HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball defeated Vanguard in straight sets, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-15), for its fifth consecutive sweep on Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The Vulcans hit .317 as a team and served eight aces. Alohi Garcia recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 digs along with one ace. Chase Koepke added eight kills (.462) and three aces (career high) while Sajal Glunz also put down eight kills and finished with three blocks. Freshman 'Anolani Santos totaled 33 assists with three kills, three aces and five digs.
Vanguard's Abigayle Gotwals — ranked No. 6 in the PacWest for kills per set — led the Lions with 13 kills (.524) in the two teams' previous meeting last month but was held to five kills (.267) on Saturday night.
Hawai'i Hilo now sits tied in third place with Point Loma in the conference standings. Concordia (8-1) leads with Biola (9-2) at No. 2.
GAME NOTES
- Set 2: Trailing 5-7, Hawai'i Hilo scored eight straight points – including three consecutive kills from Glunz and two aces from Koepke.
- Set 3: Hawai'i Hilo closed the game on a 7-0 run. Garcia had five of her 10 kills in the set, and Lilly Boatner subbed in to get the final point.
- Total Kills: Hawai'i Hilo 41, Vanguard 31
- Total Digs: Hawai'i Hilo 34, Vanguard 25
- Total Service Aces: Hawai'i Hilo 8, Vanguard 1
- Total Offensive Errors: Hawai'i Hilo 17, Vanguard 25
- Previous Matchup (Sept. 17, 2026): W 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-14)
- Hawai'i Hilo: 15-5 Overall (7-2 PacWest)
- Nickname: Vulcans
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Current Conference Standing: No. T3
- AVCA-Taraflex Top 25 Poll: Receiving Votes
- Vanguard: 5-12 Overall (3-7 PacWest)
- Nickname: Lions
- Costa Mesa, California
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 6
- Current Conference Standing: No. 7
- Saturday was the final home match of the season at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Every remaining Vulcans Women's Volleyball home match will be at the on-campus Vulcan Gymnasium.
- Aloha KIA was Saturday's Game Day Sponsor, with one lucky fan going home with a new Yeti cooler as part of a raffle giveaway.
- It was Think Pink Night in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The first 50 attending fans wearing pink received a free Hilo-branded prize.
UP NEXT
- Monday, Oct. 12 (6 PM) vs Westmont (Hilo, Hawai'i) – Vulcan Gymnasium
- Oktober (Root) Beer (Float) Fest
- Friday, Oct. 16 (4:30 PM) vs HPU (Hilo, Hawai'i) – Vulcan Gymnasium
- Postponed from Sept. 27 (Hurricane Nolo)
- Game Day Sponsor: HPM
- Tuesday, Oct. 20 (4 PM / 7 PM PT) at Westmont (Santa Barbara, California)
VULCAN CHALLENGE
Hawai'i Hilo Athletics has launched its annual Vulcan Challenge, a month-long fundraising campaign running from Sept. 21 through Oct. 23 to support scholarships, travel, training and other essential resources for the Vulcans' 12 NCAA Division II teams. To support, visit HiloAthletics.com/VC.
AMONG THE BEST
Hawai'i Hilo was listed among others receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association-Taraflex Division II Top 25 Poll released on Oct. 5, totaling 11 points.
PACWEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 3 in the 2026 PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vulcans finished the 2025 regular season tied at No. 3 in the conference standings. The four-team 2026 PacWest Championships postseason tournament will be hosted by Vanguard University on Nov. 13-14 in Costa Mesa, California.
PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
Season and individual tickets for the Vulcans' 13 home matches at Vulcan Gymnasium are available for purchase at HiloAthletics.com/tickets. Season tickets are $150 for Preferred Seats ($100 for seniors 65+ and middle/high school students) and $100 for General Seats ($50 for seniors 65+ and middle/high school students).
BUY LIVESTREAM PACKAGE
Video livestreaming will be available for all home events this season through the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/livestream. Single-game passes for volleyball are offered at $15 and a season-package (12 matches) price of $120 (now $40).
