Volleyball can’t overcome fourth-ranked Hawaii
All-American junior outside hitter Kanani Danielson pounded 12 kills to lead the No. 4 University of Hawaii Wahine over the Utah State Aggies in three sets (18-25, 22-25, 16-25) Monday night at the Spectrum. The Aggies (15-7, 3-6 WAC) have dropped two straight games, while the Wahine (19-1, 9-0 WAC) keep their unbeaten WAC record intact. Despite the sweep, Aggie head coach Grayson DuBose said the effort from his team was there.
“I thought it was a really nice effort by us,” DuBose said. “I thought we played hard for a long period of time, not just for bits and pieces, but for a long period of time.”
Senior middle blocker Shantell Durrant, who was one of the few bright spots for the Aggies, finished with seven kills while hitting .462. She said this is the hardest her team has fought in recent matches.
“I think we played really well,” Durrant said. “I think we played harder than we have recently in our matches, so that was nice to see. It’s always disappointing to lose, but they’re a good team.”
The Aggies kept things close with the Wahine in the first set until about midway through. With the set knotted at 15 apiece, junior outside hitter Chanteal Satele and freshman middle blocker Emily Hartong blocked an attack try from junior outside hitter Liz McArthur that spurred a 10-3 run and the Wahine coasted to the first set victory.
Set two was much of the same story for the Aggies, except they found themselves within striking distance of the Wahine late in the set. Danielson committed a rare service error late in set two that spurred an Aggie run that cut the deficit to 23-21. The Wahine called their only timeout of the match and they were able to stem the Aggie run and win the set.
In set three the Wahine showed why they are No. 4 in the nation by jumping out to a 5-1 lead and coasting to a 25-16 victory. The Aggies trailed by as much as eight and tried to make the comeback, but the Wahine proved to be too physical and strong for the Ags.
“They are a really good team,” DuBose said. “There is a reason they are ranked No. 4 in the nation.”
The Aggies will look to bounce back this weekend when they take a California road trip to San Jose State and Fresno State. This road swing is especially important because the Aggies now find themselves on the outside looking in for the WAC Tournament. Six teams advance to the WAC Tournament and the Aggies are currently in seventh place in the WAC standings.
“That effort that we showed out there tonight, I think if we can show that on the road, it will for sure make us a better volleyball team,” Dubose said. “I think if we show that kind of effort, we can go on a little run toward the end of the season and make a big push.”
The Aggies play at San Jose State on Thursday at 8 p.m.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu