When does pride kick in?

When facing the prospect of losing two consecutive conference matches for the first time EVER in the Stan Sheriff Center?

When it could come against another team that came to Honolulu 0-40 against No. 11 Hawaii?

When a senior says “a’ole (no) and freshmen follow?

Whatever the reason, regardless of how late it happened, the Rainbow Wahine may have just saved their season with a gutsy 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-12 reverse sweep of Cal State Fullerton. As a crowd of 5,025 watched, freshman Hanna Hellvig put down 16 kills and freshman middle Amber Igiede was in on 10 of the team’s 14 blocks as Hawaii (13-2, 3-1 Big West) avoided what would have been a devastating loss.

>> Click here to see photos of the match between Hawaii and Cal State Fullerton.

Senior Norene Iosia refused to lose, carrying the Wahine as a setter, an outside hitter and server over the 2 hours and 48 minutes. Iosia came within a kill of a triple-double, finishing with 26 assists, 17 digs and nine kills.

Her biggest contribution may have come in the locker room in between Sets 2 and 3.

“I was aggressively vocal,” Iosia said. “There just comes a time when you can’t sugar-coat things, can’t keep saying the same things. I knew we were capable of pulling this out. The first thing I said was, ‘We’re going five. We’re going five. Be ready.’”

Wahine coach Robyn Ah Mow was ready to make some changes. She told Iosia she was going to hit, which was what Iosia had done last season when Hawaii ran a modified 6-2 offense where she hit when in the front row and set when she was in the back row.

“She did it last year, she can do it again,” Ah Mow said. “I told her you’re going to hit; Bailey (senior setter Choy), you’re going to set (in the) back row; and Brae (freshman Braelyn Akana), you’re going to block some balls. And we’re going to win.”

Igiede finished her first double-double with 10 kills as the Wahine delivered on their coach’s prediction. Hellvig had her sixth double-double, tying her career high with 20 digs, and Choy also had her sixth (28 assists, 16 digs).

“I think it was the fight that kicked in,” said Akana, who came into the match in Set 3 and played outside hitter for the first time as a Wahine. “It was that third set that everyone came together.

“In Set 4, we got the flow going. Having that lead brought us more together. We started focusing on the little things and that was big.”

Akana had six kills and was in on four blocks with four digs.

For the Titans (8-7, 0-4) freshman hitter Julia Crawford had a match-high 20 kills and junior Tyler Fezzey had 12. Junior libero Savahna Costello had a match-high 30 digs.

The teams combined for 213 digs, with five players on each side having double digits.

“I always tell my team that the game is won or lost in the third set,” Titans coach Ashley Preston said. “And once excitement and energy wears off, then skill comes into play. We needed to execute better in the third set to steal it from Hawaii.

“I think Hawaii respected us today. I wish it would’ve gone our way, of course, but it was a great battle and a great fight. I’m really proud of my team and I can’t wait to see how we are the next time we see Hawaii (Oct. 25 in Titan Gym).”

The question was how Hawaii would respond to Friday’s five-set loss to UC Irvine, a reverse sweep by the Anteaters. The answer was “not well.”

With junior hitter Brooke Van Sickle not cleared to play, the Wahine juggled their lineup, moving freshman middle Tiffany Westerberg to the outside. At 10-10 in the first set, the Titans used a 3-0 run to take the lead for good.

Hawaii held off three set points, closing to 24-22, but a service error by Choy gave the Titans the win. It snapped Fullerton’s 39-set losing streak to the Wahine dating back to 2012.

The Titans took a second off the Wahine — which also happened in 2012 — running away with Set 2. Hawaii seemed to have figured out its problems when it led 11-6 but then, as happened on Friday, got stuck in a bad rotation.

Fullerton ran off eight straight, capped by Costello’s off-the-shoulder dig of Hellvig’s attack that landed on Hawaii’s side, the dig-kill putting the Titans ahead for good at 14-11.

The Wahine continued to tweak their lineup in Set 3, scrapping the 6-2 offense with alternating setters and moving to a modified one with Choy setting and Iosia moving to outside hitter when not setting. Westerberg moved back to middle and Akana, who spent most of her career at Kamehameha as a middle, went to the outside.

It finally clicked … finally. The Wahine were chasing the entire way, including 19-15 and 21-19. A kill by Iosia sent her back to the service line, and when she was done she had two aces and Hawaii a 23-21 lead.

Hawaii controlled Set 4 from the beginning with a 4-0 start. Akana was in on a block and added two kills to send it to a fifth for the second straight night.

Hawaii is back on the road for two matches at undefeated conference leaders Cal Poly (12-5, 5-0) on Friday and UC Santa Barbara (15-1, 5-0) on Saturday.