HONOLULU, Hawai'i – A doubleheader to open a brand-new season is a tall task at hand, but the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball team drew a royal flush in back-to-back five-set thrillers to start off 2-0 on O'ahu after victories over Alaska and Alaska Anchorage in the annual Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge.
The Vulcans started the day with a 25-22, 25-23, 16-25, 19-25, 15-13 win against the Nanooks at Chaminade's McCabe Gymnasium before traveling to HPU's The Shark Tank for a 21-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-11 reverse sweep of the Seawolves.
"It was a gritty win for the team," sixth-year head coach Chris Leonard told Guava Press Media following the victory over Alaska. "I just told our team this was a great challenge for us. To go five this early and realize we can dig our way out of things is a great way to test ourselves early in the year. Hopefully we don't have to dig our way out too many times in the future but we know that we can."
Hawai'i Hilo ended up doing just that as it stormed back from a 2-0 set deficit in the nightcap with Alaska Anchorage. The Vulcans fired back to hit .516 in Set 3 as Taylor Tullo put down 14 of her 17 total kills (.250) through the final three frames of action. Samara Cruz posted a game-high 18 kills (.364).
The duo hitters also led the Vulcans in the earlier game against Alaska with Cruz notching 14 kills (.200) and Tullo with 12. Both also totaled double-doubles with 11 and 13 digs, respectively. Tani Hoke led both contests with 25 and 18 digs, respectively.
Freshman Isabella Freeman had an efficient hitting performance in the middle, going for nine and six kills, respectively, for a combined .576 outing.
Both Maya Imoto-Eakin and Emerson Reinke split the load in dishing out a combined 43 and 41 assists, respectively, through the two matches.
Match starters for both contests were Kamryn Childs, Tullo, Cruz, Imoto-Eakin, Chase Koepke and Freeman with Hoke at libero.
This was the third consecutive year of opening the season with the Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge.
"The matchups between us and both of those schools have been very close," Leonard said. "They're good games, they're good teams and it's really good for all of us. We all get to play each other and we all seem to play each other pretty tough. It's a great way for us to get prepared for the season."
Alaska Anchorage and Alaska were voted at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 2-0 overall with Alaska at 0-2 and Alaska Anchorage at a 1-2 record.
The Vulcans will close the weekend with a five-set exhibition against Brock University of Ontario, Canada Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in HPU's The Shark Tank.
DE LUZ CHEVROLET HAWAI'I FALL VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE
Next week, Hawai'i Hilo will have four home matches as part of co-hosting the De Luz Chevrolet Hawai'i Fall Volleyball Challenge. Other teams making their way to the Big Island include Bemidji State, Cal Poly Humboldt, HPU, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. The three-day event runs Sept. 5-7 at the Vulcan Gymnasium. More information available at HiloAthletics.com/VBchallenge.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the Vulcans' 14 home matches are now available for $110. Visit HiloAthletics.com/TIXwvb to purchase online.
PACWEST NETWORK
PPV season passes are now available for $157.50 through the recently-launched PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. More information at HiloAthletics.com/LiveStream.
