Stanford sweeps Rainbow Wahine
Advertiser Staff
Volleyball reality hit like a swift kick to Hawai'i's gut tonight as fourth-ranked Stanford swept the top-ranked, formerly unbeaten Rainbow Wahine, 31-29, 30-28, 30-24.
Hawai'i's only look at a true Top-10 team this season ended in utter frustration before a sold-out (10,252) Stan Sheriff Center crowd. The 10,000 or so in attendance for Senior Night never played a part in this one. The Cardinal (24-3) took control at the end of each of the first two games and simply let the Rainbow Wahine (23-1) unravel in the third.
Olympian Logan Tom played what, for her, was only a mediocre match and Stanford still looked better than Hawai'i in nearly every area. Tom finished with 16 kills and nine digs, but her greatest asset last night came in keeping her teammates composed. Nothing the 'Bows did bothered the Cardinal.
That was something new for Hawai'i, which had hammered nearly every other opponent this season. It did not respond well. Other than All-Americans Lily Kahumoku (19 kills) and Kim Willoughby (20), Hawai'i could not hurt the defending national champions.
Meanwhile, every Cardinal played a part, particularly sophomore All-America Ogonna Nnamani. She was blocked once — at game point in the first — but the 'Bows barely touched her the rest of the night. She drilled 19 kills to anchor a balanced Stanford attack where everyone played a part.
The Cardinal said hello by handing Hawai'i its first game loss in two months. The Rainbows' 54-game winning streak was fourth-longest in NCAA history. They didn't go down easily, with Willoughby launching Stanford's first try at game point into the ground and Jennifer Carey and Maja Gustin stuffing Nnamani on the second to tie it at 29.
But this game of surges — each team had 5-0 runs — would end with the Cardinal in control. Ashley Ivy's kill gave all five Stanford hitters at least three and brought another game point. This time, Anna Robinson and Sara McGee stuffed Willoughby.
It was the Cardinal's fourth block and left the UH All-American with a .077 percentage — some 300 points below her average.
She rallied in Game 2 and Kahumoku remained consistently excellent, but it was already obvious that Hawai'i could not match Stanford's balance. Other than the All-American hitters, who each had double-doubles — the only Rainbow advantage was defense, and that couldn't score points, only prevent them.
Lauren Duggins and Maja Gustin gave UH a hint of a threat in the middle but their right side was completely ineffective. That was enough to create seven early ties in Game 2, but the Cardinal put one three-point run together to forge ahead 21-17, then another that made it 24-18.
The Rainbow Wahine rallied desperately, closing to 28-27 on Willoughby's eighth kill of the game. Nnamani put Stanford on the brink with her seventh kill of the game. Willoughby delayed the end with a kill but it came soon after when she missed her serve.
After losing four of the first five points in Game 3, the Cardinal proceeded to put the Rainbows away. Hawai'i had no answer.
QUICK SETS: Kim Willoughby had a season-low six kills Saturday, but still moved past Angelica Ljungquist into second on the career kill list, at 1,573. Willoughby passed No. 3 Suzanne Eagye Friday. Olympian Teee Williams is No. 1, amassing 1,873 kills in three seasons.
