Already up 24-14 in the third set, sophomore setter Adrianna Arquette found the ball for a set, setting up a signature play.
As Arquette lifted the ball, sophomore middle blocker Miliana Sylvester slid from her middle pin spot, initiating her trademark Rainbow Slide and slamming the ball down on the other side of the net.
Benches cleared, and the Stan Sheriff Center erupted.
For the first time since Sept. 7, the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine volleyball team completed a sweep, this time over Cal State Fullerton.
“It’s good momentum for us,” freshman outside hitter Cha’lei Reid said. “It’s coming in, getting our groove and feeling what works for us and what doesn’t.”
Reid led the team with 14 kills, along with two aces and 12 digs, one shy of tying her career high of 13.
In the opening frame, after the Wahine (8-13, 4-6 Big West Conference) battled back from being down four, Reid commanded an 8-0 run from behind the service line, swinging momentum toward a first-set win.
Reid came up big again in the second set, hammering three straight kills to secure the frame. The set featured seven straight match points before Hawaiʻi finally pulled ahead.
“For our culture, no balls dropped,” Reid said. “After that rally, it was a reality check for us that it can’t happen again.”
Associate head coach Kaleo Baxter praised Reid’s poise at the service line.
“Even her 50, 60 percent is going to get a lot of teams out of their system,” Baxter said. “The more she gets confident back there, then she can dial it up a bit.”
In the third set, up 16-7, Arquette set to Reid on the outside, who delivered a missile to the Cal State Fullerton (7-15, 3-8 BWC) back row, giving the Wahine a 10-point lead in a dominant final frame.
Reid tallied seven of her 14 kills in the third set, never allowing the Titans to take a lead.
“This team just needs confidence,” Baxter said. “When they can dial in, hopefully it can translate into some wins.”
The Rainbow Wahine do not stay on Oʻahu for long, as they head to UC Davis at 3 p.m. HST on October 30th. Listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu 94.7FM and 1420AM.