The No. 8 Hawaii beach volleyball team swept its two matches on Sunday to claim the Husky Invitational at Alki Beach. The Rainbow Wahine beat Portland 4-1 in the semifinals, then took down host Washington 4-1 in the championship match to grab the title.
UH improved to 22-14 for the season, with four wins in five matches over the weekend. The BeachBows won the tournament for the second consecutive year.
Hawaii entered Sunday’s championship bracket with the top seed after Saturday’s round-robin action.
After having its eight-match win streak snapped on Saturday, the top flight duo of Kaylee Glagau and Brooke Van Sickle bounced back with a dominant 21-17, 21-6 victory at the top of the order. Glagau and Van Sickle led the way as the Wahine triumphed in four of five courts, beating Portland in the first semifinal match of the day.
Washington drew first blood in the finale, taking the first point of the match on the No. 2 court. The rest of the match was all UH as the BeachBows won the remaining duals in straight sets. The clincher came on the No. 5 court, where Ilihia Huddleston and Riley Wagoner downed Emma Calle and Kyra Petersen 21-18, 22-20.
Hawaii will have a bye week to prepare for the upcoming Big West Conference Championship Friday and Saturday, hosted by Cal Poly.
Hawaii sailors take second in PCCSCs
The Hawaii women’s sailing team claimed a runner-up finish at the PCCSC Women’s Championship this weekend at Keehi Lagoon. The Rainbow Wahine clinched a spot in the ICSA Women’s Nationals in New Orleans later this month with a top-two finish at this past weekend’s event.
UH finished with 57 points in the 10-school field. The only team with a lower score than the Rainbow Wahine was Stanford, which claimed the regatta title with 35 points.
The A division team, skippered by Mercy Tangredi and crewed by Kelsie Grant, scored 33 points, while the B division team, skippered by Vivian Bonsager and crewed by Sophia Schaeffer, finished second in their division with 24 points.
