Rainbow Wahine wins 5 games to open season, defeating SMU

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Caylen Alexander from Hawaii tried to kill Naya Shime from Southern Methodist University.

1 /3 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Caylen Alexander from Hawaii tried to kill Naya Shime from Southern Methodist University.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii’s Jacyn Bamis steps to the net during her match against Southern Methodist University’s Naya Shime.

2 /3 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Jacyn Bamis of Hawaii steps to the net during her match against Naya Shime of Southern Methodist University.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM On Friday, the Rainbow Wahine team celebrated after scoring a point against SMU.

3 /3 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM On Friday, the Rainbow Wahine celebrated scoring a point in their match against SMU.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Caylen Alexander from Hawaii tried to kill Naya Shime from Southern Methodist University.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Hawaii’s Jacyn Bamis steps to the net during her match against Southern Methodist University’s Naya Shime.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM On Friday, the Rainbow Wahine team celebrated after scoring a point against SMU.

RELATED PHOTO GALLERY When Robyn Ah Mow was asked earlier this week what she wanted to see most at the premiere, the first answer that came to mind was “fighting.”

The Hawaii women’s volleyball team gave their coach everything the Rainbow Wahine had in store for them in a stunning 7-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, 15-13 victory over SMU on Friday night during the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The crowd of 4,857 fans, eager to see what Hawaii’s revamped volleyball team would look like this season, was speechless after a dominant opening set that allowed UH to return to the indoor courts after losing its most one-sided set in the scoring era.

UH returned to the court and did the unthinkable – won five games, its second consecutive season opener.

“I think it was just a battle. We got hammered in the first set, we didn’t even get to double digits,” Ah Mow said. “I went down to the tunnel, I said some really nice words to everybody to get them going, and I said it in a couple of interviews before this match, that’s what this team is going to need. They just have to keep fighting.”

Caylen Alexander had a personal best 28 successful attacks and 11 saves, ending the match with a service serve.

Her difficult serve on the match point was tipped back to UH’s side. Setter Kate Lang, who finished with 36 assists and seven rebounds, sent Alexander out of the back row and hit the ball over the net, which never returned to UH’s side.

“Thank God. I was so happy,” Alexander said. “It was so much fun. We weren’t sure how it was going to go, but once we started playing, I thought, ‘We can win this, no question.’”

Hawaii won despite being outscored 16-6 and having a .090 batting average and 40 miscues.

Sophomore Stella Adeyemi added 10 points to hit .286. Nine other players who took the court for UH hit .000 or worse in the game.

“It’s not an incredible situation, but we’ve been in situations like this before,” Lang said. “I think that’s what Wahine volleyball is all about. Belief, determination and belief in the team that we can do it.”

SMU, which has not lost to Hawaii in 12 previous meetings, returns at least six players who played 100 sets from last year’s team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Mustangs did everything they wanted in the first set, hitting .647 with 12 kills on 17 attempts, while Hawaii had six kills on 29 attempts and committed 10 errors.

Nnedi Okammor, a 6-foot-3 center, had a hand in four of the Mustangs’ five blocks.

Hawaii, which fielded freshman Miliana Sylvester at middle block and sophomore Tali Hakas at center, lost 19 of the last 22 points in the set.

After the first set, Ah Mow led the team back to the tunnel.

With the crowd chanting “Let’s go, ‘Bows” early in the second set, an SMU service error and Alexander’s game-winning shot brought a standing ovation and gave UH a 2-0 lead.

UH tried to take a 6-1 lead on a shot by Jacyn Bamis, but the shot was ruled invalid due to a net violation.

Hakas seemed to have a chance to score a kill on the very next block point, but that was also reviewed and overturned, reducing UH’s advantage to 5-3.

Bamis’ ace gave UH a 15-13 lead at the media timeout, and Alexander’s eighth hit of the second set led to SMU calling a second timeout at 20-16.

The Mustangs managed to even the score at 21-22-21, but an error in the attack and a service error sealed the loss for SMU, and Hawaii tied the match at one set.

“As an opening match, it was just a great match because it showed us what we’re made of and what this team can do,” Lang said.

“The first set showed that we are a young team,” Ah Mow added. “But I like the fight that came back after that.”

In the third set, UH took a 15-13 lead after the media timeout when Alexander’s originally disallowed serve was verified and credited as Hawaii’s third ace of the match.

UH used its second timeout of the third set, trailing 22-18, and made a change at setter, bringing in sophomore Jackie Matias for the first time.

Rainbow Wahine scored the next four points, and two more by Alexander tied the score at 22-22.

SMU used its final timeout with the set still to go at 24-23 and scored the next three points on errors by Bamis and Tyla Reese Mane on SMU’s set point to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.

Hawaii closed out the fourth set by winning the final three points on an Alexander shot and two SMU errors, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

UH will wrap up its tournament on Sunday against San Diego.