ESPN Honolulu Rainbow Wahine play-by-play voice Tiff Wells with his six biggest takeaways from the previous week for the Bows
1 – Alexander’s Night To Remember. September 14th, 2024. You’ll always remember where you were when Caylen Alexander went off against Texas State. A historic match for the Most Outstanding Player of the 28th Outrigger Invitational as she recorded the most kills by a Rainbow Wahine (38) since Jamie Houston scored 35 kills against USC in the 2006 Honolulu Regional Semifinal. It was also the most swings (74) by a UH hitter since 2012 when Emily Hartong had 79 swings in a match against UC Irvine. Nine kills in the first set against the Bobcats (UH would hit .421, the highest percentage of any set this season so far), Alexander matched that output in the fifth set. Adding in 13 digs, it was her 4th straight and 6th overall double-double this season. After having five errors in the 4-set win against Texas State on Tuesday, she went 48-of-52 on serve receive in the 10 sets played versus Oregon State and Texas State during the Outrigger Invitational. Her offensive performance helped UH hit a season-high .282 en route to UH’s first Outrigger Invitational championship since 2019. After a season-low .118 hitting percentage against Oregon State, Alexander bounced back to hit .338.
2 – Fightin’ Bows. Besides patience, the other word heard throughout fall camp was ‘fight.’ No more was it on display than on Friday the 13th against Oregon State. Entering the match on a 5-match losing streak, the Beavers could do no wrong as their offense went 27-4-67 (.366) while Hawai`i struggled to a .144 hitting percentage (24-15-66). Backs against the wall and without a block, UH notched two blocks in the third set while Stella Adeyemi got her first kill. All six of her kills came in the final three sets as the Bows recorded all nine of their blocks in sets three through five as well. Oregon State was frustrated by the UH defense as they hit no better than .200 in any of the last three sets, including .000 (6-6-21) in Set 5. On the other side, the Bows hit .353 (8-2-17) in the last set and sided out at 80% (8-of-10) off first-ball contract. Five Hawai`i players had double-digit digs, led by the 24-dig performance of the Big West Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week Tayli Ikenaga. UH out-dug Oregon State 94-60. UH has indeed fought their way on this Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride to a 6-1 start on the season.
3 – Littles Playing Big. After a 60-dig performance in the 10 sets played against Pepperdine, senior Libero Tayli Ikenaga has been the backrow leader and was named the Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. Double-digit digs in all three matches this past week, she also recorded her first career double-double as she had 12 digs and 12 assists. She also had a key service run midway through Set 1 against Texas State on Saturday to help the Bows get a cushion before eventually winning the set 25-22. For her efforts, she was named to the Outrigger Invitational All-Tournament Team. The other backrow ‘little,’ Victoria Leyva has been key as well. Coming in for Stella Adeyemi in the backrow, Leyva hasn’t played like a freshman. 28 digs in the three matches over the past week, she also added five service aces. Her service run in the third set against Oregon State helped spark UH’s comeback. Over the 14 sets played last week, Leyva went 50-of-51 on serve receive. Coming off the bench, you can’t forget about Jackie Matias’ 4-0 scoring run in the fifth set against Oregon State, helping UH to a 6-2 lead.
4 – Island Defended. A season-long seven-match homestand that has included five 5-set matches and the Rainbow Wahine sit at 6-1. It’s been an up-and-down type feeling every single match. Sometimes the lull comes at the beginning of a set or the match, other times it’s in the middle of a set. They’ve held on for wins, they’ve come-from-behind for wins, they’ve lost nearly every statistical category on the box score and have still won. It hasn’t been crisp and clean throughout any match so far. The roller coaster of emotions have been there every match this season. Sure it’s been frustrating at times to watch, from a player, coach and fan perspective, but it’s also a team that hasn’t quit in any match. They continue to fight, no matter the set or match score. Remaining patient, the fans continue to support and be vocal throughout, being that crucial seventh man. With wins over SMU, San Diego, Pepperdine and two against Texas State, you cannot complain about the 6-1 record ahead of the first road trip.
5 – Show The Way. She had just played in one total set through the first five matches of the season. Being patient, Maddie Way has continued to work hard in practice while pushing both Bamis and Miliana Sylvester to continue improving their games as well. With the team down two sets to none against Oregon State on Friday, the coaching staff made a change in the middle position as the true freshman replaced Jacyn Bamis. Way shined in the final three sets as she scored an ace, was in on two blocks and went 7-of-12 offensively, including the match-ending kill. Having three middles for those two starting spots is a good problem to have for the coaching staff, especially with two of them being true freshmen. The ceiling is high for the young group as they continue to gain experience and confidence.
6 – Support System. Every match, the main point of emphasis on the scouting report against UH is to slow down Caylen Alexander. Serving Alexander while she’s in the passing formation, the opposition wants to tire her out as they know the offense for UH runs through No. 17. Alexander has recorded 17 or more kills in every match this season. The Robin or Robins for the offense has changed every match. One time it’s Jacyn Bamis, another it’s Miliana Sylvester, it could be Stella Adeyemi or even Tali Hakas. Other times it’s a combo or trio of the aforementioned players. Senior Setter Kate Lang has been able to distribute the offense a little more evenly as of late while still feeding her top offensive option. While the blocking for points continues to need work, UH’s frontline has repeatedly gotten touches off the block, helping out the backrow. Everyone has gotten in on the dig parade and the all-out scrappy floor defense has kept UH in every single match so far this season.