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The potential to play spoiler will be present on both sides of the net during Hawaii’s final road trip of the regular season.
Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly await the Rainbow Wahine with designs on derailing the Big West leaders in their quest to retain the conference’s women’s volleyball title.
Hawaii, meanwhile, could dampen senior night for the host teams when the Wahine visit CSU Bakersfield’s Icardo Center today and Cal Poly’s Mott Athletics Complex on Saturday.
Hawaii (18-16, 15-1 Big West) departed on Wednesday in advance of matches with the fourth- and third-place teams in the conference standings and with a two-game lead on UC Santa Barbara.
With two weekends and four games left in the Big West season, the Rainbow Wahine have emphasized keeping their gaze fixed on the step directly ahead while keeping the numbers in the background.
“These girls are dialed in in that sense,” UH assistant coach Kaleo Baxter said prior to the trip. “It’s something that we’ve preached from the get-go.
“I keep an eye on (the race) because I’m the ‘volley-nerd’ and it’s important for me to know. But it’s important for the girls to just focus on the match.”
As such, the focus today will be on a CSU Bakersfield team that has exceeded preseason expectations and officially eliminated Cal Poly from Big West title contention with a four-set win at home on Tuesday.
The Roadrunners (17-8, 10-7), who were voted ninth in the conference’s preseason poll, also closed to within a game of Cal Poly (13-15, 11-6) for third place with the win to open their final homestand of the season.
“Bakersfield’s a scrappy team,” Baxter said. “They’re playing some of their best volleyball when they’re at home. They’re just a bunch of gym rats with a high volleyball IQ. Their setter’s really good, probably one the best blockers in the conference also.”
CSUB setter Seleisa Elisaia ranks fifth in the Big West with 9.17 assists per set and is seventh with 0.99 blocks per set. The 5-foot-10 junior is the lone non-middle blocker among the conference’s top 10 in blocks per set. She was in on three of CSUB’s six blocks against UH in the season’s first meeting between the teams, a 25-18, 25-20, 25-18 Wahine sweep on Oct. 16 in Manoa.
After completing their first appearance on the Icardo Center’s blue court, the Wahine will board a bus bound for San Luis Obispo, where they’ll search for the program’s first win in the Mott Athletics Center during head coach Robyn Ah Mow’s tenure.
Since UH outlasted Cal Poly in a 32-34, 27-25, 25-17, 25-20 duel on Sept. 24, 2016, the Mustangs have won their past three home matches with the Wahine.
UH swept the Mustangs 25-19, 25-19, 25-22 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Oct. 15 in a match that saw Cal Poly outside hitter Jamie Stivers suffer a season-ending arm injury in the first set.
Since then, freshman Tommi Stockham has emerged as the Mustangs’ go-to scorer. Stockham leads the Big West with 4.05 kills per set in conference play. Cal Poly setter Avalon DeNecochea averages 10.94 assists per set in Big West matches and trails only UH’s Kate Lang (11.70) in that category.
UH enters today’s 3 p.m. match at CSUB on a seven-match winning streak spurred in part by an emphasis on turning defense into offense.
“That’s how you separate yourself from the opposing team,” Baxter said of UH’s ability to score in transition. “You serve tough, get a ball back, or dig a ball and turn that dig into a point.
“Defense has been a huge focus. We felt in the first round of conference there was a lot of scrap going on on the other side of the net and we weren’t taking our time, we weren’t staying patient. So we’ve been implementing drills in practice that mimic that and so far it’s paid off.”
UH middle blocker Amber Igiede credited UH’s work in the back row in passing and digging after winning the Big West Offensive Player of the Week award. A week after being named the Defensive Player of the Week, Igiede put away 30 kills with one error in two sweeps last week.
“(The emphasis in practice) helped so much because passing is probably the most important part because it starts off the whole play,” Igiede said. “Coach Robyn has really focused on not only passing but defense. We spend at least 20-30 minutes on defense during the first hour of practice, so it’s definitely paid off.”
Van Sickle earns CoSIDA academic honors
Van Sickle has been selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District 8 Team, the organization announced Thursday.
In order to be eligible for the All-District and All-America awards, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
Last spring, Van Sickle earned her bachelor’s degree in economics. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s degree in marketing. She is the first Rainbow Wahine to earn the honor since Clare-Marie Anderson in 2016.
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Big West volleyball
At Icardo Center, Bakersfield, Calif.
Hawaii (18-6, 15-1 BWC) vs. CSU Bakersfield (17-8, 10-7)
>> When: Today, 3 p.m.
>> TV: none
>> Radio: 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Online: ESPN+
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