Hawaii Hilo volleyball team earns berth to NCAA Division II tournament
COURTESY SHELLY BLUNCK/UHH ATHLETICS
Hawaii Hilo’s Taira Kaawaloa passes the ball in front of libero Kaila Lizama.
The Hawaii Hilo women’s volleyball team received a berth this afternoon to the NCAA Division II West Regional.
The seventh-seeded Vulcans (23-7) will face No. 2 Western Washington (26-2) on Dec. 5 in San Bernardino, Calif. UH Hilo will be making its sixth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2011.
The Vulcans are led by interim head coach Chris Leonard, who guided the team to a second-place finish in the PacWest Conference. Bria Beale, who played at UC Irvine, leads the Vulcans with 3.66 kills per set. Libero Kaila Lizama, a Kamehameha graduate, is averaging 4.92 digs.
Cal State San Bernardino (27-0) is the top seed and host of the regional. Punahou graduate Mehana Ma‘a leads the team in assists.
The 64-team tournament has eight regional sites. The eight regional champions will advance to the finals site in Denver.
