This Week in Vulcan Volleyball
Record: 5-3

PacWest Conference Home Openers, Vulcan Gym
Saturday, Sept. 21 vs. Chaminade (6-2)*, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 22 vs. Hawai`i Pacific (4-4)*, 3 p.m.
*records prior to Thursday night match versus each other
 
Island Clashes: It doesn't get much more fun than this. The Vulcans open Pacific West Conference play against their island rivals—Chaminade on Saturday and Hawai`i Pacific on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks and Silverswords will get their rivalry on two nights earlier, playing each other on Thursday night to kick-off PacWest play.
 
Terrible Towels and Posters: The first 100 fans in attendance on Saturday night will receive a free Vulcan towel, courtesy of the UH Hilo Booster Club. On Sunday, schedule posters are the giveaway to keiki, and Vulcans players will be available after the match to autograph and mingle.
 
Watch, Listen, Track: All Vulcan home matches are available via Live Stream and Live Stats. Live Stats are free, while the video is pay-per-view. Per match cost is $7.95, while a Season Pass can be purchased for $64.95.
 
Vulcans Showcase their Talents: Last weekend at the D2 West Region Showcase in Pomona, Calif., the Vulcans went 2-2—but it was one of their losses that was perhaps the most impressive. The Vulcans took unbeaten and (now) No. 2 nationally ranked Western Washington to five sets before falling, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10. The Vulcan had a 2-1 set lead, and a 14-11 margin in the fourth set before the champion Vikings crawled back. Western Washington, who won the west region championship last year and got all the way to the NCAA championship match (falling in five sets to Tampa), is now 8-0 on the season.
 
West Region Wins: The Vulcans picked up Showcase victories over Seattle Pacific (3-1) and host Cal Poly Pomona (3-0). The Broncos were ranked 20^th in the AVCA national preseason poll. The Vulcans dropped their tournament opener to Cal State Monterey Bay (3-1).
 
Chris quotes: ""I was really proud of how we played," said Vulcan head coach Chris Leonard. "We showed that we can play with any team in the country. We still have a lot of work to do obviously, be we are on the right track and made a lot of progress last weekend."
 
By the Numbers: As promised by Leonard in the preseason, the Vulcan offensive attack has been balanced. Junior Bria Beale had a total of 97 kills to lead the way, including 19 in the Seattle Pacific win. Right behind her is Amber Tai (88), who had a career-best 17 kills against Western Washington. Emily Wade checks in with 71 kills, Alexandria Parisian has 69 and Ashton Jessee 53….Jessee has an attack percentage of .314…Kendall Kott has 328 assists, or 10.58 per set…Kaila Lizama has 140 digs (4.52 per set) to lead the Vulcans in that category…Wade and Jessee have 33 blocks assists each, and Parisian had 23.
 
Aces Wild: The Vulcans have zipped in 54 service aces in eight matches, including 13 against Chico State. Eight different Vulcans have aces, led by Bria Beale's 12, Amber Tai's 11, Alex Parisian's 10 and Ashton Jessee's nine.

PacWest Road Blocks: The Vulcans lead the PacWest in blocks, and it is not close. UH Hilo has 134 block assists and 76.0 total, or an average of 2.45 per set. Next closest is Point Loma with 92 block assists and 57 total.
 
PacWest Leadership: Individual leaders on the PacWest stat board include…
*Bria Beale—4^th in kills per set (3.13), 3^rd in points (3.81)
*Kendall Kott—1^st in assists per set (10.58)
*Ashton Jessee—3^rd in blocks (1.16)
*Emily Wade—4^th in blocks (1.13)
*Kaila Lizama—5^th in digs (4.52)
*Amber Tai—10^th in points (3.39)
 
Visitors from Oahu: It is not uncommon for Hilo to have vacation visitors from Oahu over the weekend, but when Chaminade and Hawai`i Pacific are on island in a few days, it will be all business. Chaminade, picked to finish second in the PacWest preseason poll, is 6-2 to begin the year. They opened the season with a sweep of four matches in their own Hawaii Challenge tournament, and then split four matches in Pomona. The Silverswords, who swept the Vulcans last season and went on to qualify for the NCAA regional tournament, had two preseason All-PacWest picks in Alana Handy and Emma Tecklenburg. Chaminade has won the last six matches against the Vulcans, but UH Hilo still leads the all-time series, 70-38. Hawai`i Pacific is 4-4 prior to a Thursday match-up with Chaminade. The Sharks went 3-1 in their own tournament to open the season, which included a win over Chico State, but then lost three of four at their Showcase tournament in Los Angeles. The Sharks were picked to finish seventh in the PacWest preseason poll, and are led by the duo of Cameryn Collie (3.07 kills per set) and Perla Escobar (2.97). The Vulcans won both matches between the two clubs last year, and UHH leads the all-time series, 71-57.
 
Last Year: The Vulcans had their best season in a decade, going 21-7 overall and 17-5 in the Pacific West Conference, good for a tie for third with Chaminade. They just missed being selected for postseason play (Chaminade made it). Under head coach Gene Krieger, the Vulcans went from 9-18 in 2017 to 21-7, a 12-game win improvement.
 
PacWest Preseason: The Vulcans are picked to finish fifth in the Pacific West Conference Preseason poll, behind Azusa Pacific, Chaminade, Biola and Point Loma. Bria Beale was named to the All-Preseason team.
 
The Coach: Chris Leonard is UH Hilo's interim head coach for 2019, after five years as the teams' lead assistant and 20+ years as a local high school and club coach. He is an inductee of the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame, and is also the President and General Manager of New West Broadcasting Corporation. He is a coaching staff of five assistants, all with Hawaii volleyball ties—Emil Osorio (Waiakea HS and Pilipa`a), Tai Manu-Olevao (Rainbow Wahine, All-Big West), Poli Olevao-Kahapea (UH Hilo, A Mother's Prayer), Sienna Davis (UH Hilo all-time assist leader), and Basia Sauni (two-year starter at UH Hilo).