Women’s Volleyball Hosts OUTRIGGER Volleyball Challenge

HONOLULU—The 23rd-ranked University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball (4-1) wraps up its three-week homestand by hosting the 27th OUTRIGGER Volleyball Challenge, Sept. 7, 8 and 10 at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Coming to Honolulu to compete in the three-day tournament is Liberty (6-0), Pepperdine (1-4) and UCLA (4-1).
 

27TH OUTRIGGER VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Opponent | Date | Time				Thursday, Sept. 7 4:45 p.m. HT –  UCLA vs. Pepperdine 7:00 p.m. HT – #23 Hawai’i vs. Liberty Friday, Sept. 8 4:45 p.m. HT – Liberty vs. UCLA 7:00 p.m. HT – Hawai’i vs. Pepperdine Sunday, Sept. 10 2:45 p.m. HT – Pepperdine vs. Liberty 5:00 p.m. HT – Hawai’i vs. UCLA
Location				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) – Honolulu, O’ahu
Tickets				ETicketHawaii.com
Promotions				• Outrigger Resorts and Hotels  is the sponsor of the OUTRIGGER Volleyball Challenge and will award great prizes including Hula Grill gift certificates throughout the tournament. Fans, please visit the sports marketing table (near Gate A) to register for a chance to win, courtesy of Outrigger Resorts and Hotels.  • Thursday (Sept. 7): Down Syndrome Awareness night.  • Friday (Sept. 8): In the spirit of Aloha Friday, fans are encouraged to wear Aloha attire.  • Sunday (Sept. 10)  Members of the UH 1983 NCAA Championship volleyball team will be recognized at the match to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 National Championship.
Game Day Information				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center Game Day Information page
Game Day Rosters				CLICK HERE (PDF)
Virtual Program				CLICK HERE
Television				Spectrum OC16 – Ch. 16 (SD) or Ch. 1016 (HD) – Kanoa Leahey (Play-by-Play), Chris McLachlin (Color); Scott Robbs, Dave Shoji, James Anastassiades (Thurs), Ryan Kalei Tsuji (Fri,Sun),
Live Stream				ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai’i) – Only for UH matches Thursday – ESPN+ Friday – ESPN+ Sunday – ESPN+
Radio				ESPN Honolulu | 1420 AM / 92.7 FM | Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
Live Audio Stream				ESPNHonolulu.com  | Sideline Hawaii App
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai’i  |  Liberty  | Pepperdine | UCLA
Social Media				@HawaiiWVB  | #HawaiiWVB #GoBows | @HawaiiWVB  | Facebook

No. 23 HAWAI’I RAINBOW WAHINE (4-1, 0-0 Big West)Record: 4-1
Head Coach: Robyn Ah Mow (Seventh Season)
Sidenote: UH entered the AVCA/Taraflex Poll this week ranked No. 23. It is the first time being ranked since 2019. It is the 515th time that UH has been ranked in the Top 25 since 1982.

LIBERTY FLAMES (6-0, 0-0 Conference USA)Series record: First meeting

Streak: —

Last meeting: —

Head Coach: Trevor Johnson (Sixth Season)

PEPPERDINE WAVES (1-4, 0-0 West Coast Conference)Series record: UH, 31-4

Streak: Pepperdine, won 1

Last meeting: In 2018, the Waves held off UH to win in five sets in Malibu, 19-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 6-15. The Pepperdine win snapped a 13-match losing streak vs. UH.

Head Coach: Scott Wong (Ninth Season)

UCLA BRUINS (4-1, 0-0 PAC-12)Series record: UCLA leads, 39-38

Streak: UCLA won 1

Last meeting: Last season, UCLA came from behind to down UH in five, 25-20, 13-25, 25-23, 23-25, 9-15.

Head Coach: Alfee Reft (First Season)

 LAST TIME OUT

• Hawai’i swept its two-match series against Southern California to improve to 4-1
• On Thursday, Hawai’i served for match point to try to end the match in three sets. But the Women of Troy battled their way back to take the third set, 26-24 and then pulled away to win Set 4, 25-17 to force a fifth and deciding set. USC took a late 13-11 lead, but after a UH timeout, Amber Igiede and Paula Guersching both buried crucial kills to knot the score at 13-13. USC went up 14-13 to serve for the match, but back-to-back blocks by Igiede/Guershing and Igiede/Lang allowed UH to leapfrog into the lead. USC staved off one match point before Caylen Alexander swooped in to pummel her13th kill to win, 17-15.
• In the rematch on Saturday, the two teams split the first two sets. UH got back on track, puling away to win Set 3, 25-18. But in Set 4, USC erased an eight-point deficit and actually took the lead at 20-19. The ‘Bows showed their resilience by rallying to come back then hold off USC, 25-23 for the match.  

NEWS & NOTES

• ‘BOWS ENTER TOP 25 – The two victories over Southern California last week propelled the Rainbow Wahine into the AVCA/Taraflex Poll, coming in at No. 23. It is the first time that UH has been ranked since 2019, when the ‘Bows finished the season at No. 15 after falling in the NCAA Champiomship tourney’s Round of 16. It is the 516th time that UH has been ranked in the Top 25 since 1982.
• IGIEDE, LANG REPEAT TO EARN BIG WEST WEEKLY HONORS – For their efforts in leading UH to two wins over Southern California, senior middle Amber Igiede and junior setter Kate Lang repeated winning Big West Offensive Player and Setter of the Week respectively. For Igiede, it marks her eight career weekly honor—five of which are for Offensive Player of the Week. In the series, Igiede posted team-highs of 31 kills, 3.44 kill/set average, a .472 hitting %, and 10 total blocks (including two solo). The Baton Rouge, La., native added four service aces,13 digs. Lang amassed 91 assists and averaged 10.11 assists/set last week. She came up with 22 digs and was tied for the team-high with six service aces with Caylen Alexander. It marked Lang’s seventh BW weekly honor–five as Setter of the Week. 
• IGIEDE HITS 1,000TH KILL – In the third set of Saturday’s match vs. USC, Igiede buried her 1,000th career kill. She needed nine coming into the match and came through with a team-high 15 to end with 1,006 kills. She is the 21st Rainbow Wahine to hit 1,000 kills and the first to accomplish the feat since McKenna Granato in 2018. She needs 73 blocks to become just the fourth Hawai’i middle to ever reach 1,000 kills and 500 blocks. Alumnae Angelica Ljunqvist, Suzanne Eagye and Deitre Collins are the only three Hawai’i players to ever reach those lofty numbers.
• MĀNOA ROOFING COMPANY – Middle blockers Kennedi Evans and Igiede are the two main contributors to UH’s blocking attack. Igiede leads the team with 26 total blocks including eight block solos, while Evans has been in on 19 total blocks with three solo. Combined the two have been in on 45 blocks out of UH’s 47 total blocks. Showing marked improvement from last season is Caylen Alexander who is third on the team with 13 blocks in the first two weeks of the season. Last year, she finished with 26 blocks for the season. 
• IGIEDE LEADS THE WAY – Igiede has been a force at the net–both on offense and defense. On offense, she leads UH with 70 kills, 3.33 kills/set, and a .388 hitting percentage. She also recorded four service aces last week–three coming in the second match vs. USC alone. On defense, she leads the ‘Bows with 26.0 blocks and 1.24 blocks/set. She has also popped up 25 digs. For her career, she now has 1,006 kills and 427 total blocks. she is just 73 away from becoming just the fourth Rainbow Wahine in history to record over 1,000 kills and 500 blocks. 
• ALEXANER MAKING IMPACT – The hard work that sophomore Caylen Alexander put in over this past Spring and Summer is paying off dividends now. She is second on the team with 64 kills and 3.05 kill/set. She is the only UH player to record 10+ kills in all five matches thus far this season. She has one double-double  this year, recording 12 kills and 12 digs in the season opener vs. Northwestern. She has also been in on at least one block in every match–including four against the Wildcats. She is tied for the team-lead with eight service aces with Riley Wagoner.
• LANG AT THE CONTROLS – Setter Kate Lang leads UH and the Big West with 211 assists and 10.05 assists/set. She has tallied a pair of double-doubles coming against San Diego and in UH’s most recent match vs. USC. Against the Trojans, she served tough going on a few long scoring runs which included a combined six service aces–three in each match.
• WAGONER STEADIES THE SHIP – Senior Riley Wagoner leads UH with three double-doubles which came against Northwestern, San Diego and USC. Her all around play anchors the team. She is third on the team with 52 kills, third with 49 digs. Last week against the Trojans, she dealt out a career-high four service aces in the last match.
• HAKAS BRINGING THE ENERGY – True freshman Tali Hakas is UH’s instant-energy source. Her joy of the game is infectious and evident on the court as she soaks up all the energy from the crowd as well. She has put down 36 kills and three service aces, but it is her defense that has shone early on. She is second on the team with 59 digs and she has 10 total blocks through five games. In the opener match vs. USC, her offensive attack was a little off the mark, but she made up for it recording a season-high 18 digs to lead UH. She has two double-doubles under her belt already.
• GUERSCHING MAKES KEY PLAYS LATE – Junior transfer came in off the bench to help UH comeback to win Thursday’s match. With UH trailing 11-13 in the fifth set, Guersching entered the match. Right off the bat, she put down a crucial kill  to keep things close and later, she and Igiede rejected a USC attack to knot the score at 14-14. UH went on to win the match taking set 5, 17-15.
• LANE MAKES RAINBOW WAHINE DEBUT – Junior transfer Colby Lane made her first appearance donning the Green and White. She entered the match in the fourth set and came through in the clutch, calmly recorded three digs to help steady the back row. 
• EDMONDS PATROLLING THE BACK – Senior libero Talia Edmonds leads the ‘Bows with 71 digs and a 3.3 digs/set average. She has started all five in the different colored jersey. She is second on the team with 24 assists and has two aces on the year.