HONOLULU — The Hawaii women’s volleyball team finds itself in dire straits after suffering a decisive defeat at the hands of the Cal Poly Mustangs on Friday night.
Losing the match 25-20, 25-14, 25-22 in front of a crowd of 4,659 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, the Rainbow Wahine dropped their third conference match in just five attempts — a historic low for the program.
The crushing reality of their situation became clearer when associate coach Kaleo Baxter addressed the media post-game, acknowledging the team’s uphill battle for survival in the Big West conference.
Despite the disappointing performance, Baxter remained optimistic, asserting, “We have the pieces to win, and we have the pieces to make it to the Big West tournament.”
As it stands, only the top six teams from a total of 11 will advance to the Big West championships in Long Beach, California. However, the current state of the Wahine, who are now 6-10 overall and 2-3 in conference play, does not reflect a team likely to contend for a playoff spot.
Baxter emphasized the need for improvement across the board, specifically mentioning serving, setting, and digging as critical areas that require attention.
The Rainbow Wahine’s current predicament is unusual and troubling, given their storied history. In 1992, the last occurrence of failing to make the NCAA Tournament, they managed to get off to a 4-0 start in the conference, a stark contrast to their current sixth-place standing.
The recent match against Cal Poly marked the first home sweep for the Wahine in a conference game since 2023 against UC Santa Barbara.
As the team looks ahead, they are set to face UCSB, which comes into the match with a record of 11-6 and 3-2 in the conference.
Senior hitter Tyla Reese Mane offered a glimmer of hope amid the turmoil, delivering a standout performance with a career-high 10 kills. Yet, she noted the team needs to find a way to overcome their struggles.
“It’s about figuring out how to get out of our own way,” said Mane.
The week leading up to the match has been filled with emotional highs and lows for the Wahine as they cope with significant injuries to key players like six-rotation contributors Tali Hakas and Stella Adeyemi, both out for the season.
The team also dealt with the inconsistencies of kills leader Cha’lei Reid and middle blocker Bri Gunderson, who have both faced challenges returning to full fitness.
Baxter discussed the emotional fluctuations experienced by the team and highlighted their struggle with consistency during matches, particularly in Set 1, where they initially performed well before faltering.
“Our issue is maintaining our energy and performance levels,” Mane added, illustrating the underlying problems the team is currently facing.
Baxter praised Mane for her hitting performance, which earned her a .345 hitting percentage without an error. Unfortunately, other players struggled to find their rhythm, contributing to the team’s overall poor performance.
Even reliable player Gunderson could only manage a hitting percentage of .211 after shifting back to her natural position.
Freshman Reid had a challenging outing, hitting in the negative for the third consecutive match since returning from an ankle injury. Disappointment filled the air as the players searched for someone to step up and make a game-changing play.
Baxter remarked on the team’s tendency to look for outside assistance, rather than taking responsibility for their performance on the court.
In an effort to shake things up, UH provided Morghn Monahan with substantial playing time in Sets 2 and 3, giving her the opportunity to make an impact.
On the other hand, Cal Poly, who shared high expectations as a preseason conference favorite, utilized consistent play and capitalized on the unforced errors committed by the Wahine.
Emma Fredrick led the way for Cal Poly with 12 kills, while Annabelle Thalken contributed nine kills without committing an error.
The Wahine are now facing a critical juncture in their season, needing to regroup and find their footing as they prepare for the upcoming challenges ahead.
image source from：spectrumlocalnews
