FORT WORTH, Texas — The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team (6-3) surged late in each set to sweep Western Carolina 25-15, 25-18, 25-19 on Day 2 of the Fight in the Fort in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. UH senior middle blocker Amber Igiede put away a season-high 21 kills, outside hitters Kendra Ham and Caylen Alexander posted double-double performances, as the Rainbow Wahine bounced back after a tough loss to TCU on Thursday to hit a season-best .345 in their second sweep of the season.
 
Igiede hit .625 on her 32 attacks with just one error for a season-high .625 hitting percentage. She was in the seven of UH’s 10 blocks and she tied her season-high with 24.5 points.
 
Ham made her second straight start on the right side and the senior put away a career-high 12 kills—seven coming in the second set alone—on 21 swings with two errors to hit a career-best .476 and contributed 11 digs to notch her first career double-double.
 
Alexander posted her fourth consecutive double-double with 11 kills and a career-best 16 digs and the sophomore passed the 200-dig mark for her career in the first set.
 
Setter Kate Lang distributed 40 assists, scooped up seven digs and tied her season-high with four blocks, while libero Talia Edmonds popped up 16 digs for a UH defense that held WCU (3-7) to .117 hitting.
 
Coming off of Thursday’s four-set loss to host TCU, the Rainbow Wahine raced out to a 10-3 lead in the first set against the Catamounts with Igiede scoring on her first three attacks and putting down two blocks in the early run. After WCU put together a 5-0 run with three kills from Bailey Hartsough, who finished with a team-high seven, Alexander turned the momentum back to the Wahine with a solo block and her fourth kill of the set to extend the UH lead to 18-13. UH closed the set with a 7-0 run highlighted by solo blocks by Kennedi Evans and Lang.
 
Western Carolina took a 5-3 lead in the second set, but UH caught and passed the Catamounts on back-to-back blocks to take a 9-8 lead. Igiede teamed with Wagoner on the first and with Lang on the second. An ace from Wagoner and a kill from Alexander capped a 6-1 run. The Catamounts trailed 14-13 until Ham put away five kills and teamed with Igiede on a block in a 7-1 burst that gave UH command of the set.
 
Sophomore middle blocker Jacyn Bamis made her UH debut in the third set and scored on her first attempt to give the Wahine a 15-13 lead. WCU tied the set at 17-17 before the Wahine broke away again with a 7-1 run. Edmonds delivered an ace and Igiede was in on two more blocks alongside Ham and Lang. Igiede reached 20 kills for the second time this season to give UH match point and she closed out the win with No. 21.

The Rainbow Wahine close their stay in Texas by taking on Florida State on Saturday at  7 a.m. Hawai’i time.

 

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