Sweet To Elite

Photo Credit: Hawaii Athletics

Hawaii Recap | Penn State Recap | Full Match(es) | Post-Match Interview

In a top ten ranked match-up of unseeded No. 7 ranked Hawaii and seventh seeded and No. 8 ranked Penn State, the Rainbow Wahine advanced after sweeping the Nittany Lions. The score went 25-22, 27-25, 25-16. This win by Hawaii is the first win over Penn State in program history as it brings the series record to 1-5. Penn State was the two-time defending national champions and have not lost in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. It was also Penn State's worst loss in the postseason since 2011 when they also lost in the regional semifinals to the eventual national champions.

Many people say that this is the best Hawaii has played all season and the results are proving that. Tonight they were led by junior opposite Nikki Taylor who had 18 kills and hit .361 and had eight digs while senior outside hitter Tai Manu-Olevau hit .500 with 14 kills and eight digs. Senior middle blocker Olivia Magill had nine kills hitting .474 while junior setter Tayler Higgins collected 48 assists. As a team, Hawaii hit .389 and had 54 kills and assists which were the most for a three set match this season.

There were technical difficulties for the first and second sets where the stream was not available. ESPN3 has the match up for a full replay. One user on VolleyTalk is uploading all postseason Hawaii matches in parts so I will post links later.

Hawaii moves on to the Elite Eight where they face second seeded and No. 4 ranked Minnesota. These two teams have not met since 2008 where they faced off each other in a preseason tournament hosted by UH with the Rainbow Wahine coming out with a 3-2 victory. Winner of this match will win the Des Moines Regionals and head to the Final Four.

That one's not coming back. #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/eflmlktPMR

— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 12, 2015

Hawaii vs. Penn State

The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (28-1) is set to take on the seventh seeded Penn State Nittany Lions (28-5) this coming Friday, December 11th in the Regional Semifinals. This is the first regional appearance for Hawaii since 2011 when they hosted it. Penn State is the two-time defending national champions and has made at least the Final Four every year since 2011. The last time these two teams faced off was in the 2009 Final Four in Florida where Penn State won 3-1 and went on to win the National Championships.

This year is very different for both teams as this years Hawaii team is not considered undersized and been called their best team since 2009 while Penn State has placed third in the Big 10 which is their lowest standing in many years. It will definitely be a close match and it will be nice to see two of the best coaches square off against each other. Winner will move on to the Elite 8 and face the winner of Minnesota and Illinois.

Coverage
Hawaii Release | Penn State Release
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Time: December 11th (8:30 PM EST / 3:30 PM HST)
Live Stream: ESPN3
Live Stats: NCAA

Hawaii vs Penn State

Outrigger Warrior Invitational

Penn State Nittany Lions

2014 Record: (0-1) (0-0)

Top Players: Aaron Russell, Peter Russell, Connor Curry

Head Coach: Mark Pavlik

Series Record: 12-8

Last Meeting: Jan. 10, 2013 (3-2 PSU)

Coverage:

Televised: OCSports

Live Stats: HawaiiAthletics

Set One: 25-20 (Penn State)

There was the same starters as opening night and Hawaii started off really slow. However Penn State played well. Their libero Connor Curry had eight digs in this set alone and that stat is impressive in a women's game as well. Tonight seems to be the opposite of last night where Olsen and Zarkovic are playing the best but not much production from the middle.

Set Two: 25-22 (Hawaii)

Hawaii pulled off the set due to Aaron Russell having a few errors and cooling off. The a Warriors had better defense in digging and blocking. The only reserves this set were Timmer and Fey as serving specialists. Zarkovic still leading the team with his 10 kills. West also playing well with his kills and blocks.

Set Three: 26-24 (Hawaii)

This set was given to the team who can put the ball down first as both teams hit over .500 but Hawaii won it. The Warriors were up 15-11 at one point then subbed in Franciskovic as blocking sub for Ramos and seeing him win a joust with his 6'5" height excites me because he is athletic. Olsen and Zarkovic continued to impress along with West.

Set Four: 25-21 (Hawaii)

There was more good rallies in this set and some good digs. Sedore struggled throughout the match so he didn't start and freshman Hendrik Mol had his collegiate debut. Franciskovic and Fey both came in as subs. Fey had a nice serve and dig on match point. Zarkovic also had two clutch kills at the end of the set.

Overall:

Penn State brought out Hawaii's flaws which was their block. However Hawaii cleaned it up throughout the next few sets and Penn State made more errors than usual. There were a few career highs tonight with Zarkovic and his 22 kills, Olsen getting 15 kills, Fey with two digs, Mol with three kills, and Kanatake with seven digs. This match also showed that Hawaii can play against top teams.

Next Up:

UCLA Bruins 

1/11/14: 7pm HT (Outrigger Invitational Day 3) (Championship Match)

2014 Outrigger Invitational Revealed

Photo from Hawaii Athletics

The 2014 Outrigger Invitational tournament for the men's team was announced on the Off the Block blog today. It will be a repeat from last year with Ohio State, Penn State, and UCLA all returning. Last years tournament was filled with very entertaining matches where five out of six matches went to five sets.

Wade said he is trying to schedule matches before the Outrigger Invitational which may include some Canadian colleges. They will be exhibition matches and they are matches to help prepare for the MPSF.

Maybe one of these colleges will be the one where Stephen Maar goes. For those who don't know who Stephen Maar is, Maar was a 6'9" opposite from Aurora, Canada who made a verbal commitment to the University of Hawaii after being told he would be given a whole scholarship. A few weeks before signing, he then decommitted to stay in Canada for college. Everyone thought he would be Hawaii's next Umlauft but that never happened.

For the Outrigger Invitational, for now I predict UCLA winning it again (they won the past three years) with Hawaii in second, Penn State in third, and Ohio State in fourth.