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After posting efficient victories to open conference play, Hawaii and UC Davis meet today for the early edge in the Big West race.
UC Davis began league play by breezing to a sweep at UC Riverside on Tuesday, then returned to Northern California to await the Rainbow Wahine, who also turned a quick win at UCR’s SRC Arena on Thursday.
The Rainbow Wahine (4-5, 1-0 BWC) have a quicker turnaround before facing the Aggies (5-7, 1-0) at the University Credit Union Center to conclude the opening week of the conference season.
Spreading the work load from the first touch to the last helped Hawaii roll to the 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 over UC Riverside on Thursday.
After Brooke Van Sickle handled 40 serve receptions and took 57 swings in a four-set loss to Southern Cal in UH’s final nonconference match, the Wahine distributed those duties in their return from a bye week on Thursday.
Libero Tayli Ikenaga and outside hitter Riley Wagoner each handled 14 receptions and Janelle Gong had nine off the bench while Van Sickle finished with five. UH’s passing allowed UH setter Kate Lang to give double-digit attempts to five hitters and UH finished with a .320 hitting percentage.
In her first start, Lang fed Wagoner 11 times in the first set and the sophomore finished with nine kills in 21 attempts in the match. Lang also kept the middles involved throughout, with Amber Igiede finishing with a match-high 13 kills in 21 attempts.
UH’s depth did take a hit prior to the road trip and the team announced on Friday that freshman outside hitter Annika de Goede will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury. De Goede did not make the trip after a breakout weekend against Southern California.
The left-hander from the Netherlands posted 11 kills against the Women of Troy in her first career start on Sept. 10, added eight in the rematch and hit .359 in the series.
Freshman Mia Johnson (2.44 kills per set) also did not make the trip due to injury.
While Hawaii turned in a balanced performance to dispatch the Highlanders in 81 minutes, UC Davis relied heavily on freshman outside hitter Amara Aimufua in Tuesday’s 25-21, 25-16, 25-15 win at UCR. Aimufua put down 19 kills in 28 attempts with one error to hit .643 and leads the Aggies with 3.00 kills per set this season. Lana Radakovic was next with 15 attempts against UCR in an Aggies attack that hit a collective .398.
Middle blocker Josephine Ough, an All-Big West first-team selection in 2019, had six kills in 12 attempts to raise her season hitting percentage to .479, good for fourth in Division I.
When setters Jane Seslar (5.25 assists per set) and Casi Newman (4.86) feed Ough in the middle, the 6-foot-6 junior has put away 72 of 140 attempts with just five errors. Ough also ranks second in the Big West with 1.39 blocks per set.
UC Davis is 4-1 at home this season with a loss to No. 17 UCLA and a win over California.
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Big West volleyball
At Davis, Calif.
Hawaii (4-5, 1-0 BWC) vs. UC Davis (5-7, 1-0)
>> When: Today, 4 p.m.
>> TV: none
>> Radio: 1500-AM
>> Online: ucdavisaggies.com
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