Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Nikki Taylor went down early, and not long after that Hawaii was out.
The Rainbow Wahine were no match for No. 2 seed Minnesota without their best player, and they fell 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 in an NCAA volleyball tournament second-round game in Minneapolis.
Just three points into the match, Taylor, the two-time Big West Player of the Year, went up for a block attempt and landed on a Minnesota player’s foot, suffering an apparent ankle injury.
She was helped off the court and returned on crutches in the second set.
Extending the nation’s longest home win streak, the Golden Gophers (27-4) ended Hawaii’s season for the second straight year. Last season, Minnesota beat the ‘Bows in four sets in the regional finals.
Without their star, Hawaii (23-6) couldn’t get that far Saturday. It was swept for just the second time this season, snapping an 11-match win streak.
With balanced firepower, Minnesota hit .348.
Senior middle Annie Mitchem tied a career high with 13 kills for Hawaii, while sophomore outside hitter McKenna Granato added 11. Emily Maglio was efficient again in compiling seven more kills, and the junior middle finished the subregional with 22 kills and no hitting errors.
Along with Taylor and Mitchem, Tayler Higgins and Katiana Ponce also played the final matches of their careers. Taylor leaves ranked No. 12 in school history with 1,377 career kills and No. 8 with 117 service aces.
Junior libero Savanah Kahakai posted a team-high 17 digs, becoming the 14th UH player to pass 1,000 in a career.
Minnesota hosts Missouri on Friday in the regional semifinals. The Tigers are led by Punahou graduate Karly Can.
Are the ‘Bows going bowling?
There’s no holiday tradition like the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, and all signs point to the Rainbow Warriors being at Aloha Stadium for the occasion.
Hawaii (6-7) beat Massachusetts on Nov. 26 by a score of 46-40 to earn a bowl bid.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported this week that Conference USA’s Middle Tennessee State (8-4 ) will likely be UH’s opponent. However, as of Saturday night nothing was official.
UH and MTSU have met once before, a 35-14 Hawaii victory in 199