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Two fresh faces in Hawaii’s starting lineup helped the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team serve up a balanced victory over Southern Cal in its return home from a rough road trip.
UH freshman Annika De Goede put away 11 kills in her first career start and the Wahine found a way to grind out a 25-17, 11-25, 25-21, 25-20 win over the Women of Troy in the first match of the Outrigger Volleyball Series on Friday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
De Goede, who made her UH debut in limited action during last week’s 0-3 trip to Utah, hit a team-high .429. Freshman middle blocker Anna Kiraly got a look with the starting group last week and posted her most productive performance of the season with eight kills on .375 hitting.
“On the road we got a taste of (how) maybe we can help the team,” said Kiraly, the program’s first player from Hungary. “Tonight, both of us, added a little bit more flavor and we have to make a great dish.”
The Wahine (3-4) and Women of Troy (3-4) conclude the series in today’s 7 p.m. rematch.
UH returned home from the trip to Utah with its first three-match losing streak since 2017 and hit .151 to USC’s .183 while avoiding dropping four straight for the first time since late in the 1985 season.
De Goede had just three attempts and went without a kill in two appearances in last week’s matches. After a week of practice, the left-hander was inserted into the lineup and gave the Wahine spark hitting from the right side.
“We did some team soul searching and obviously we as a coaching staff definitely thought these guys did a lot in practice and are capable of playing,” UH coach Robyn Ah Mow said.
Friday’s match marked the first time this season that someone other than Brooke Van Sickle led the Wahine in kills. Van Sickle finished with nine kills while hitting .118 but contributed 14 digs to the defensive effort as the Wahine popped up 73 digs to USC’s 60.
“I really try not to have one person going, and sometimes it seems like she’s the one leading the team,” Ah Mow said. “But obviously we have other players that can step up, and then Brooke can still steady out, help us with defense, help us with serving, help us with blocking or whatever she can do. Our culture here is if one thing is not working, work on something else.”
“She is so much more than just an offensive player,” De Goede added. “She also gave a lot in the backcourt and those are also really important plays.”
UH went on a 7-1 run early in the first set and rolled to the win led by Van Sickle’s four kills. The senior was relatively quiet over the next two sets with just one kill and three errors in 11 attempts.
UH’s struggles during the road trip appeared to return in the second set when the Wahine hit minus-.115 with nine hitting errors. The Trojans hit .476 in the set, ending it with a 7-1 run.
“Lack of focus,” Ah Mow said. “The second set was just a whole bunch of errors.”
After a meeting in the tunnel between sets the Wahine steadied themselves and led for most of a tight third set. With the set tied 18-18, the Wahine reclaimed the lead when Amber Igiede (eight kills, four blocks) got a tip to fall and De Goede put away the next two, one on a flat-footed swing that went off the USC block.
UH held a 22-20 lead when Janelle Gong came in off the bench and served up an ace. Kiraly’s solo block gave the Wahine set point and she ended it with a kill down the line.
The teams traded the lead in the fourth set and USC led 15-13 before UH moved ahead with a 3-0 run. With the set tied 17-17, the Trojans were called for a double contact to give UH the lead.
A kill attempt by Mia Johnson was ruled out, but Ah Mow challenged the call and the review showed the ball landed in to give UH a 19-17 lead. USC coach Brad Keller issued a challenge of his own on the next point, looking for a touch on a Trojans hitting error, but the call was upheld.
The UH run, which included Tayli Ikenaga’s first career ace, stretched to 7-0, and a USC error gave UH match point at 24-17. The Trojans extended the match for three more points before Johnson hammered a kill off the block to give the Wahine the win in their first meeting with the Trojans since the 2016 NCAA tournament.
“We really needed this win for our team so have to build on this,” Kiraly said. “We have a game tomorow against the same team. It’s not going to be easy but we are home, let’s just keep it going.”
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