Wahine, Aggies stay 1-2
POSTED: Friday, November 07, 2008
Continuing to play some of the best volleyball of her career, senior hitter Jamie Houston put down 11 kills to lead No. 7 Hawaii to a 25-15, 25-13, 25-17 sweep of Boise State last night in Boise, Idaho.
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Houston had one error in 18 swings, hitting .556 during the 70-minute Western Athletic Conference match in Bronco Gym. It was the fourth straight match that Houston has hit at least .500.
“;She has her game under control,”; Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji said after his team won its seventh straight. “;She's maturing as a player. Most seniors play their best at the end of their careers and she's certainly doing that.
“;Her numbers probably aren't as prolific as they could be, but that's because we're so much more balanced.”;
Freshman hitter Kanani Danielson and junior hitter Aneli Cubi-Otineru both had nine kills, while Danielson added a match-high 18 digs for the Wahine (20-3, 13-1). Hawaii outdug Boise State 48-25.
“;I thought we played well,”; Shoji said. “;We hit for a high percentage (.352 as a team) and our defense was really good.”;
So was Hawaii's serving. The Wahine finished with seven aces, three by junior middle Amber Kaufman, and went on long serving runs in pulling away from the Broncos (7-17, 3-10).
In Set 2, Boise State led 8-6 when Danielson went back to serve. When she was done, Hawaii had a commanding 16-8 lead.
In Set 3, it was Kaufman's tough serving that did some damage. She had two aces during a 7-0 run that put the Wahine up 22-14.
Sadie Maughan and Alisha King had five kills each for Boise State.
Neither team had impressive blocking numbers. Hawaii had five to Boise State's four.
“;Our blocking numbers aren't that important,”; Shoji said. “;We're able to deflect the shots and rely on defense. Our defense has been very solid.”;
Hawaii continues its final WAC road trip at Idaho tomorrow and then heads to Fresno State for a match Monday. Both matches are at 5 p.m. Hawaii time.
The Wahine need to win both to ensure at least a share of the conference title. Hawaii nearly got some help in the standings last night from Nevada, which led New Mexico State 2-0 only to lose in five to the Aggies.
NMSU is a half-game behind Hawaii in the standings but have three matches left to the Wahine's two.
Should the teams finish tied, the Aggies would be seeded No. 1 and the Wahine No. 2 in the WAC tournament in Honolulu. NMSU has the tiebreaker based on set differential against third-place Idaho.
“;I don't know how much difference being seeded first or second means,”; Shoji said.
Sophomore setter Dani Mafua tweaked her ankle in Wednesday's practice but played the entire match.
“;Dani was a little stiff, but she was able to play,”; Shoji said.
WAC Standings
| W | L | Pct. | GB | All |
|
| Hawaii | 13 | 1 | .928 | — | 20-3 |
| New Mexico St. | 12 | 1 | .923 | 1/2 | 18-7 |
| Idaho | 9 | 4 | .692 | 3 1/2 | 16-8 |
| Utah State | 8 | 6 | .571 | 5 | 10-15 |
| Nevada | 6 | 7 | .461 | 6 1/2 | 11-12 |
| San Jose State | 5 | 8 | .385 | 7 1/2 | 10-15 |
| Fresno State | 3 | 9 | .250 | 9 | 6-15 |
| Boise State | 3 | 10 | .231 | 9 1/2 | 7-17 |
| Louisiana Tech | 0 | 13 | .000 | 12 | 4-20 |
Yesterday
Hawaii def. Boise State, 25-15, 25-13, 25-17
Idaho def. Louisiana Tech, 25-16, 25-13, 25-14
New Mexico State def. Nevada, 19-25, 17-25, 25-13, 25-9, 25-22
Utah State def. San Jose State, 25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22
Tomorrow
Hawaii at Idaho, 5 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Nevada at San Jose State
Louisiana Tech at Boise State
New Mexico State at Fresno State
Monday
Hawaii at Fresno State, 5 p.m. (Hawaii time)
Hawaii def. Boise State
25-15, 25-13, 25-17
Rainbow wahine (20-3, 13-1 WAC)
| s | k | e | att | pct | d | bs | ba | pts |
|
| Kaufman | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | .250 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Danielson | 3 | 9 | 5 | 26 | .154 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 |
| Houston | 3 | 11 | 1 | 18 | .556 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 11.5 |
| Thomas | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10 | .300 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7.0 |
| Mafua | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Cubi-Otineru | 3 | 9 | 2 | 15 | .467 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 |
| Ferrell | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | .300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 |
| Hittle | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Keefe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Ka'aihue | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Brandt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Fowler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Totals | 3 | 47 | 15 | 91 | .352 | 48 | 2 | 6 | 57.0 |
Broncos (7-17, 3-10 WAC)
| s | k | e | att | pct | d | bs | ba | pts |
|
| Klein | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -.333 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.0 |
| Rose | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.0 |
| Blaha | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | -.250 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Maughan | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | .364 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 |
| Jenkins | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 | .043 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 |
| King | 3 | 5 | 2 | 24 | .125 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 |
| Lewis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Griffin | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | .100 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Pledger | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Ericson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -.167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Hamm | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 |
| Remy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Diemer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Botts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Totals | 3 | 18 | 13 | 90 | .056 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 22.0 |
Key—s: sets played; k: kills; e: hitting errors; att: attempts; pct: hitting percentage; d: digs; bs: block solo; ba: block assists; pts: points (kills + blocks + aces)
Aces—Hawaii (7): Kaufman 3, Danielson, Mafua, Cubi-Otineru, Brandt. Boise State (4): Hamm 2, Jenkins, King. Assists—Hawaii (45): Mafua 38, Brandt 3, Danielson, Houston, Cubi-Otineru, Keefe. Boise State (16): Klein 13, Diemer 3.
T—1:10. Officials—Tom Given, Garrod Shumway. A—273.
