WAHINE VOLLEYBALL
Houston & Co. too much for Idaho as Rainbow Wahine win easy
MOSCOW, Idaho » In a showdown of two of the conference's top hitters, it was not about who won the battle but who won the war.
No. 12 Hawaii (15-3, 9-0) at Utah State (9-9, 5-3)
When: Tomorrow, 3 p.m. Hawaii time
Radio: 1420-AM
Next up: At No. 1 Nebraska, Oct. 21
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Idaho's Haley Larsen won the kill battle with a match-high 20, but it was not enough to compensate for the combined 37 turned in by Hawaii's Jamie Houston & Co.
Houston put down 15, Juliana Sanders 12 and Aneli Cubi-Otineru 10 as No. 12 Hawaii swept the Vandals 30-25, 30-26, 30-21 in last night's Western Athletic Conference volleyball match at Memorial Gym.
It was the 12th consecutive victory for the Rainbow Wahine (15-3, 9-0), who finish out the three-match road trip at Utah State tomorrow (3 p.m. Hawaii time). The Vandals (9-10, 5-3) lost for the first time in four WAC home matches.
"We overcame a slow start and found a rhythm midway through Game 1," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said after the 90-minute match. "There were some shaky moments in Game 1 and in Game 2, but we managed to play well when we needed to.
"We had trouble stopping the slides by (Sarah) Loney and (Debbie) Pederson for a while and we were concentrating on Larsen.
"Overall, we again played well and didn't miss many serves."
The Wahine had nine aces, including three by Houston, against three service errors. Hawaii also played frustrating defense, with a 66-56 edge in digs, led by Houston's season-high 20.
"The first two games we were right there, but the third game we didn't come ready to compete and we need to be better than that," Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said. "That is our own fault and our youth is to blame.
"We need to grow out of it and start turning that corner to where we step up and make plays against this type of opponent. We can't make these errors."
Buchanan can point to a stretch in Game 1 as proof. Hawaii scored 11 unanswered points -- 10 on Amber Kaufman's serve -- to pull away for good at 20-11.
The Vandals didn't fold, going off on a 9-0 run of their own, in closing to 28-25. The Wahine closed it out on kills by Cubi-Otineru and Houston.
Hawaii didn't completely take control of Game 2 until late, after Idaho pulled to 28-26. Houston's 12th kill and an ace by setter Stephanie Brandt gave the Wahine a 2-0 lead.
The Wahine opened an early 9-3 advantage in Game 3 and used an 8-1 run to make it 21-11. The Vandals never got closer than 29-21, with Houston finishing it off with her final swing.
Next up are the Aggies, who will try to regroup after a surprising 3-0 loss at Nevada last night.
"Utah State has been playing well and they'll be at home," Shoji said.
"They're the best blocking team in the conference. It's again going to be a tough game to finish the trip."
WAC Standings
|
Conference |
Overall
|
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
W |
L
|
Hawaii |
9 |
0 |
1.000 |
15 |
3
|
New Mexico State |
8 |
1 |
.889 |
18 |
3
|
Nevada |
6 |
3 |
.667 |
9 |
7
|
Utah State |
6 |
3 |
.667 |
9 |
9
|
Idaho |
5 |
3 |
.625 |
9 |
10
|
Fresno State |
3 |
7 |
.300 |
5 |
16
|
San Jose State |
2 |
6 |
.250 |
8 |
11
|
LaTech |
1 |
9 |
.100 |
6 |
17
|
Boise State |
1 |
9 |
.100 |
4 |
14 |
Last night's results
Hawaii def. Idaho, 30-25, 30-26, 30-21
San Jose State def. Boise State, 30-23, 30-16, 30-23
Nevada def. Utah State, 30-22, 30-27, 30-23
Fresno State def. Louisiana Tech, 30-19, 30-16, 30-28
Tomorrow's matches
Hawaii at Utah State, 3 p.m., HST
Hawaii def. Idaho
30-25, 30-26, 30-21
Hawaii (9-0)
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Sanders |
3 |
12 |
2 |
22 |
.455 |
1 |
7 |
1
|
Kaufman |
3 |
6 |
3 |
15 |
.200 |
0 |
1 |
2
|
Hittle |
3 |
6 |
3 |
20 |
.150 |
0 |
1 |
12
|
Houston |
3 |
15 |
7 |
38 |
.211 |
0 |
3 |
20
|
Brandt |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1.000 |
0 |
4 |
11
|
Cubi-Otineru |
3 |
10 |
3 |
39 |
.179 |
0 |
1 |
4
|
Gregory |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Keefe |
1 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
.125 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Kaaihue |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
13
|
Mafua |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Lee |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
3
|
Totals |
3 |
53 |
20 |
146 |
.226 |
1 |
18 |
66 |
Vandals (5-3)
|
|
g |
k |
e |
att |
pct. |
bs |
ba |
d
|
Pederson |
3 |
8 |
4 |
27 |
.148 |
0 |
1 |
1
|
Conwell |
3 |
5 |
3 |
20 |
.100 |
0 |
1 |
0
|
Loney |
3 |
9 |
8 |
26 |
.038 |
0 |
3 |
16
|
Larsen |
3 |
20 |
8 |
54 |
.222 |
0 |
1 |
12
|
James |
3 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
.000 |
0 |
1 |
4
|
McKinney |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
.100 |
0 |
3 |
0
|
Yonker |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
16
|
Richards |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
0 |
0 |
7
|
Totals |
3 |
45 |
25 |
145 |
.138 |
0 |
10 |
56 |
Key -- g: games; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct.: hitting percentage; bs: block solos; ba: block assists; d: digs.
Aces -- Hawaii (9): Houston 3, Kaufman 2, Hittle 2, Brandt, Lee. Idaho (3): Pederson, Loney, James. Assists -- Hawaii (50): Brandt 42, Kaaihue 3, Hittle 2, Sanders, Houston, Mafua. Idaho (40): James 36, Loney 4. T -- 1:30. Officials -- John Martin, Dale Goodwin. A -- 832.