With the graduation of the rock-steady Emily Maglio in the middle last season, Hawaii wondered where that production — in kills and blocks — would come from this year. The second-team All-American had capped a stellar career with 355 kills, 155 blocks and a team-high .381 hitting percentage in 2017.
At least for one night, the Rainbow Wahine found the answer in another Canadian national. Junior middle Natasha Burns enjoyed a career-high night against San Diego State with 15 kills and a team-high five block assists as Hawaii picked up the runner-up trophy of the 24th Outrigger Volleyball Challenge with a 25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17 victory over the Aztecs.
A Sunday evening Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 3,591 saw Burns earn the first all-tournament honor of her career as Hawaii improved to 4-3. The Rainbow Wahine have a quick turnaround when hosting No. 18 Oregon (5-3) on Thursday and Friday. The Ducks come in with a resume that includes an upset of No. 1 Minnesota last Friday.
Last Friday was the same night Wahine also suffered what could be considered a major upset when falling to Portland in five.
“It was a disappointing loss but you have to learn from them,” Burns said. “You can’t rewind the clock and redo it, you have to keep moving forward.
“We have to keep pushing each other to get better. I need to keep producing like this. I think what I learned the most this tournament was about the fight this team has, the will to be better.”
Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow-Santos said she has told Burns that performances such as Sunday were always possible.
“I have told her, ‘You can be really good,’ ” Ah Mow-Santos said. “We know she has it in her. What keeps her in the lineup is her work ethic. If she works hard like this, she can have nights like this.”
The Aztecs (1-8) rarely had an answer for the 6-foot-5 Burns, who had five kills in Sets 1 and 2 when taking a combined 18 swings. She only had two kills on five attempts in Set 3, her lack of production reflected in the Wahine dropping the set.
Credit San Diego State for picking up its game when avoiding being swept for the fourth time in five matches. As happened in Set 5 of Friday’s loss Portland, Hawaii got stuck in a bad rotation late with the Aztecs taking advantage, closing it out with a 7-1 run.
Junior hitter Ashlynn Dunbar got loose for five of her match-high 16 kills and San Diego State frustrated Hawaii hitters with 18 digs when taking Set 3.
“I thought Game 3 was the best we’ve played,” said Aztec coach Deitre Collins-Parker, a three-time All-American blocker for Hawaii in the 1980s. “We’ve had so many lineups and so many different changes (due to injuries) that seeing my team trying to adapt and figure it out … that’s growth.
“We’ve had good competition here. And so for us to compete is encouraging. After all the adversity we’ve been facing, to see them fight was important. It dropped off a little bit in Game 4 and (Hawaii) made the adjustments and we didn’t.”
The biggest adjustment for the Wahine was in blocking. They were being outblocked 8-3 through three sets but outblocked the Aztecs 4-1 in Set 4, finishing the match in 1 hour and 55 minutes.
“The blockers actually listened today,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “Hopefully we build on that.”
On a night when Hawaii kill leader McKenna Granato only had four, the Wahine found offense elsewhere. Senior hitter Casey Castillo had a career-high 12 kills and senior opposite Angel Gaskin added 10, her best as a Wahine. Junior setter-hitter Norene Iosia flirted with her second consecutive triple-double, finishing with eight kills along with 24 assists and 13 digs.
Iosia also had two of the team’s six aces; senior middle Sarah Liva also had two. Granato didn’t have a kill until ending Set 2 with two of them. She also had 12 of Hawaii’s 60 digs.
Senior libero Tita Akiu had 22 digs for her seventh straight match in double digits. She joined Burns on the all-tournament team, as did San Diego State senior middle Deja Harris, who had 10 kills and eight blocks against the Wahine.
Tournament champion Portland had three on the team in Reghan Pukis, the most outstanding player, Cali Thompson and Shayla Hoeft, a Seabury Hall graduate. Also selected was Idaho’s Sarah Sharp.
