VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY
UH Hilo Overall Record: 13-5                      UHH PacWest Record: 9-3

Critical Road Trip of Five Awaits Title Chasing Vulcans
Saturday, Oct. 20, 1 p.m. PT: @ Holy Names, Oakland, CA, Tobin Gym
Sunday, Oct. 21, 3 p.m. PT: @ Academy of Art, San Francisco, Kezar Pavilion
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. PT: @ Fresno Pacific, Fresno, CA, Special Events Center
Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. PT: @ Dominican, San Rafael, CA, Conlan Center
Friday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. PT: @ Notre Dame de Namur, Belmont, CA, Gleason Gym
(Link to Live Stats and Live Video for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Hilo Headlines: After wrapping a six-match homestand at 4-2, the Vulcans will head out on the road for five matches in seven days in northern and central California. Still in the PacWest title chase, UH Hilo sits in fourth place in the Pacific West Conference but is only one game back in the loss column of co-leaders Azusa Pacific and Biola.

PacWest Logjam: A Biola hot streak (they've won eight in a row) and a Point Loma win over Azusa Pacific has thrown the PacWest standings into disarray. The Eagles and Cougars are now tied at the top of the heap at 12-2, followed by the surging Sea Lions at 11-3. UH Hilo is next (9-3), with Chaminade a half-game back at 9-4. All five teams are still in the hunt, with the rest of field sitting below .500 in conference play.
 
Lots of Volleyball Left: The Vulcans have just begun the second half of PacWest action, with ten matches still left to be played. That includes home matches against Azusa Pacific (Oct. 31) and Point Loma (Nov. 3) and a road match at Chaminade (Nov. 10).
 
Bay Area Capsules: A quick look at UH Hilo's next five opponents.
Holy Names: 3-16/2-11 PWC. UH Hilo won 3-0 in Hilo, UHH leads all-time, 10-1.
Academy of Art: 0-22/0-14 PWC. UH Hilo won 3-1 in Hilo, UHH leads series, 11-3.
Fresno Pacific: 5-16/4-8 PWC. First meeting this year, FPU leads all-time, 9-5.
Dominican: 6-12/4-9 PWC. UH Hilo won 3-0 in Hilo, UHH leads all-time, 12-5.
NDNU: 7-14/6-7 PWC. UH Hilo won 3-0 in Hilo, UHH leads all-time, 15-7.
 
Splitting Eagles: In the final two matches of the homestand, the Vulcans fell to Biola (3-1) and then rolled by Concordia (3-0). Against the first team of Eagles, UH Hilo won the first set 26-24, but Biola rallied back to win the next three—including a pivotal 26-24 third set. Disappointed, the Vulcans took out their frustration on the next Eagles to arrive, taking down Concordia in straight sets. The Vulcans hit .302 on the night, had eight service aces and had three players in double figure kill numbers, led by Bria Beale's 14.
 
Fun at Home: The Vulcans are 7-3 this season at Vulcan Gymnasium, and between that, the great food and a general fun time, UH Hilo leads the Pacific West Conference in home attendance. Here is a look at the top five teams in attendance, unofficially, with their average listed.
*UH Hilo (436)
*Biola (330)
*Hawaii Pacific (307)
*Chaminade (248)
*Azusa Pacific (236)
 
Taking Care of Business: Nine of UH Hilo's 13 wins thus far have come in a very efficient three sets. They have also won two five-setters (Cal State Dominguez Hills and Biola), and two four-set matches (Academy of Art, Hawaii Pacific). They have dropped two matches that went five (UC San Diego, St. Martin's).

Best Start: UH Hilo's 13-5 start is their best since the 2011 team began at 15-6. At 9-3 in the PacWest, the 2018 team can only look up to the 2010 UHH team that began the season at 13-1 in conference play and finished 13-3. The 2011 team qualified for the NCAA tournament, falling in the first round to Sonoma State. The 2010 squad did not make the NCAA bracket, despite sharing the conference crown with BYU-Hawaii.
 
Next Woman Up: The Vulcans have been without senior libero Mina Grant and senior middle blocker Kiley Davis for the last series of matches. Both are still day-to-day heading into the road trip. Kaila Lizama has been terrific as Grant's replacement, averaging 21.5 digs over the last four matches. Armani Moultrie has stepped in for Davis, posting 10 kills and five blocks against Hawaii Pacific.

Blocking Business: The Vulcans have been a wall at the net, ranking third in the PacWest in blocks per set (2.15). On the season, sophomore middle blocker Ashton Jessee leads the PacWest with 1.14 blocks per set, followed closely by Kiley Davis (0.89), Evelin Solyomvari (0.68), Armani Moultrie (0.58) and Alexandria Parisian (0.56). The Vulcans are second in the PacWest in opponent hitting percentage at just .161.

Defending the Court: If the ball gets past the block, Mina Grant and others have been there to keep the ball in play. Grant has 247 digs on the season (4.84 per set), second best in the PacWest. She has 1,420 digs in her career, with the Vulcan career record listed at 1,559 by Tanya Fuamatu (1992-95). Bria Beale is next behind Grant this season with 194 digs, followed by Basia Sauni's 168.

Hitters from Every Angle: The Vulcans offensive attack comes from many angles, with six different players tallying at least 90 kills so far on the season. Bria Beale has a slight lead over Evelin Solyomvari (180-174) with Alexandria Parisian at 163. Middle blocker Ashton Jessee (109) is next, with Kiley Davis (92) and Teisa Tuioti (91) following. The Vulcans rank third in the PacWest with 12.97 kills per set.

Assisting with Aces: The Vulcans are fourth in the conference with 1.58 aces per set. Freshman Maile Powell and Basia Sauni are fourth in the PWC with 23 total, 0.35 per set, and share Vulcan setting duties with 403 (Sauni) and 313 (Powell) assists.

Around the Loop: The PacWest does not have a representative in the AVCA national top 25 poll, but the west region is represented by Western Washington at No. 4, Cal State San Bernardino at No. 5, Cal State LA is No. 10 and Cal Poly Pomona is No. 19. The first official West Region poll is expected to be announced next week.

What's Next: After the five road matches, the Vulcans will return home for huge matches against Azusa Pacific (Oct. 31) and Point Loma (Nov. 3).

The Coach: Vulcan leader Gene Krieger is in his second season on the Big Island, but has also served as the head coach (most recent first) at Anderson, Northwestern Oklahoma State, California Baptist, Cal Poly Pomona, Westmont, Western Oregon and Warner Pacific. He has a collegiate coaching record of 380-215, including 22-23 at UH Hilo.