HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team (21-3) is heading to Honolulu for what is arguably one of their toughest matches of the season. The Gauchos will take on the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine on their home court at the Stan Sheriff Center. UC Santa Barbara won the first meeting between these teams in October, when the Gauchos defeated the Rainbow Wahine in The Thunderdome in a thrilling five-setter.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos made the trip to San Luis Obispo to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs in the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry. Santa Barbara had a strong outing against their rivals, taking down the Mustangs in four sets.
Briana McKnight,
Michelle Ohwobete and
Tasia Farmer all finished the match with double-digit kills.
WRANGLING THE RAINBOW WAHINE
Hawai'i is on a five-match win streak, taking their last loss to the Gauchos. Since then, they defeated Cal Poly, UC Davis, UC Riverside, CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield.
The Rainbow Wahine are one of the best offensive teams in the NCAA. They are 14th in the NCAA when it comes to assists as the team puts up about 12.94 per set. Along with that, they are 17th in the NCAA in kills as they average13.84 kills per set. Not only that, but Amber Igiede is one of the best players as she is 23rd in the country in hitting percentage with a .406.
Kate Lang runs a 5-1 for Hawai'i and ranks 30th in the NCAA in assists. She currently averages about 10.39 assists per set.
Leading the defensive efforts in the back row is Talia Edmonds. The senior libero has racked up the most digs on the team with 218. Outside hitter Caylen Alexander is close behind her with 168.
Hawai'i is coached by Robyn Ah Mow, who is in her seventh season with the program. During that time, she has accumulated a 124-42 overall record.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos and the Rainbow Wahine will hit the court at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu tomorrow night with first serve at 10 p.m. PT. The match will be streamed on Spectrum for those in Hawai'i and on ESPN+ for those on the mainland.
