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Hawaii volleyball team clinches share of Big West title, NCAA bid

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Hawaii’s Bailey Choy (7) and Skyler Williams (8) exchanged high fives during a match in Honolulu on Nov. 1.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii’s Bailey Choy (7) and Skyler Williams (8) exchanged high fives during a match in Honolulu on Nov. 1.

The No. 18 Hawaii women’s volleyball team made short work of Cal State Northridge, 25-18, 25-12, 25-14, to win its 10th straight match and claim at least a share of the Big West title tonight in front of a Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,343.

UH (23-3, 13-2 BWC), which locked up its first conference crown since 2016 — and the first for third-year coach Robyn Ah Mow — will win the title outright if it beats Long Beach State in Friday’s 7 p.m. senior night match.

By virtue of tonight’s win, the Rainbow Wahine clinched their 27th consecutive NCAA tournament berth. UH, which entered the week with an RPI of 12, is in contention to host an NCAA subregional.

The Wahine showed no rust in their first match in 11 days. They set a season best in hitting for the second straight match, swinging .398 as a team. Senior hitter McKenna Ross led the way with 11 kills on .429 hitting. Freshman middle Amber Igiede supplied eight kills on .571 hitting with four blocks. UH outblocked CSUN 10-2.

Senior setter/hitter Norene Iosia had her 17th double-double of the season, 21 assists and 10 digs.

UH controlled the action from the outset. Senior hitter Kirsten Sibley came off the bench to provide a kill on set point in Set 1. UH hit .412 in the frame.

Consecutive aces by Brooke Van Sickle helped UH get off to a 7-1 start in Set 2. The Wahine kept on rolling, hitting .577 in the set to take it going away.

Set 3 was only slightly more competitive, UH hitting .242 but still taking it comfortably.

CSUN, which lost to UH for the 11th straight time, concluded its season at 12-16 overall and 7-9 in the Big West. Nicole Nevarez led the Matadors with 11 kills on 33 swings (.121).

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