The Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine (21-4, 13-1) close out their home schedule this week with a two-match series against Air Force (10-15, 6-8), with matches set for 7 p.m. both Thursday and Friday at Bankoh Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. Friday's finale doubles as Senior Night, honoring three players as Hawaiʻi enters having already clinched at least a share of the Mountain West regular-season title.
According to Hawaii News Now, Hawaiʻi has already secured a postseason berth and at least a share of the conference crown, and can lock up the outright regular-season title and the top seed in the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Women's Volleyball Championship with just one more win across its final four regular-season matches. The Wahine arrive off a sweep of Nevada last weekend that sealed the shared title, and the station's report notes Hawaiʻi has swept its last 10 home matches and won 32 consecutive sets at Bankoh Arena.
That Nevada sweep came by scores of 25-18, 25-16, 25-5, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which reported that middle blocker Miliana Sylvester led all players with 13 kills and six blocks in the series. In the finale, outside hitter Cha'lei Reid piled up 12 kills on 21 swings without an error, while Rachel Purser was errorless as well, adding seven kills on 10 attempts, the newspaper reported.
Awards Piling Up for Both Rosters
The performances against Nevada earned Hawaiʻi players a pair of fresh conference honors. Per BVM Sports, Victoria Leyva was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week and Rachel Purser was tabbed Freshman of the Week, with both receiving the recognition for the first time this season. Leyva averaged 5.17 digs per set and racked up 31 digs across the two matches, completing all 26 of her serve-receive attempts without an error, while Purser hit .652 on 15 kills in 23 swings with zero attack errors.
Air Force has its own headliner heading into the trip. Outside hitter Alysa Walker was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 9 — her second such honor this season — after averaging 5.00 kills per set on .284 hitting, including a season-high 25 kills on Nov. 7, according to Air Force Academy Athletics. The program's own account credits Hawaiʻi with leading the Mountain West in kills, digs and blocks per set this season while holding conference opponents to a league-low hitting percentage, though the specific per-set dig and block figures cited by Air Force differ from those in Hawaii News Now's seed report, which lists Hawaiʻi second in the conference in digs per set and credits Sylvester with a different blocks-per-set figure than Air Force's account does.
A Murky Series History
Just how long Hawaiʻi has dominated this series depends on which account you read. Hawaii News Now's report states that Hawaiʻi leads Air Force 3-0 in the series and has won the last three meetings, while Air Force's own athletics department describes the two programs' history more narrowly, saying the Rainbow Wahine swept a home-and-home set against the Falcons back in 1996 when both were still in the Western Athletic Conference. Either way, it has been decades since these two programs shared a court.
Senior Night and Fan Promotions
Friday's match will honor seniors Panna Ratkai and Leilani Lopez, along with fourth-year junior Tali Hakas, the Star-Advertiser reported. Thursday's game is designated Military Night presented by Hawaiian Telcom in recognition of Veterans Day, while Friday's contest is billed as Senior Night and White Out, sponsored by the University of Hawaii Federal Credit Union, with fans encouraged to wear white.
Per Hawaii News Now's reporting, active military members, Department of Defense civilians, reservists and retired military personnel are eligible for 50% off adult tickets — up to eight tickets — in designated sections while supplies last, though picking up will-call tickets requires a valid military ID. The first 1,000 fans through the gates are set to receive a clear fanny pack, and tickets can be purchased online at etickethawaii.com or in person at the Stan Sheriff Center box office.
Friday's festivities also include a food and toiletries drive hosted by UH Athletics and Food Vault Hawaiʻi from 5 to 7 p.m., with donors able to drop off non-perishable items at Gate A or along the roadside of the athletics complex's first level. Fans attending the series finale will also get an early look at the 2027 men's volleyball squad, per the same report.
