HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball fell to No. 16 Alaska in straight sets (25-23, 25-22, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium to close out the Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge.
It was the Vulcans' first loss of the early season and flipped Friday's outcome — a four-set victory over the 16th-ranked Nanooks. Saturday's matchups were determined based on the five teams' records (Hawai'i Hilo: 2-0, Alaska: 2-1, Chaminade: 1-1, Alaska Anchorage: 1-1, HPU 0-2) through the first two days of the season-opening event. With the win, Alaska claimed winning rights to the 2026 Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge.
Alohi Garcia and Kaliko Kealoha each finished with 10 kills to lead the Vulcans. LC Nakagawa totaled 11 digs and Maiah Kalima had 10. 'Anolani Santos finished with 29 assists.
Haylee Lyons led Alaska with 12 kills while Cynphany Henderson finished with 18 assists.
Garcia and Santos were both named to the All-Tournament Team while Alaska's Haylee Lyons was named MVP. Other honorees: Tessa Onaga (Alaska), Lee Ivakina (Alaska Anchorage), Lillie Hinton (Chaminade), Sofia Cooper (HPU).
The Vulcans opened the weekend with a thrilling five-set victory over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night before defeating Alaska in four sets the following night.
Hawai'i Hilo starters for all three matches were: Logan Bluetreich, Alohi Garcia, Maiah Kalima, Kaliko Kealoha, Chase Koepke, LC Nakagawa, 'Anolani Santos.
GAME NOTES
- Hawai'i Hilo: 2-1 Overall (0-0 PacWest)
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- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- No. 16 Alaska: 3-1 Overall (0-0 Great Northwest Conference)
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Full Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge results:
- Aug. 20: Chaminade 3, Alaska Anchorage 0 — 25-22, 25-13, 25-22
- Aug. 20: No. 16 Alaska 3, HPU 0 — 25-16, 28-26, 25-14
- Aug. 20: Hawai'i Hilo 3, Alaska Anchorage 2 — 30-32, 25-13, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10
- Aug. 21: No. 16 Alaska 3, Chaminade 1 — 25-21, 19-25, 13-25, 20-25
- Aug. 21: Alaska Anchorage 3, HPU 0 — 25-15, 25-20, 25-18
- Aug. 21: Hawai'i Hilo 3, No. 16 Alaska 1 — 27-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-22
- Aug. 22: Alaska Anchorage 3, Chaminade 0 — 25-22, 25-13, 25-22
- Aug. 22: No. 16 Alaska 3, Hawai'i Hilo 0 — 25-23, 25-22, 25-18
- Saturday's matchups featured the first usage of the NCAA Challenge Review System at a Vulcans' hosted event. CRS was implemented starting 2016, mostly in Division I, but became mandatory for NCAA Division II Championships postseason play. The PacWest Conference approved use of CRS starting this fall, but is not mandatory.
UP NEXT
- Friday, Aug. 28 (7 AM) vs Menlo (Fresno, California) – FPU Sunbird Classic
- Friday, Aug. 28 (1 PM) vs Stanislaus State (Fresno, California) – FPU Sunbird Classic
- Saturday, Aug. 29 (9 AM) vs UC Merced (Fresno, California) – FPU Sunbird Classic
- Saturday, Aug. 29 (3 PM) vs No. 11 Fresno Pacific (Fresno, California) – FPU Sunbird Classic
PACWEST 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 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 $90).
