Robyn Ah Mow wants the middle to remain a focal point of Hawaii’s attack.
After the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team swept UC Irvine on Friday, Ah Mow noted two intertwined elements for the team to carry into today’s match with UC San Diego.
“Passing decently and keep our middles involved,” the UH coach said. “I feel we’re going to do better if we keep our middles involved.”
Following UH’s win at Long Beach State to close its most recent road trip, Ah Mow was pleased with the efficiency of middle blockers Amber Igiede and Skyler Williams. She just wanted to see more sets go their way.
The Wahine obliged on Friday, when Igiede put away a career-high 17 kills on 27 attempts and Williams added eight kills in 16 swings in their return to SimpliFI Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Igiede also credited UH’s passing for fueling the most productive performance of her career, as setter Kate Lang kept both middles busy throughout UH’s sixth straight victory.
Her kill tally over three sets on Friday passed her previous high of 15 in a five-set loss at Utah Valley on Sept. 2, and her total attempts nearly doubled her workload in a four-set win at LBSU in UH’s previous match.
Igiede had a relatively quiet night at Cal State Fullerton, with five kills in 15 swings, then came back with 11 kills in 14 attempts against the Beach. She hasn’t committed a hitting error in the past two matches while hitting .683. Williams has also produced on her opportunities in hitting .428 with 19 kills in that span.
Igiede enters today’s match second in the Big West with a .396 hitting percentage in conference matches, with Williams seventh at .355.
The Wahine (17-6, 14-1 Big West) got a boost from an energetic crowd of 1,924 in the season’s first match without a cap on attendance. The turnout marked a significant step in the return of the atmosphere Rainbow Wahine volleyball is renowned for, albeit still modest compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
“It just felt great,” Ah Mow said. “It felt good that people were coming back and there’s people behind us now. It felt good to me and I didn’t even play.”
The Wahine will close their homestand looking to strengthen their hold on first place in the Big West. The Wahine enter the match with a 11⁄2-game lead on UC Santa Barbara after the Gauchos lost at Long Beach State on Saturday.
UH dropped the first set of its match at UCSD’s RIMAC Arena on Oct. 8 before rallying to a 22-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-21 win. Riley Wagoner led the Wahine with 20 kills and sparked UH’s comeback from a 24-22 deficit in the third set with UH’s last five kills.
The Wahine will see a local libero across the net for a second straight match. Radford graduate Bailey Darnell led UC Irvine with eight digs on Friday and ‘Iolani alumna Naya Dong anchors the UC San Diego back row. Dong leads the Big West with 430 total digs and ranks second with 4.30 per set.
Dong had a season-high 33 digs against Cal State Northridge on Oct. 29 and had 17 in the first meeting with UH.
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Big West Volleyball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
UC San Diego (9-17, 6-9) vs. Hawaii (17-6, 14-1)
>> When: Today, 5 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum OC16
>> Radio: 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Tickets: etickethawaii.com
>> Entrance requirements: Proof of vaccination and health check on LumiSight UH app. Masks required. Only clear bags allowed.
>> Parking: $7 (no passes)
