WVU Falls to No. 18 Hawai’i

Friday, September 13

Honolulu, Hawaii

1:00 a.m.

West Virginia University

4-3

Hawai'i

7-0

West Virginia

Hawaii

Photo by: Katie MacCrory

September 13, 2019 04:19 AM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Amy Salvatore

HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The West Virginia University volleyball team fell to host Hawai'i, 3-1, in the first match of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Volleyball Challenge on Thursday evening, held at the Stan Sheriff Center, in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Mountaineers (4-3) fell to the No. 18-ranked Warriors (7-0) in set scores of 18-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-12.

"While it wasn't the outcome we wanted, it was a good experience for our team," fifth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "Now, we just have to take what we've learned and prepare for UCLA on Friday and Utah Valley on Saturday."

Senior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led WVU with a season-high nine kills against Hawai'i, adding a team-high four total blocks in the match.

Junior defensive specialist Alexa Hasting (16) and sophomore outside hitter Kristin Lux (13) each recorded double-digit digs on the evening, while sophomore setter Lacey Zerwas dished out a total of 31 assists.

The Mountaineers posted 39 kills and seven team blocks in the loss. The Warriors had 60 kills for a .286 hitting efficiency and 10 team blocks. Of note, Amber Igiede and Brooke Van Sickle led UH's offense with 14 kills each.

The Mountaineers rolled to a 25-18 win in the first set, hitting .231 with 15 kills. Tied at six-all, West Virginia capitalized on a pair of 3-0 scoring runs for the 14-10 lead midway through the frame. However, Hawai'i used a 4-0 scoring streak of its own to come within one, down 16-15. Redshirt junior middle blocker Audrey Adams, Evans and Lux each came up with huge swings down the stretch, but a pair of Mountaineer attacking errors helped the Warriors come within one once again at 19-18. Back-to-back miscues from UH gave WVU the three-point edge at 21-18. Evans later put down a kill to place West Virginia at set point with a 24-18 lead. The Mountaineers then teamed up for the block on the next serve, as WVU captured the 25-18 first-set win, as well as the 1-0 match lead.

Hawai'i used a 5-0 scoring streak to take a 10-8 lead midway through the second set and never looked back. Adams found the floor, but another 5-0 scoring run from the Warriors put them up for good at 16-9. UH capitalized on a WVU attacking error to reach set point, though four consecutive points from WVU, including back-to-back service aces from sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Kristina Jordan, extended the set at 24-17. Despite a late scoring surge from the Mountaineers, an attacking error ended the frame in favor of the Warriors at 25-17.

With the overall match tied at 1-1, West Virginia could not put forth any momentum, as Hawai'i captured the next two sets for the 3-1 triumph.

The Mountaineers will return to the court for a 10:45 p.m. ET tilt with UCLA, Sunahara' s alma mater, on Friday evening. Live stats can be found on WVUsports.com.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.