ROCKLIN, California – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball swept Jessup (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) on Thursday afternoon in Pacific West Conference play at Warrior Arena.
The Vulcans recorded 50 kills, tied for the fourth-most by a team in a PacWest match this season. Jessup led by as many as five points in the third set (12-7), its largest lead of the match, before Hawai'i Hilo scored 11 of the next 14 points to take control and held on after Jessup cut the deficit to one.
Logan Blutreich and Chase Koepke combined for 24 kills with one error on 42 attempts (.548).
Blutreich led Hawai'i Hilo with a career-high 16 kills and hit .536 with one error. Alohi Garcia added 16 kills and all three of the Vulcans' aces. Koepke recorded eight kills without an error (.571).
'Anolani Santos recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 40 assists and 12 digs, while Maiah Kalima (14) and LC Nakagawa (13) also reached double figures in digs.
Hawai'i Hilo holds fourth place in the conference standings. The Vulcans close their California road trip at Dominican on Friday before returning home to host Concordia (Oct. 28) and No. 18 Point Loma (Oct. 31).
GAME NOTES
- Set 1: Jessup cut the deficit to two at 14-12, but Hawai'i Hilo answered with three straight points and led by as many as seven. Blutreich recorded six of her 16 match kills, including the final one, and three of the Vulcans' last five points.
- Set 2: Hawai'i Hilo never trailed. With a 17-15 lead, UHH outscored Jessup, 8-3, to finish.
- Set 3: Jessup's last lead came at 15-14, but Hawai'i Hilo scored the next four points. Jessup cut the deficit to 22-21 with three straight points, but the Vulcans took three of the last four points.
- Total Kills: Hawai'i Hilo 50, Jessup 33
- Total Assists: Hawai'i Hilo 47, Jessup 32
- Total Blocks: Hawai'i Hilo 6, Jessup 15
- Total Digs: Hawai'i Hilo 50, Jessup 38
- Koepke recorded eight kills to move to No. 9 on the program's career kills list, passing Fabiane Seben (2007-2009).
- Previous Matchup (Oct. 3, 2026): W 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-11) in Hilo
- Hawai'i Hilo: 18-6 Overall (10-3 PacWest)
- Nickname: Vulcans
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Current Conference Standing: No. 4
- AVCA-Taraflex Top 25 Poll (Oct. 19): Receiving Votes
- NPI Rank (Oct. 18): No. 40 (No. 8 West Region)
- Jessup: 4-17 Overall (2-11 PacWest)
- Nickname: Warriors
- Rocklin, California
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 9
- Current Conference Standing: No. 9
- NPI Rank (Oct. 18): No. 215 (No. 27 West Region)
UP NEXT
- Friday, Oct. 23 (3 PM / 6 PM PT) at Dominican (San Rafael, California)
- Wednesday, Oct. 28 (6 PM) vs Concordia (Vulcan Gymnasium)
- Saturday, Oct. 31 (6 PM) vs No. 18 Point Loma (Vulcan Gymnasium)
- Friday, Nov. 6 (6 PM) at Chaminade (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
- Saturday, Nov. 7 (3 PM) at HPU (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
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. 19, totaling 16 points.
PACWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top four teams in the conference standings will qualify for the 2026 PacWest Championships, hosted by Vanguard on Nov. 13-14 in Costa Mesa, California. Eliminated from Contention: Dominican (1-11), HPU (3-10), Jessup (2-11), Vanguard (4-9).
The Vulcans made an appearance in last year's PacWest Championships semifinal round. Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 3 earlier in this year's conference preseason coaches poll.
NCAA POWER INDEX (NPI)
NCAA Division II has implemented the NCAA Power Index (NPI) as the official, objective metric for determining NCAA Championships postseason tournament berths. Outside of conference champions receiving Automatic Bids (AQs), all remaining at-large spots are awarded based on final NPI rankings, which evaluate winning percentage, strength of schedule and match location.
In the initial rollout of the ratings, Hawai'i Hilo came in at No. 40 nationally and No. 8 in the West Region. NCAA Selection Show will be Nov. 15 with the opening rounds of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships set for Nov. 19-22. Five at-large berths will be awarded alongside the AQs for the three champions from the conferences comprising the West Region — PacWest, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
