Depending on whom you ask, these 3 p.m. Sunday matinees could become all the rage for UH-Hilo volleyball.
The Vulcans hit hard, they hit efficient, and after overcoming bits of early set sluggishness, everyone was home in plenty of time for dinner after the Vuls overcame Concordia 25-21, 25-18, 25-23 in a tidy 76-minute affair at their gym.
“I want to do it more often,” coach Gene Krieger said.
However, the move might not have the blessing of a heavy hitter at UHH, someone whose opinion would seem to matter.
“I prefer the night games,” said sophomore Bria Beale, who stroked at a .379 clip in compiling 14 kills to help the Vuls (13-5, 9-3 Pacific West Conference) bounce back from a loss to Biola on Friday. “It’s more rhythm and routine that we’ve been in.”
The flat, deep serve offered by Concordia (7-15, 6-8) offered a new challenge, Beale said, and “another reason we started slow is we’re not used to playing at this time and pushing everything up about four hours.
“We finally got on a roll and got the hang of it.”
Krieger shuffled players in and shuffled players out and could hardly go wrong as the Vuls boasted their fourth-best hitting percentage (.302) of the year, and their ninth sweep gave them their first season sweep of conference foe.
“Very pleased with the performance and it was one of those we needed to have to stay in the conversation,” Krieger said.
UHH finished its longest homestand of the season 4-2, moving a half-game behind third-place Point Loma. Biola is 12-2, and Chaminade is 8-4.
A 3-3 homestand, Krieger said, “would’ve been worthless.”
Sophomore middle blocker Ashton Jesse smacked 10 kills with one error for an otherworldly .692 hitting percentage, and Alex Parisian recorded 11 timely kills – the freshman opposite put down aloha ball to cap a rally in Game 3 and was key in helping the Vuls get over a 17-17 hump in Game 1 – and hit. 400.
Senior Evelin Solyomvari added seven kills, freshman Teisa Tuioti served up half of the Vuls eight aces, Basia Sauni (20 assists) and Maile Powell (19) divvied up the setting duties and fill-in libero Kaila Lizama led the way with 15 digs.
The two players who never left the court were Beale and Lizama, who Krieger is starting to call “the most valuable support player.”
“Couldn’t be more happier with how she’s helped steady the boat,” he said. “Most people lose their senior libero (Mina Grant) and the wheels fall off the wagon.”
Beale, a transfer from Division I, figured to have a heavy workload this season, and she hasn’t disappointed. Beale compiled her sixth double-double of the season, adding 10 digs, bouncing back after she admitted she “spread herself thin” as the Vuls dropped the last three sets to Biola.
“(The) workload is a point of pride, but it’s more like a responsibility and an opportunity to help my team,” she said. “When I don’t have to come off the court it’s a testament and a challenge to how much I can help my team.”
Lizama, a junior from Kauai, figured her main role this season would be behind the scenes in a supporting position, but that changed when Grant suffered a shoulder injury Oct. 1 against Holy Names.
Grant missed the last four games of the homestand, giving Lizama a chance to shine. In those four matches, Lizama has 86 digs
“So much fun,” said Lizama, an opposite during her prep days at Kamehameha-Kapalama on Oahu. “Honestly, I just love defense. I love getting hit a ball at me and getting to dig it up. That’s my favorite part.”
And count Lizama in the camp that prefers night matches to afternoon starts.
“We’re not used to these 3 p.m games,” she said. “We came off a very tough loss to Biola, and we really wanted to win (this one) and not get too excited.
“Against Biola, the first set was really intense, and then we just kind of died out, so I think we just wanted to conserve it a little bit.”