stuffed any chance of a UC Davis upset with 12 blocks in the 25-16, 25-11, 25-15 Big West volleyball sweep. Senior opposite Nikki Taylor tied her career high with eight block assists to go along with nine kills, and freshman middle Natasha Burns had a career-high six block assists in the 89-minute sweep.

Sophomore hitter McKenna Granato also had nine kills for the Rainbow Wahine (14-5, 7-1), winning their 15th consecutive home conference match dating back to 2014. Senior Annie Mitchem, moving back to left-side hitter from middle, had eight kills, and junior middle Emily Maglio was in on six blocks as Hawaii held an opponent to negative hitting for the fourth time this season (UCD hit -.040).

“Natasha played great tonight,” Taylor said. “When we put Annie on the outside, we trust that she can produce for us, come in and be a strong force.

“Knowing that is a huge advantage.”

It’s as huge as the front line that Hawaii can put up in some rotations with the 6-foot-3 Mitchem, 6-4 Taylor and 6-5 Burns.

“I see it every day in practice,” said Burns, who added five kills when making her fourth start and first since Sept. 8 against Utah Valley. “Tonight was all about controlling my nerves. Everyone was in high spirits.”

So was the crowd of 4,834 who watched Hawaii play one of its more efficient and balanced matches of the season. The Wahine hit .325 when keeping the Aggies (9-10, 2-4) off-balanced most of the night.

Freshman setter Norene Iosia had 26 assists and a match-high 13 digs for her ninth double-double.

Hawaii’s only concern was Taylor, who left the match with the Wahine leading 8-3 in Set 2 after tweaking her injured left elbow on a block. She was evaluated by the team doctor and trainer, had her elbow retaped and returned three rotations later with the Wahine up 15-7.

The issue is something that Taylor said she’ll just live with the rest of the season. She hyperextended the elbow during the team’s scrimmage on Aug. 20 and missed the first three matches of the season.

“It takes the fun out of volleyball but this is kind of my job,” the All-American said.

“I leave it up to the medical staff and her,” Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. “We took her out and I asked her three times if she wanted to stay out. She said no.

“No one likes to see her in pain and if she said ‘no’ to going back in, I’m good with that.”

Had Taylor stayed out, the option would have been either freshman McKenna Ross or junior reserve setter Kendra Koelsch. Ross got in briefly in Set 2 and Koelsch for the last two plays of Set 3, ending the match with a lineshot from the right.

The Aggies got eight kills from freshman hitter Lauren Matias, the reigning Big West freshman of the week. UC Davis had the top two players in the conference in hitting percentage in junior middle Aima Eichie (.460) and sophomore middle Kelechi Ohiri (.408); they were held to .125 and .111, respectively.

The Aggies had taken just one set off the Wahine in four previous trips to Honolulu. They came closest to a second when pulling to 14-13 in Set 3.

Burns had a kill and teamed with Taylor for two blocks during a deciding 4-0 run. Granato’s final kill sent her to the service line where she camped out until Hawaii reached match point at 24-14. UC Davis prolonged it by one play with a kill by Ohiri but not a second as Koelsch’s shot punctuated the Wahine’s 10th sweep of the season.

Hawaii has a bye week and doesn’t play again until road matches at UC Riverside Oct. 28 and Cal State Fullerton Oct. 29. It comes at a good time, Shoji said.

“We’re banged up right now but this is the time of the season where everyone is,” he said. “We’ll take a few days off, go fairly light in practice starting Wednesday.”

Asked about how the two conference victories will affect today’s new Ratings Percentage Index, “Every win counts,” he said. “We just hope the other teams we played keep winning.”

Shoji said he’ll continue to evaluate the lineup with Mitchem taking reps at both middle and outside. The X factor, he said, was junior hitter Kalei Greeley, a starter on the left side for most of her career who is still rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery that has relegated her to mostly back-row passing duties.

Also on the mend is sophomore Casey Castillo (leg) who has played both in the middle and left-side hitter.

BIG WEST VOLLEYBALL

Sunday
Hawaii def. UC Davis 25-16, 25-11, 25-15
Thursday
Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine
UC Riverside at UC Davis
Friday
CSUN at Cal Poly
Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara
Saturday
Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
Long Beach State at Cal Poly
CSUN at UC Santa Barbara
UC Riverside at UC Irvine
Friday, Oct. 28
Hawaii at UC Riverside, 5 p.m., HST
UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
UC Davis at CSUN

NO. 17 HAWAII DEF. UC DAVIS 25-16, 25-11, 25-15
AGGIES (9-10, 2-4 BWC)

RAINBOW WAHINE (14-5, 7-1 BWC)

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 — UC Davis 1 (Eichie). Hawaii 3 (Iosia 2, Mitchem). Service errors — UC Davis 7 (Allen 2, Eichie 2, Matias, Merlino, Walbrecht). Hawaii 5 (Granato, Iosia, Kahakai, Mitchem, Taylor). Assists — UC Davis 22 (Mar 13, Merlino 7, Bolko 2). Hawaii 35 (Iosia 26, Kahakai 4, Higgins 2, Greeley, Smith, Taylor). T — 1:29.
Officials — Margie Ray, Ryan Sakagawa. A — 4,834.