Rainbow Wahine roll into rematch with Long Beach State

The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team will try to extend its winning streak in the storied series with Long Beach State today at the Walter Pyramid.
UH picked up its eighth straight win in the series with the Beach on Oct. 1 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center when the Rainbow Wahine rallied in the first set then rolled to a 26-24, 25-16, 25-21 sweep.
Long Beach State led 23-20 in the opening set with Kashauna Williams hammering nine kills. UH closed with a 6-1 run and ended the set with a block by Amber Igiede on Williams. Williams had just five kills the rest of the way and UH went on to hit .349 led by Brooke Van Sickle’s 15 kills.
Both teams enter today’s rematch coming off wins over Cal State Fullerton. Long Beach State snapped a five-match losing streak on Thursday to give interim head coach Sabrina Hernandez her first win since taking over for Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer, who was fired on Oct. 25.
UH swept Cal State Fullerton on Friday, again shaking off a slow start on its way to a sweep of the Titans.
Today’s match will be streamed on ESPN+ with radio coverage on CBS Sports 1500-AM.
Updates follow below.
SET 4
>> LBSU keeping the momentum going with a 4-1 lead after a block for UH’s third error of the set. Westerberg and Igiede block Kashauna Williams to close to 4-3. LBSU goes on a 4-1 run and leads 8-4 after an ace. Timeout UH.
>> Igiede with a block in the middle, Janelle Gong with two digs in a rally that ends with an Igiede kill. UH on a 4-0 run to tie it up at 8-8. Timeout LBSU.
>> LBSU takes two-point leads at 11-9, and 13-11. UH answers both times and ties it 13-13 on a Skyler Williams kill and an LBSU error.
>> UH takes a 15-14 lead on an Igiede kill and LBSU ties with a block by Kashauna Williams. Wagoner gives UH the serve back and Gong serves the next three points. A Wagoner kill is sandwiched BY LBSU errors and UH leads 19-15. Timeout LBSU.
>> Igiede stuffs Kashauna Williams coming out of the timeout to give UH a 20-15 lead. LBSU hits out but challenges the call. Call overturned. UH leads 20-16.
>> Kashauna Williams goes off the block to bring LBSU to 21-18. Van Sickle answers and Wagoner hammers out of the back row to give UH a 23-18 lead. After a Kennedy kill, Skyler Williams puts one away to give UH match point at 24-19. Van Sickle and Skyler Williams team up on the walk-off block and UH wins it 25-21, 25-11, 21-25, 25-19.
>> Wagoner leads four UH players in double figures with 15 kills. Igiede hits a career high .786 (11-0-14). Van Sickle 12 kills, 17 digs. Skyler Williams 11 kills, six blocks.

SET 3
>> Van Sickle gets UH’s first point off a back-set from Lang giving her an open net on the right side. UH leads 4-2 when Kashauna Williams hits long. LBSU challenges a net violation. Call overturned and it’s 4-2.
>> UH opens up a 6-4 lead on a block by Wagoner. LBSU rallies with a 3-0 run and leads 7-6 after the Beach’s first block of the night. Wagoner ties it and Katie Kennedy gives LBSU the lead back. UH challenges. Call stands, LBSU up 8-7.
>> LBSU opens up a 12-9 lead on when Kashauna Williams taps down an overpass. UH closes to 13-12 after a Williams/Westerberg block and Westerberg’s sixth kill of the match. Teams trade sideouts and LBSU leads 15-13 at the media timeout.
>> LBSU leads 16-13 on an ace by Kashauna Williams. UH closes to within a point when Igiede slaps over a return that falls in the middle of the Beach defense. Eryka Lovett’s roll shot lands in and Van Sickle hits into the net. LBSU leads 18-15. Timeout UH.
>> After an LBSU service error, Lang feeds Skyler Williams for back-to-back kills to tie the set at 18-18. Timeout LBSU.
>> UH takes a 19-18 lead on an LBSU error and Lovett ties it again. Kashauna Williams gives LBSU a 21-20 lead and Van Sickle goes cross court to tie it again. Kashauna Williams scores again, and Cameron Bacon puts one away after a free ball. LBSU up 23-21. Timeout UH.
>> Tia Chavira’s roll shot finds the floor to give LBSU set point and Canez’s third ace gives LBSU a 25-21 win and extends the match.

SET 2
>> UH scores the first three points and leads 5-1 after an ace by Ikenaga. The lead grows to 11-6 when Williams and Westerberg stuff Kashauna Williams. An LBSU hitting error gives UH a 13-7 lead. Timeout LBSU.
>> The teams trade service errors and UH continues to roll with kills by Wagoner and Westerberg. Wagoner gets a touch call for her match-high seventh kill. UH up 17-8. LBSU timeout.
>> UH’s 6-0 run finally ends with the Wahine leading 19-8. Wagoner gets her eighth kill to give UH a 21-10 lead. Igiede hammers from the right side and consecutive LBSU errors give UH set point. Skyler Williams scores on a flat-footed swing off an overpass to end the set. UH wins 25-11 and leads 2-0 in the match.

SET 1
>> Tiffany Westerberg makes her first start of the season and second of her career after a solid performance off the bench in Friday’s win at Cal State Fullerton. Same lineup otherwise with OH Brooke Van Sickle, MB Amber Igiede, OH Riley Wagoner, MB Skyler Williams, S Kate Lang and L Tayli Ikenaga.
>> Skyler Williams opens the match with a block and Westerberg puts away two early kills. LBSU takes a 9-8 lead on back-to-back aces by Miranda Canez.
>> Wagoner taps down an overpass off of Van Sickle’s serve and Westerberg puts away her third kill. UH goes on a 4-0 run to take a 15-12 lead at the media timeout.
>> LBSU closes to 17-16 and UH answers with an Igiede/Westerberg block to spark a 3-0 run. Wagoner’s kill gives UH a 20-16 lead to force an LBSU timeout.
>> UH opens up a 22-16 lead when Igiede teams with Wagoner on a block then gets a tip to fall on an overpass. LBSU responds with a 4-0 run to close to 22-20. Wagoners goes down the line to end the run. Van Sickle gives UH set point at 24-21 and Skyler Williams ends the set with a solo block, UH’s fifth of the set.