IRVINE, Calif. >> The Big West Conference’s player of the week demonstrated her dominance for the third successive match to help Hawaii lengthen its lead in the women’s volleyball standings Thursday night.

Senior hitter Annie Mitchem tied her career highs in kills and aces to lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 25-14, 25-13, 25-18 sweep of UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center on campus.

No. 14 Hawaii (19-5, 12-1) used its seventh consecutive win and 14th in the past 15 matches to move 11⁄2 games ahead of second-place Long Beach State.

Junior middle Emily Maglio tied her career high with nine blocks as the Wahine outblocked the Anteaters 14-1.

Mitchem finished with 13 kills for the third time in four matches — without a hitting error for the second time in three contests — and added four block assists. Senior opposite Nikki Taylor added 11 kills, seven block assists and an ace as the Wahine compiled a .382 hitting percentage in extending their career record against Irvine to 36-0.

Taylor, hitting a season-high .733 with no errors, became the 12th Wahine to reach 1,300 kills. She now has 1,301.

“Annie and Nikki really managed their game well,” said UH coach Dave Shoji, who needs two more victories for 1,200 in his career. “Neither one had a hitting error. They’re making smart decisions. When they hit like that, we’re pretty hard to beat.”

Mitchem earned her award as player of the week by amassing 25 kills, three aces and four block assists last week against Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge. Including Thursday night’s performance, the senior is averaging 12.75 kills, 1.25 aces and 3.75 block assists in her past four matches.

“She’s making tremendous strides,” Shoji said of Mitchem, who moved from middle blocker to left-side hitter last month. “She’s still learning how to play out there, but she just overpowered the block, at times. That’s something you really can’t teach. She’s got a lot of physical ability, but she still can get better, and that’s what so encouraging about her game.”

Making her performance against the Anteaters even more memorable was that Mitchem played in front of friends and former coaches. She competed for two seasons at nearby Irvine Valley College and twice was named the national player of the year by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association.

“We actually practiced at Irvine Valley yesterday, so it’s really awesome,” Mitchem said. “My athletic director was here and my old coach was here. It’s really great to win for them.”

Sophomore Casey Castillo, sidelined with a leg injury, played multiple sets for the first time since Oct. 8 and had one kill and two block assists while rotating with Canadian freshman Natasha Burns in the middle.

“She’s still not 100 percent, but we need something out of that other middle position,” Shoji said of Castillo. “Burns has been OK, but we need more.”

UCI (10-17, 5-8), which upset Long Beach State on the road Oct. 28, never held a lead until Set 3. Harlee Kekauoha, who led the hosts with nine kills, began that by tipping a ball near the right antenna to give the Anteaters a 1-0 lead.

The Wahine immediately tied the score when Mitchem blocked Kekauoha, then used block assists from Taylor and Emily Maglio to move ahead and ended the 3-0 spurt with Taylor’s kill off a block on the right side. UH built a 20-11 advantage before Irvine staged its best rally of the match.

The Anteaters drew within 24-18 and twice extended match point, with six different players scoring. But a hitting error enabled the Wahine to secure their 19th successive victorious set while giving Irvine its fourth straight loss.

In the first set, UH used a 7-2 surge to turn a 13-10 lead into a 20-12 advantage. For the set, the Wahine recorded eight points off Irvine’s errors, while the Anteaters registered just seven points on kills or aces. Mitchem dominated the second set with six kills, two aces and a block assist, as UH built 10-point leads three times.

The Wahine’s defense held Irvine to an .067 hitting percentage. Irvine’s Danielle Geiger, ranked fifth in the Big West with 75 block assists and sixth with 81 total blocks, failed to add to either total.