The ninth-ranked University of Hawaii beach volleyball team posted three wins — two over nationally ranked teams — to close the Big West Challenge on Saturday in Long Beach, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine (15-6) pulled out a 3-2 victory over host and 15th-ranked Long Beach State, swept Sacramento State 5-0, then capped the weekend with a 3-2 win over No. 12 Cal Poly at Rosie’s Dog Beach.
UH’s team of Riley Wagoner and Lea Kruse earned a clinching point against LBSU by rallying to a 14-21, 21-19, 18-16 win over Sophie Major and Christine DeRoos.
The BeachBows swept all four matches with Sacramento State, with the fifth a forfeit due to the Hornets not fielding a team at the No. 5 flight.
In the finale, Cal Poly claimed the first two points with wins at the No. 3 and 2 flights. UH won at Nos. 4 and 5 and claimed the dual when Brooke Van Sickle and Kaylee Glagau swept Ella Connor and Tia Miric 23-21, 21-16 at No. 1. Van Sickle and Glagau went 6-0 without dropping a set over the two-day event.
Wahine sweep CSUN in softball
Hawaii third baseman Ka’ena Keliinoi delivered tie-breaking hits in both ends of the Rainbow Wahine softball team’s sweep of Cal State Northridge — both by 4-3 scores — in Saturday’s doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Keliinoi, the ninth hitter in the UH order, drilled a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning of the first game to give the Wahine a 4-2 lead. Brianna Lopez then held off the Matadors to close out a complete-game victory and hand the Matadors their first Big West loss of the season.
In the second game, Keliinoi’s two-run single with two out in the fourth gave UH a 3-1 lead. Keliinoi then scored when Brittnee Rossi’s fly ball was dropped in left field. CSUN rallied for two runs in the fifth, and put the tying run on third in the seventh. But a lineout to shortstop Nawai Kaupe ended the threat and UH freshman Chloe Borges earned a save in relief of starter Ashley Murphy.
The Rainbow Wahine (10-10, 4-1 Big West) and Matadors (13-19, 3-2) close the series today with a single game at noon.
Tennis teams earn BWC wins
The University of Hawaii men’s tennis team completed a 5-2 win over UC Davis in a rain-delayed match on Saturday at the UH Tennis Complex.
UH had earned the doubles point on Friday and won four of the six singles matches that were suspended on Friday and completed on Saturday. After UH picked up wins by No. 20 Andre Ilagan and Guillaume Tatevin, Axel Labrunie earned the clinching point with a 6-4, 6-4 win over UCD’s Ryan Morgan.
No. 75 UH (9-2, 2-1 Big West) closes its home schedule today at noon against No. 53 UC Santa Barbara.
>> The 73rd-ranked Rainbow Wahine (8-3, 5-0 BWC) posted their fifth straight shutout with a 7-0 win over UC Riverside (3-10, 0-5) on Saturday at the UH Tennis Complex.
UH won three singles matches by 6-0, 6-0 scores and didn’t drop more than two games in any of the 12 sets played against the Highlanders. UH takes a seven-match winning streak into Wednesday’s road match at No. 19 Stanford.
