HILO, HAWAII. -- Vanguard women's volleyball began its swing through Hawaii on Saturday with a night clash against the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and the Vulcans won in a sweep. Falling 25-17, 25-17, 25-15, VU dropped to 5-12 overall and 3-7 in Pacific West Conference games, while UHH improved to 15-5, 7-2.
What Happened? Meadow Hobbs continued her run of form by pacing the Lions with eight kills and a .316 hitting percentage, finishing tied for second in kills in the match. Each team had 10 block assists, with the Lions having
Kayla Robinson,
Haylee Long,
Saniyah Neal, and
Abigayle Gotwals ending with two apiece.
The Vulcans took a 4-1 edge to open the first set, and though Long and Gotwals had kills, UHH used a 6-1 stretch to open the lead to 12-5. Gotwals and Robinson chipped in kills to bring the gap down to 15-11, but a 7-1 streak by the hosts put the set mostly away at 23-14, and after a trio of VU points, the Vulcans claimed the period 25-17. The Blue and Gold had a .212 hitting percentage in the first set, their best of the match, while UHH had the same at a .355 clip.
Set 2
Vanguard used a pair of block assists and a Gotwals slam to open the second frame with a 4-1 lead, but Hilo would eventually level the score at 5-5. Hobbs landed one of her strikes to put the Lions up 7-5, but the Vulcans produced an 8-0 blitz to swipe all the energy in the frame. The Lions had a 3-0 stretch late in the period to bring the score down to 21-16, but the Vulcans soon emerged with another 25-17 decision. VU hit .143 in the second, while UHH had a .269 rate.
Set 3
The final frame repeated the opening from the middle stanza, as after a 4-1 Vanguard open, UHH tied the set at 5-5 before a 5-0 interval put the home side ahead 12-7. The Lions fought back with consecutive heavy hits from Neal, Hobbs, and
Macy Kavanaugh to bring the deficit down to 13-11, and the Lions remained a couple of points away a few rallies later at 16-14. However, the Vulcans finished the match off on a 9-1 run to complete the sweep. UHH hit .320 in the final frame, while VU hit .086.
The Lions had a .146 attack rating for the night, while the Vulcans held a .317 mark. Kavanaugh had a team-high 14 assists, with
Julia Ringenberg next with nine.
Emma Garrett had a team-high eight digs, while
Kayla Henninger had the only ace for Vanguard.
What's Next? A Monday night tilt against Chaminade University of Honolulu that is a 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time start.
