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LONG BEACH, Calif. — The No. 13 University of Hawai’i beach volleyball team wrapped up the Big West Challenge with a pair of wins Sunday at Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach, Calif. The Rainbow Wahine (11-10) took care of UC Davis, 4-1, before defeating CSUN, also by a 4-1 count.
UH concluded the three-day tournament with a 4-2 record while winning its final three matches of the event. Its only setbacks of the weekend came against No. 3 Cal Poly and host and No. 11 Long Beach State.
The final two wins on Sunday came at the expense of a pair of opposing coaches with UH ties. UC Davis is led by UH’s all-time winningest player in Ari Homayun, while CSUN is under the helm of Jeff Hall who is in his first year with the Matadors after serving as UH head coach from 2015-20.
In the first match of the day, the BeachBows picked up an anti-climatic win over UC Davis. UH earned straight set wins on courts 3, 4 and 5 to secure the victory early. With the team result already determined, the final two courts went the full three sets with the teams splitting the results. Among them was a win on the No 2 court where Sydney Miller and Caprice Lorenzo dropped the first set to Kinley Lindhardt and Anna Braun, 22-20, before surging past the Aggie pair 21-13, 15-9 in the final two sets. UH won their seventh straight in the series with UCD while improving to 13-1 all-time against the Aggies.
UH’s match versus CSUN took a similar course with the BeachBows claiming straight set wins on courts 1, 4, and 5 to clinch the dual. Sarah Burton and Sydney Amiatu were particularly dominant at court 5 where they dismantled Haley Coggins and Daysha Halbert 21-8, 21-10. UH ended the match and their weekend with a marathon match at the No. 2 flight. 2. Miller and Lorenzo engaged in their second three-set match of the day, this time out-lasting Tia Mendiola and Zaria Henderson 27-29, 21-17, 15-7. UH remained undefeated in 12 all-time meetings against CSUN.
The BeachBows will have a bye this coming week before heading back on the road for the Wildcat Spring Challenge, hosted by the University of Arizona, April 3-4. .
Hawai’i 4 UC Davis 1
1. Kimi Waller/Ella Erteltova (UCD) def. Julia Lawrenz/Izadora Stedile (UH) 16-21, 23-21, 15-12
2. Miller/Lorenzo (UH) def. Lindhardt/Braun (UCD) 20-22, 21-13, 15-9
3. Julia Thelle/Sophie Buschmann (UH) def. Skye Smolinski/Kate O’Steen (UCD) 21-17, 21-19
4. Emily Heintzelman/Kiera Cornman (UH) def. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) 23-21, 21-18
5. Burton/Amiatu (UH) def. Ava Berard/Kirra Martin (UCD) 21-14, 21-12
Order of finish: 5, 3, 4*, 2, 1
Hawai’i 4 CSUN 1
1. Lawrenz/Stedile (UH) def. Hannah Heflin/Maleya Miles (CSUN) 21-8, 21-13
2. Miller/Lorenzo (UH) def. Tia Mendiola/Zaria Henderson (CSUN) 27-29, 21-17, 15-7
3. Dylan Hall/Ava Rogers (CSUN) def. Thelle/Buschmann (UH) 21-18, 21-19
4. Heintzelman/Cornman (UH) def. Jill Rodig/Ainsley Patrick (CSUN) 21-13, 21-13
5. Burton/Amiatu (UH) def. Haley Coggins/Daysha Halbert (CSUN) 21-8, 21-10
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1*, 3, 2
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