NORTHRIDGE, Calif. » Hawaii began its first Big West Conference women’s volleyball season in 17 years by rallying from match point twice in the fifth set to win.

The seventh-ranked Rainbow Wahine escaped Cal State Northridge with a 22-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-17, 19-17 victory Wednesday night in their first road match this year.

Jane Croson pounded a match-high 18 kills for Hawaii (8-2) and added 11 digs. Emily Hartong finished with 16 kills and nine digs. Ali Longo contributed 12 digs and five service aces and Mita Uiato passed for 45 assists.

Blocking proved critical. The Wahine executed 17 team blocks compared to 12 for the Matadors (9-4), who lead the Big West in blocking and had four blockers among the top 10 in that category.

Jade Vorster made eight block assists, Kalei Adolpho added seven block assists and Hartong participated in five block assists and added a solo block.

Nevertheless, UH coach Dave Shoji believes his team must display more composure.

"We need to play a little steadier than that," Shoji said. "We’re disappointed that we didn’t play at a higher level, especially in Games 1 and 3."

In those first and third sets, the Rainbow Wahine hit just .114 and .000. Northridge, meanwhile, compiled attack percentages of .235 and .231, during those sets.

But in the second and fourth sets, Hawaii’s attack succeeded at rates of .367 and .233, respectively, while holding Northridge to hitting percentages of .088 and .000.

UH took a 3-0 lead in the fifth set, but the score would be tied seven times.

At 12-12, the Matadors’ Cieana Stinson punched a kill off a UH block. Then the Wahine committed a violation that gave the hosts a 14-12 advantage.

Shoji called time out.

"We knew we had to win two points in a row," he said. "We had to go back and serve tough and try to force them into a bad pass. Then, if we got a transition ball, I wanted our hitters just to swing hard and high. We were pretty tentative up until that point."

UH scored three successive points to move ahead, 15-14. After Stinson’s spike went long to make it 14-13, Vorster pounced on a free ball for a kill to tie it and Hartong followed with a cross-court kill from the right antenna.

But with a chance to secure the match, Hartong launched a spike long and wide, making it 15-15.

Croson’s kill put UH ahead 16-15 but her long serve made the score 16-all.

Again, Hartong’s kill from the right gave the Wahine a one-point lead, but Britney Graff responded with a spike from the left side to tie the score at 17.

Ashley Kastl pounded a kill to give Hawaii an 18-17 lead. Then the visitors won the match when Sydney Gedryn’s attempted tip fell wide.

‘Iolani graduate Mahina Haina had 10 kills and three digs for Northridge.

Casey Hinger led the Matadors with 14 kills, Cindy Ortiz made 27 digs and Gedryn compiled 40 assists, 11 digs, four block assists, and a solo block.