The waiting finally ends on Aug. 27.
After having the 2020 season canceled due to the pandemic, the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team opens a 28-match regular-season schedule by facing Fairfield at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The 2021 Rainbow Wahine schedule was announced on Friday and the opener — part of a three-day tournament — will be UH’s first match since a loss to Nebraska in the NCAA regionals on Dec. 13, 2019, to cap a 26-4 season.
“These women, along with the other 10 Big West programs have been waiting for this opportunity for the last year and a half,” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said in a release from the school. “I can confidently say that the Rainbow Wahine are eager to step onto the teraflex on August 27th against a very good Fairfield team.”
The Wahine are set to play eight nonconference matches, followed by a 20-match Big West schedule.
UH faces Fairfield, Marquette and Texas A&M in a season-opening tournament Aug. 27-29 in Manoa.
The Wahine then embark on their first road trip for a match at Utah Valley on Sept. 2 and meetings with San Diego and host Utah in the Utah Classic on Sept. 3 and 4. Utah Valley won the Western Athletic Conference tournament title in April. Utah placed third in the Pac-12 and was the 14th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wahine close the nonconference schedule with a home series against USC on Sept. 10 and 11. The Wahine have their alumni and Green and White matches scheduled for Sept. 17.
The Big West schedule increased to 20 matches with the additions of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego. The conference season opens Sept. 23 at UC Riverside and ends on Nov. 27 with a senior night match against UC Santa Barbara. The NCAA Tournament is set to begin on Dec. 2.
The Rainbow Wahine went 14-2 in Big West play in 2019 and will enter the 2021 season as the reigning conference champions. The conference initially postponed the 2020 fall sports schedule last July, then canceled the season in December.
A policy on fan attendance has yet to be announced. UH’s men’s and women’s basketball and men’s volleyball teams played without fans in the arena last season.
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2021 University of Hawaii women’s volleyball schedule
Aug. 27, Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Aug. 28, Marquette, 7 p.m.
Aug. 29, Texas A&M, 5 p.m.
Sept. 2, at Utah Valley, 2 p.m.
Sept. 3, San Diego#, 9 a.m.
Sept. 4, at Utah#, 3 p.m.
Sept. 10, USC, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11, USC, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17, Alumni/Green and White, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23, at UC Riverside*, 4 p.m.
Sept. 25, at UC Davis*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 1, Long Beach State*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3, Cal State Fullerton*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8, at UC San Diego*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 9, at UC Irvine*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 15, Cal Poly*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16, CSU Bakersfield*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22, at UC Santa Barbara*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 23, at CS Northridge*, 4 p.m.
Oct. 29, UC Davis*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30, UC Riverside*, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5, at Cal State Fullerton*, 4 p.m.
Nov. 6, at Long Beach State*, 4 p.m.
Nov. 12, UC Irvine*, 7 p.m.
Nov. 14, UC San Diego*, 5 p.m.
Nov. 19, at CSU Bakersfield*, 3 p.m.
Nov. 20, at Cal Poly*, 6 p.m.
Nov. 26, CS Northridge*, 7 p.m.
Nov. 27, UC Santa Barbara*, 7 p.m.
NCAA Tournament
Dec. 2-4 First and second round
Dec. 10-11 Regionals
Dec. 16-18 Final Four/Championship
#—Utah Classic
*—Big West Conference
