The University of Hawaii women's volleyball team bounced back from a recent upset to dismantle UC Riverside on Sunday, executing a clean sweep with scores of 25-16, 25-18, 25-16 at the Stan Sheriff Center, the Rainbow Wahine improved their season record to 10-6, and 4-2 in the Big West Conference play, KHON2 reported.
In an especially notable moment of the match, Hawaii's setter, Kate Lang, marked her 100th consecutive start for the team, having been an unwavering presence on the court throughout all 371 sets played since the beginning of her remarkable streak; she tallied a match-high 32 assists in addition to six digs, with Caylen Alexander notching a match-high 19 kills on 37 swings and eight digs, according to Spectrum Local News.
Reflecting on reaching the hundred games milestone, Lang commented, "I’m feeling a little old," her tongue-in-check remark no doubt belying the confidence such an accomplishment must bring, "I think that does a little bit for my confidence," Lang further added in the post-match commentary, confessing she had been unaware of the statistic until recently, according to the Spectrum Local News interview.
The team's dynamic under the leadership of coach Robyn Ah Mow seems as solid as ever despite the ups and downs, which include the "love-hate" relationship between Ah Mow and Lang, this relationship dynamic referenced by Ah Mow in an illuminating hand gesture that seemed to encapsulate the highs and lows they've weathered, "She can have games like, ‘holy, wow.’ And then, I don’t know how it comes down like this, but she typically goes like that and comes back up," Ah Mow detailed, Spectrum Local News reported.
Looking ahead, the Rainbow Wahine are set to face off in road matches against Cal Poly on Friday at 4 p.m. HST, followed by confrontations with UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Bakersfield, KHON2 noted, These matchups serve as valuable tests for a squad with championship aspirations, and as Lang herself put it, the team is banking on turning early-season lessons from losses into growth opportunities, "I'm feeling confident, but I'm also feeling we have some work to put in and I’m excited about what can come out of that," she said as per Spectrum Local News.
