VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY                                                                            
UH Hilo Overall Record: 11-3                      UHH PacWest Record: 7-1

It's Rivalry Weekend as Vulcans host Silverswords, Sharks on Sat-Sun.
Saturday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m.: UH Hilo (11-3) vs. Chaminade (12-3)
Sunday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.: UH Hilo vs. Hawai`i Pacific (5-10)
(Link to Live Stats and Live Video for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Rivals in the House: UH Hilo welcomes Chaminade and Hawai`i Pacific into Vulcan Gymnasium this weekend for Saturday and Sunday 7 p.m. matches. The pair of rivalry matches are the third and fourth of a six-match homestand for the Vulcans

Meaningful Match: It's been a long time since the Vulcans have hosted a match with major Pacific West Conference ramifications for both teams. They will do so on Saturday when taking on a very good Chaminade squad. The Vulcans (11-3) and Silverswords (12-3) have the two best overall records among PacWest teams, but perhaps more importantly, UH Hilo (7-1) and Chaminade (6-3) are very much in first half contention for a conference crown.
 
Promo Post: On Saturday, the UH Hilo athletic department will honor all the area physicians, physical therapists and nurses who donate their time to Vulcan student-athletes. Also, UH Hilo is hosting the annual Pacific West Conference SAAC retreat, with representatives from all 12 PacWest schools in attendance. Commissioner Bob Hogue will be in the house, as will Senior Associate Commissioner Jane Teixeira.
 
OH, and Free T-Shirts: On Sunday, the first 50 folks through the door will receive a free #imuavulcans t-shirt.
 
Standing in the PacWest: The Vulcans came into the week sitting in second place in the Pacific West Conference standings, and they likely will still be there when they square off with Chaminade on Saturday. BUT, they are much closer to the top rung now after first-place Azusa Pacific fell to Biola on Wednesday night (3-2). APU is 9-1 in conference play, and UH Hilo is 7-1—even in the loss column and one-full match behind overall. APU plays Fresno Pacific on Friday night. Biola is right behind the Vulcans at 8-2, with Chaminade and Point Loma next at 6-3.
 
Taking Care of Business: Eight of UH Hilo's 11 wins thus far have come in a very efficient three sets. They have also won two five-setters (Cal State Dominguez Hills and Biola), a four-set match (Academy of Art) and have dropped two matches that went five (UC San Diego, St. Martin's).

Best Start: UH Hilo's 11-3 start is their best since the 2011 team began at 11-2. At 7-1 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.

A Hiccup, then Business as Usual: The Vulcans won their fourth and fifth consecutive matches last week with victories over Academy of Art (3-1) and Holy Names (3-0). The winless Urban Knights gave UH Hilo all they could handle on Friday night, winning the second set and having opportunities to win the third as well before the Vulcans settled in for the 25-19, 21-25, 27-25, 25-16 win. On Monday, UHH got back in a groove, make quicker work of the Hawks by the count of 25-15, 25-8, 26-24.

Nearly Perfect: Against Holy Names, the Vulcans hit .412 in the first set, and then hit a scorching .464 in the second. Perhaps more impressive, they an 87 percent sideout rate. "Pretty sure that you are going to win the set when that happens," head coach Gene Krieger joked.

Blocking Business: The Vulcans have been a wall at the net, ranking third in the PacWest in blocks per set (2.20). In the three-set win over Point Loma two weeks ago, they had 14 blocks, including seven by sophomore middle Ashton Jessee. The Anchorage native had 13 blocks for the three wins in SoCal, and was named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week for her work. On the season, Jessee leads the PacWest with 1.16 blocks per set, followed closely by Kiley Davis (0.90), Evelin Solyomvari (0.69) and Alexandria Parisian (0.53). The Vulcans are first in the PacWest in opponent hitting percentage at just .145.

Defending the Court: If the ball gets past the block, Mina Grant and others have been there to keep the ball in play. Grant now has 247 digs on the season (4.84 per set), fourth 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 152 digs, followed by Basia Sauni's 133.

Hitters from Every Angle: The Vulcans offensive attack comes from many angles, with six different players tallying at least 70 kills so far on the season. Bria Beale leads with 137 (2.69 per set), followed closely by Evelin Solyomvari with 133 kills (2.61), with Alexandria Parisian next with 126. Middle blockers Kiley Davis (89) and Ashton Jessee (80) follow, with freshman outside hitter Teisa Tuioti just behind with 71. The Vulcans rank third in the PacWest with 13.08 kills per set.

Assisting with Aces: The Vulcans are fourth in the conference with 1.53 aces per set. Freshman Maile Powell is fourth in the PWC with 18 total, 0.35 per set' along with fellow setter Basia Sauni--who has 18 aces to go with her 318 assists (6.24 per set), while Powell has 236 assists. Overall, the Vulcans are third in the PacWest in assists (12.35).

Silverswords and Sharks: The Chaminade Silverswords come to UH Hilo with a sparkling 12-3 overall record and a 6-3 mark in PacWest play. They began the year 9-0, sweeping through two crossover tournaments and winning their first three PacWest matches. Their only losses have been to Azusa Pacific and Biola (three sets each) and to Concordia in five sets. The Silverswords have the top hitting percentage in the PWC (.260), and the two top kill-makers in Emma Tecklenburg (3.60) and Alana Handy (3.52). The bloodlines run deep through the Hawaii schools, perfect example here is that Chaminade head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke is the daughter of UH Hilo Hall of Famer, Carla Carpenter Kabalis. The Silverswords won both matches played between the two teams last year, but UH Hilo leads the all-time series, 70-36. Hawaii Pacific has won back-to-back contests, sweeping Academy of Art and Holy Names at home to improve to 4-5 in the PacWest. Preseason All-PacWest pick Perla Escobar leads the team with 2.90 kills per set, and she also paces the team in digs with 2.55. Carson Pyle is fifth in the PacWest with 1.02 blocks per game. The Sharks and Vulcans split matches a year ago, with UHH winning the 2017 finale in a five-set thriller. UH Hilo leads the all-time series, 69-57.

Around the Loop: Azusa Pacific, the pre-season conference favorite, still sits on top the PacWest standings with a 9-1 league mark after falling to Biola on Wednesday. The Vulcans are next at 7-1, with Biola at 8-2. On the national front involving West Region teams, Cal State San Bernardino is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll, with Western Washington at No. 7. The first official west region poll will be released next week.

What's Next: The homestand will run its course next weekend, with two more tough matches for the Vulcans. Biola will visit on Friday (Oct. 12) and Concordia will be the opponent on Sunday (Oct. 14). The Biola match starts at 7 pm, while Sunday's match will begin at 3 pm.