HONOLULU – No. 6 Hawai'i opened defense of its 2012 Big West Conference volleyball championship in unparalleled style, sweeping Cal State Fullerton (25-22, 25-5, 25-20) in front of 7,390 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on Friday night.
Conducting the offense for Hawai'i was Mita Uiato, tallying a match-high 35 assists.
Leah Best, Bre Moreland and Leah Hensley led Cal State Fullerton with six kills apiece. Freshman McKenna Painton totaled 10 digs.
The Rainbow Wahine hit at a rate of .243, while holding Cal State Fullerton (7-6, 0-1 Big West) to .018 as the Titans committed 21 attack errors. UH's kill total actually doubled that of the Titans (46-23), and Hawai'i totaled eight blocks against CSF.
Hawai'i closed the third and final set on a 6-1 run, and had a 2-0 lead at the break after rallying for 21 consecutive points in a 25-5 second-set victory. Fullerton's five points marked to lowest point total for CSF since rally scoring began (2001-present), and also marked the lowest total UH has held an opponent to in the rally-scoring era.
Fullerton returns to Titan Gym on Friday at 7 p.m., to host UC Davis. Fullerton will play Cal State Northridge on Saturday, Oct. 5, with the match start time scheduled for 6 p.m. Following Saturday's match against the Matadors, the Titans will sign team posters for all fans in attendance.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton holds a record of 0-30 all-time against Hawai'i…the Titans have been swept four times in 2013, and twice against ranked opponents (No. 5 USC & No. 6 Hawai'i)…Fullerton's five points in the second set marked its lowest total in a set during the rally-scoring era (2001-present) and also marked the lowest total Hawai'i had allowed for an opponent in the rally-scoring era…Cal State Fullerton dropped its Big West opener for the second straight season.