University of Hawaii at Hilo volleyball could be the only show in town this weekend. ADVERTISING University of Hawaii at Hilo volleyball could be the only show in town this weekend. The Vulcans gave a fair account of themselves Thursday
University of Hawaii at Hilo volleyball could be the only show in town this weekend.
The Vulcans gave a fair account of themselves Thursday night, providing entertainment value and drama against a solid Pacific West Conference foe before ultimately losing.
Despite 27 kills and 21 digs from Marley Strand-Nicolaisen in her return, California Baptist eked out a 25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12 victory at the Vulcans’ gym.
While practically every other sporting event on the island was wiped out by the threat of Tropical Storm Ana, the Vulcans plan to go through with home matches at 7 p.m. Friday against Dixie State and 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Azusa Pacific.
“Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing” coach Tino Reyes joked about his team potentially carrying a monopoly on island sporting events this weekend.
The Vulcans (4-9, 3-7) have lost four consecutive matches, with three of those going the distance.
“If you ask the girls, I think they’ll say they played well,” Reyes said. “If you ask the coaches, they’ll think we can play better.
“There are no moral victories. A lot of our matches are going to go five sets, because we’re not a bad team. We just can’t get over the hump. We haven’t developed the killer instinct yet.”
Strand-Nicolaisen returned from a four-match absence because of injury and resumed her role as No. 1 option, taking a season-high 84 swings.
The sophomore cranked out 13 kills in the third and fourth sets as the Vulcans got back into the match. A Strand-Nicolaisen kill knotted Game 5 at 11-11 apiece, setting up what Reyes called one of the better points of the match.
“A long rally back and forth, and we end up on the short side of the stick,” Reyes said.
Lauren Marr ended the rally with a kill to give the Lancers (11-6, 7-2) the lead for good.
Strand-Nicolaisen (.226 attack percentage) and Callie Aberle (21 kills, .246, 16 digs) combined to take 145 of their team’s 193 attacks. Middle blocker Kyndra Trevino-Scott added nine kills for the Vulcans, who hit were outhit .241-.202
Lauren Hackett (.385) led the Lancers with 25 kills, and Michelle Waber added 17.
