STANFORD, Calif. – Despite a strong start, The Big West champion Hawai’i fell to LSU, 3-1, in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, halting a 12-match winning streak for the Rainbow Wahine.
No. 8 seed Hawai’i (22-7) got solid statistical performances up and down the lineup, with Riley Wagoner providing 20 kills and career-high tying 17 digs for the junior outside hitter. Going up against the hometown team, Big West Player of the Year Amber Igiede pounded 16 kills hitting .314 with four blocks. Igiede reached double-digit kills in 27 of 29 matches on the year and closed the year hitting .433, a new Hawai’i single-season record, obliterating the previous mark of .417 set by Angelica Ljungqvist’s in 1996.
Freshman of the Year Caylen Alexander added 15 kills in her first postseason action, and Big West Setter of the Year Kate Lang added a match-best 47 assists along with 10 digs of the double-double.
Hawai’i opened up their postseason with a 25-21 win in the first set. The Rainbow Wahine led by as many as three early in the frame before the Tigers caught up and nabbed their first lead at 11-10. After a point-for-point battle, LSU again edged out to the advantage at 17-16 before five consecutive points for UH swung the advantage the way of the Rainbow Wahine. The Tigers staved off two set points before Big West Freshman of the Year pounded the point to close out the set in favor of Hawai’i.
Unfortunately for Hawai’i, the momentum turned to the Tigers midway through the second after the score was knotted at 15-all. LSU rolled off five straight to get a cushion on the scoreboard with Ella Larkin holding down the service line, and the Rainbow Wahine went on to drop the set 25-19.
The third was again a back-and-forth battle until the media timeout. Alexander put down a ball out of the break to set the score at 15 apiece, but LSU again found a way to gain the advantage and take the set 25-20.
In the decisive fourth set, Hawai’i played from behind for the bulk, but always within striking distance. UH capitalized on back-to-back attack errors for Paige Flickinger to pull within on at 16-15 when Mylana Byrd and Tiffany Westerberg combined to turn away the LSU attack. The Tigers then scored the next three to again get some breathing room, but Hawai’i played to the final point. Igiede put down a pair of kills on match point before the Rainbow Wahine eventually succumbed 25-22 to send LSU to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2014.
LSU’s offense was paced by a trio of double-digit kill performances as Sanaa Dotson finished with a team-best 16 to go along with 18 digs. Flickinger also closed the match with a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs. The Tigers held the Rainbow Wahine to a .158 hitting percentage behind a season-high 14 blocks, including a career-high seven denials for Alia Williams.
LSU now stands at 16-13 on the season and will take on the winner of No. 5 Stanford and Pepperdine tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT from Maples Pavilion.
This marked a milestone 40th appearance in the NCAA postseason for Hawai’i, and 29th in a row without taking into consideration the 2020 edition when The Big West did not compete in fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rainbow Wahine are now 82-37 (.689) in NCAA Championship matches, with three national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1987, all under the legendary Dave Shoji, the predecessor to reignin Big West Coach of the Year Robyn Ah Mow. Those three crowns rank tied for fifth all-time with USC and fellow Big West member Long Beach State.
Only three programs have qualified for more NCAA Division I tournaments than the Rainbow Wahine, with seven-time national champion Penn State a perfect 42-for-42 in all-time selections, 2021 runner-up and five-time champion Nebraska earning its 41st successive berth since missing the inaugural one, and record nine-time champ Stanford also a 41-time entrant with its only miss in 2020.