Third-ranked Hawai‘i went from sluggish to spectacular tonight, blowing by Fresno State, 25-19, 25-11, 25-13 in 78 minutes.

The Western Athletic Conference volleyball match was watched by 5,227 at Stan Sheriff Center. They saw the Rainbow Wahine (22-2, 12-0 WAC) win their 18th straight.
The Bulldogs (12-12, 5-7) dropped into a tie for fourth in the WAC with Boise State. The top six teams qualify for the WAC Tournament, which begins Nov. 23.
Kanani Danielson held Hawai‘i’s offense up in the opening set with six kills and finished with a match-high 15. The Rainbows out-hit FSU .330 to .042.
Fresno’s five serving errors were the biggest difference in Set 1. The Bulldogs just kept coming, much as they had last week in Fresno, staying close with three stuffs and three kills from senior Lacey Gera.
Danielson, who took nearly half Hawai‘i’s swings (13), kept the Bulldogs at bay. The ‘Bows finally finished them off with Stephanie Ferrell’s first two kills — and a great dig — and FSU’s fifth hitting error.
Set 2 had no such drama. The Rainbow Wahine found their rhythm, particularly in the middle, and Fresno was out of timeouts by the time UH pulled ahead 14-6.
Hawai‘i hit .500, with middles Amber Kaufman (5 kills) and Brittany Hewitt (4) a combined 9-for-12. Hewitt also dropped in on three of the ‘Bows’ four blocks.
The Bulldogs hit negative (7 kills, 8 errors) for the set and didn’t get much better in the third, with Danielson going for another five kills.
The final home match is Sunday, at 5 p.m., against Utah State. It will be Senior Night. The Rainbows can clinch at least a tie for the regular-season title with a win.
Hawai‘i ends the regular season on the road at Boise State (Thursday), Idaho (Nov. 14) and Utah State (Nov. 16).

NOTES

UH coach Dave Shoji will sign autographs after Sunday’s match. He will be on the concourse level near the Rainbowtique Store at Gate B. Limited edition 1,000th Win volleyballs will sell for $20 (regularly $35) at the Stan Sheriff Center Rainbowtique that night only. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Foundation.