GULF SHORES, Ala. – Despite taking first sets on three courts, No. 11 seed Hawai'i fell to sixth-seeded LMU 3-1 in a weather-delayed first round match at the 2023 Beach Volleyball National Collegiate Championship from Gulf Shores Main Public Beach.
The regular-season champion Rainbow Wahine cap the season with a 27-9 record in a sixth appearance in the postseason field. For the second consecutive year, UH was ousted by the Lions after a hotly contested match.
UH started strong in the early morning match rescheduled from Friday, winning the first set at the top three courts. However, LMU (29-8) was able to win at the Nos. 4 and 5 flights in two-set affairs to jump out to the early team lead. Despite the loss at the fours, Hawai'i senior Chandler Cowell put down an eye-popping 10 aces, far and away the most in the match.
The BeachBows were able to get on the board on Court 2 with Kylin Loker and Riley Wagoner downing LMU's duo of Abbey Thorup and Kristine Garder, 21-17, 21-14. The UH pair hit .477 in the match with Loker adding 15 kills on an effective .600 hitting to go along with nine digs.
The final two courts came down to a third set. The No. 3 duo of Ilihia Huddleston and Jaime Santer tallied the 21-19 win in the first frame, but LMU evened the score with a 21-18 second. The Lion tandem of Jacinda Ramirez and Isabelle Raffel closed the match with a 15-8 decision in the final set to clinch the win.
An All-American battle was in progress at the top spot in the lineup with Big West Pairs Team of the Year Brooke Van Sickle and Kaylee Glagau going back-and-forth with WCC Pair of the Year Melanie Paul and Vilhelmiina Prihti. Glagau and Van Sickle took the first set 21-13, with LMU's Paul and Prihti rebounding with a 21-11 second-set win. The third was 14-13 in favor of the Lions when the match was clinched and play was halted at the No. 1 position. Glagau and Van Sickle closed the season with a stellar 29-4 mark as a pair and 59 career wins as a twosome, a Hawai'i program record.
LMU is set to take on No. 3 seed USC in the quarterfinal round, with the winner advancing to Saturday afternoon's semifinal.
No. 6 seed LMU 3, No. 11 seed Hawai'i 1
1. Melanie Paul/Valma Prihti (LMU) vs. Brooke Van Sickle/Kaylee Glagau (UH) 13-21, 21-11, 14-13 (unfinished)
2. Rylie Wagoner/Kylin Loker (UH) def. Abbey Thorup/Kristine Garder (LMU) 21-17, 21-14
3. Jacinda Ramirez/Isabelle Raffel (LMU) def. Ilihia Huddleston/Jaime Santer (UH) 19-21, 21-18, 15-8
4. Chloe Hooker/Cassie Chinn (LMU) def. Sydney Miller/Chandler Cowell (UH) 21-15, 21-19
5. Madi Firnett/Isabelle Tucker (LMU) def. Sarah Burton/Lea Kruse (UH) 21-9, 22-20
Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 3*