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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii outside hitter McKenna Ross (20) puts down a kill against against the West Virginia Mountaineers tonight at Stan Sheriff Center.
The No. 18 Hawaii women’s volleyball team maintained its unbeaten start to the season in an 18-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-12 win over West Virginia tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center, but lost a key player to an apparent injury in the process.
Freshman middle Amber Igiede put down a season-high 14 kills and had six blocks, junior hitter Brooke Van Sickle had 14 kills and 11 digs, and senior hitter McKenna Ross was cleared to play for the first time this season and contributed six kills off the bench in front of a Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 3,453. However, junior hitter Jolie Rasmussen, who was the AVCA national player of the week last week, went down in pain in the third set and did not return.
>> Click here to see photos of the match between Hawaii and West Virginia.
West Virginia (4-3) came out fast and maintained a lead for most of Set 1, as UH (7-0) struggled to connect and hit a season-low .049 for a set. Two timeouts by Robyn Ah Mow late in the set could not stem the tide of missed Wahine connections.
Set 2 began much the way of the first, with the Mountaineers jumping out to a 6-3 lead and Ah Mow calling timeout. UH went up, 10-8, on consecutive aces by Brooke Van Sickle followed by a forced overpass and Amber Igiede kill. The 11-1 run pushed the lead to 16-9. It took five tries to put away the set, but the Wahine finally got it done on a combined block by Hanna Hellvig and Igiede.
With UH leading 6-2 in the third, Rasmussen collided with WVU’s Briana Lynch under the net. Both players went down for a few minutes as a hush fell over the arena. Lynch was helped off first and then Rasmussen, who was guided to the locker room while keeping weight off her right leg.
WVU rallied to within 12-11 as Ramussen returned to the bench, her right ankle wrapped up. UH rallied from there as Igiede put down an overpass for a 17-12 lead and Van Sickle ended the frame with her 10th kill.
The Wahine got off to another fast start in the fourth, leading 9-2.
UH continues the Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge against Utah Valley (2-6) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wolverines were swept by UCLA (4-2) in today’s first match.
Coach Robyn Ah Mow and #HawaiiWVB players Tiffany Westerberg and McKenna Ross describe what it was like to see Jolie Rasmussen go down with an injury in the third set. pic.twitter.com/4BHHGQ0cV6
— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) September 13, 2019
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