Riding a four-match win streak, the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine volleyball team hits the road for the first time this season to compete in the Stanford Invitational. There, they’ll face a trio of formidable opponents: Stanford, UCLA, and Texas State.
The Rainbow Wahine opens the tournament against No. 4-ranked Stanford, who is coming off a dominant sweep of Big West opponent UC Davis (25-10, 25-16, 25-18).
Senior opposite hitter Ella Rubin leads the Cardinal (6-2) with 91 kills, averaging 3.25 kills per set and a team-high 14 service aces.
Freshman setter Logan Parks was recently named ACC Setter of the Week after a stellar weekend. She averaged 11.20 assists, 2.0 digs, and 1.3 blocks per set while hitting .359 in victories over No. 23 Missouri (3-1), Utah State (3-0), and UC Davis (3-0).
Next up for Hawaiʻi is UCLA, who, like the Wahine, had a slow 1-3 start but bounced back with three straight wins at the Sun City Classic. The Bruins (4-3) notched sweeps over UTEP, Oral Roberts, and Texas Southern.
Senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette leads the way for UCLA with 91 kills and a team-best 3.64 kills per set. A member of the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List, Leverette is coming off a breakout 2024 season, earning AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and First Team All-Big Ten honors. Last year, she tallied 435 kills, including three matches with 20+ kills and a 29-kill performance against Purdue—the most by a Bruin in the last three seasons.
Hawaiʻi’s final opponent at the invitational is Texas State (4-4), the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division. Through two early-season tournaments, the Bobcats have picked up wins over UTSA (3-1), UTRGV (3-1), and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-0).
Redshirt junior outside hitter Samantha Wunsch leads Texas State with 101 kills and averages 3.88 kills per set. She also ranks second on the team with 62 digs.
First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. HST on Friday, September 19, at Maples Pavilion. Catch the action on the ACC Digital Network or tune in via ESPN Honolulu 92.7 FM and 1420 AM.