UH shreds SJSU in 4

The Rainbow Wahine fight back after losing Game 1 to the visitors

It was a case of too many weapons on one side and too few answers on the other.

HAWAII    SAN JOSE ST. 3 1 Next Up at Nevada, Thursday

No. 15 Hawaii had San Jose State seeing double at the Stan Sheriff Center last night with four double-figure kill performances, four double-figure dig outings and three players finishing with double-double nights. It added up to the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team recovering nicely from a Game 1 setback to defeat the Spartans for the 29th consecutive time, 31-33, 30-27, 30-18, 30-24, in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

A crowd of 4,317 (6,476 tickets) saw Hawaii improve to 17-5 overall and remain tied for the Western Athletic Conference lead at 9-1 with No. 23 New Mexico State.

Sophomore hitter Jamie Houston led the way for the Wahine's ninth straight home victory with 24 kills and a career-high 23 digs, the first 20-20 match for a UH player since Susie Boogaard's 23 kills and 20 digs against Pepperdine on Sept. 25, 2004.

Also turning in double-double efforts were senior hitter Sarah Mason (19 kills, 13 digs) and senior setter Kanoe Kamana'o (67 assists, 12 digs).

Junior middle Kari Gregory added 12 kills, with one error in hitting .440, and junior middle Juliana Sanders' 10th kill ended the match.

Sophomore hitter Niki Clement led the Spartans (14-10, 5-6) with 19 kills, only six coming after Game 2. SJSU's all-time dig leader, senior libero Jessie Shull, finished with 28 digs.

Although the Wahine out-dug the Spartans 93-78, "It was frustrating that they dug so many balls," Houston said. "I felt like, 'Dang, it wasn't hit hard enough to fall.'

"They were fired up and ready to play (in Game 1). Then we were fired up and ready to go. We stayed mentally focused."

The Spartans, going with a different lineup from when the teams met last month, held off two Wahine game points in the close Game 1 (22 ties) before taking two swings of their own. The second ended with Mason hitting wide, giving SJSU the win and a rare accomplishment.

It was the first time this season that a WAC team had taken the first game off Hawaii and the first time it happened in 27 WAC matches, dating back to last season's match at New Mexico State on Oct. 1. It was also the first time the Spartans had taken a game off the Wahine in five matches, going back to the 2004 season.

The Wahine needed three tries to end Game 2 as the Spartans pulled to within 29-27. Houston slammed down the final point for her 14th kill.

Mason dominated Game 3, accounting for 11 points (8 kills, 2 solo blocks and an ace). One impressive sequence came early as she scored four consecutive points, two on kills and two on solo blocks, personally giving Hawaii a 17-6 lead.

"Kanoe and I had trouble connecting for a while," said Mason, who finished with a career-high four block solos. "I was in a rut. It was about getting back in a groove."

Hawaii found its collective rhythm for most of the last hour, figuring out how to block the smaller Spartan hitters. The Wahine ended up with a 12-6 edge in blocks and a 93-78 edge in digs, led by freshman libero Jayme Lee's 25.

"I thought we were pretty balanced," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "Our lefts (Houston and Mason) continue to put up big numbers but we are still in need of improvement in a lot of areas.

"This was a good series for us. We struggled a bit but it makes you better when you have to struggle and work hard for the win. Three-game blowouts are nice, but they don't make you better. Being tested at home makes you a better team."

Hawaii's next tests are on the road. The Wahine leave tomorrow night for matches at Nevada on Thursday and Utah State on Saturday. The Wahine finish out the regular-season home schedule with Louisiana Tech on Nov. 10 and New Mexico State on Nov. 12.

Note: With 5,869 assists, Kamana'o is five away from becoming the WAC career leader. The record of 5,873 is held by Colorado State's Analisa Saylor.

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