Lorianne Willett
Libero Keonilei Akana during Texas' game against A&M on Nov. 30, 2023. The game was the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, and Texas won 3-1.
Texas volleyball played a dominating match against the University of Hawaii, winning 3-1 and exhibiting strong performances in all three winning sets.
The Longhorns kicked off the match against Hawaii with a 2-0 lead and held on to the lead for the remainder of the set. A second 4-0 run set the tone for the remainder of the match, with Hawaii trailing behind at a minimum of seven points at a time. Sophomore Marianna Singletary ended the set at 25-14 with a kill straight into the middle of the court.
The second set started out with several short rallies, as Hawaii picked it up with good receptions from senior Kate Lang and some smart kills from junior Caylen Alexander. Hawaii took over 9-10 and kept the lead until Texas went on a 7-0 run that can only be described as vicious, picking the lead back up for 22-20 until a 5-1 run from Hawaii ended the set at 23-25.
Texas swept the third and fourth sets, starting the second half with an 8-1 run and cruising to a 25-17 third set off the energy of several small runs. The fourth set started with a battle point-after-point, until Texas finally settled the lead at 8-6 after senior Madisen Skinner delivered back-to-back kills. A 3-0 run gave the Longhorns the momentum to hang on to the lead for the entire last set, with senior Reagan Rutherford slamming the ball into Hawaii’s back left corner to finish the set at 25-19.
Senior Jenna Wenaas led the match for kills with 15, with junior Averi Carlson showing out with 33 out of 56 assists. Junior Emma Halter led for digs with 11. The showstoppers of the night, however, were senior Keonilei Akana and junior Devin Kahahawai.
Akana and Kahahawai grew up in Oahu, just a drive away from Honolulu and the University of Hawaii, and played together in high school for two years.
“It was my dream since I was eight to go to Hawaii. I have folders upon folders of signed papers and rosters, and I have three signed balls from different teams,” Kahahawai said. “It’s all in my closet back at home, but it was my dream for as long as I could remember growing up, because that’s our pro team. That’s what we grew up knowing.”
The volleyball community in Hawaii is close-knit. It wasn’t a surprise for Akana and Kahahawai to see former teammates and coaches on the opposite side of the net.
“I would definitely say it’s a different vibe when you have that kind of connection. But let’s say we still came at it like any other game,” Kahahawai said. “If you play with your emotion, I feel like that’s when it can get kind of rocky.”
Head coach Jerritt Elliott wasn’t surprised to see either performances, especially from Kahahawai, who had a breakout game with a personal record of 12 kills.
“She’s been a player that’s really been putting in time,” Elliott said. “She’s one that could have given up, and she just stayed and committed to what she was doing, worked hard in the gym, watched more film and got into it with the coaching staff.”
Texas volleyball faces its first SEC match of the season in College Station next Friday against unranked Texas A&M.