HILO, Hawai'i – A long day and an even longer night, but a five-set thrilling victory in the end as the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball team slugged out a 3-2 win (19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-25, 15-11) over Concordia University Irvine in Pacific West Conference play Thursday evening at the Vulcan Gymnasium.
With momentum on the Vulcans side after taking Set 2 and Set 3, CUI seemingly sucked much of the energy out of the gym with a dominating 10-point Set 4 win to even the match at two sets apiece.
"I told the team in the last set, 'This is why we play. Enjoy the moment. The gym is packed. The crowd is rocking. It's a tied game in the fifth set. Enjoy this. Don't feel stressed.' Of course, it's easier to do when you're up a point instead of down a point," fifth-year Vulcans head coach Chris Leonard said. "I've said this before: we have the best home court advantage in the conference. Obviously Hawai'i people love volleyball and we're really thankful for the support. We feed off of that energy for sure."
After falling behind two points at a 4-6 deficit, the Vulcans came roaring back to take a one-point lead. The Golden Eagles returned the favor after managing to string together three consecutive points, but two CUI attack errors, an ace by Baylee Goeas Galdeira and three thundering kills from Isabella Hadaller closed out the victory for the Vulcans.
"That last set could've gone either way," Leonard said. "We had some really big kills from [Hadaller] down the stretch. To see her back on the court and seeing her become the player we thought she could be is exciting.
"We don't quit. Really proud of our team," Leonard continued. "We get to enjoy this for the moment and then try to refocus really quickly on the next two large tasks to deal with."
STATS SHEET
- Isabella Hadaller totaled 16 kills with 13 digs along with two total blocks.
- Emerson Reinke chipped in four kills (.500), Kamryn Childs tallied 14 (.481) and Chase Koepke added 10 (.368).
- CUI finished with a 13-7 blocking advantage up front and had a slight edge in hitting at .236.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 5-5 overall (2-0 PacWest) while CUI moved to 5-5 (1-1 PacWest).
The Vulcans will continue their first home stand by welcoming Southern California schools Point Loma (Sept. 23) and Azusa Pacific (Sept. 24).
ADOPT-A-BEEHIVE NIGHT
Hawai'i Hilo Athletics was happy to host the University of Hawai'i at Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management's beekeeping program for Adopt-a-Beehive Night.
The first 50 fans received a free bottle of fresh honey from UH Hilo's Farm Laboratory in Pana'ewa. Additionally, a number of lucky fans took home goodie bag giveaways.
September is National Honey Month and the Adopt-a-Beehive program was started in 2011 after teaming up with famous local chef Alan Wong to build awareness of the critical plight of honey bees. Now in it's 13th year, the program supports the education of student beekeepers, promotes research and development of healthy beehive practices in Hawai'i and educates the public about the vital role that honey bees play in sustaining agriculture.
You can participate by adopting a beehive for the 2023-2024 season. Visit HiloAthletics.com/bees for more information.
ONLINE TICKETS
Single-game and season tickets are now available to be purchased online through Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics' recently launched online ticket platform in partnership with AudienceView Campus.
The 2023 slate will feature 10 total home matches at the Vulcan Gymnasium with a package price of $75 for adults and $40 for seniors (ages 65-plus) and middle/high school students.
Both can be accessed at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
