Women'sVolleyball

UHH sophomore Lauren Bayer earns PacWest weekly honor

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Hawai‘i Hilo sophomore MB Lauren Bayer (San Antonio, TX) hit .641 in six games to lead the Vulcans to a 2-0 start in the PacWest...her outstanding effort landed the second-year player Player of the Week honors...the award was announced by the PacWest Office on September 24...Bayer boasted 27 kills, averaging 4.50 per game...she hit .733 with 11 kills in 15 attempts and no errors against BYU-Hawai‘i on Sept. 21...she posted a .583 hitting percentage vs. Hawai‘i Pacific on Sept. 22, knocking down 16 kills in 24 attempts with a pair of blocks.

Hawai‘i Hilo, NDNU take early lead in PacWest; BYU-Hawai‘i snaps Chaminade streak

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - PacWest volleyball tipped off with a vengeance over the weekend as four of the league's seven teams were dealt conference losses in what promises to be an exciting run for the title.

Hawai‘i Hilo made an early statement by blanking reigning PacWest Champion BYU-Hawai‘i and knocking off Hawai‘i Pacific by indentical 3-0 scores. The Vulcans have won five straight since a 3-4 start.

In addition to Lauren Bayer earning Player of the Week honors, Hawai‘i Hilo was buoyed by sophomore Desiree Agader (Kekaha, HI/Waimea) who led the conference last week in assists with 97 (16.17 per game). A quartet of UHH players averaged at least 4.00 kills per game, including Bayer (4.50), sophomore Josimara Pinheiro (Taiaqc, Brazil - PHOTO - 4.83), sophomore Fabiane Seben (Caxias do Sul, Brazil - 4.50) and rookie Hillary Hurley (Anderson, CA/Enterprise - 4.00).

NDNU's Lauren Quach (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Prep) led all players in dig average for the second straight week with a 6.75 per game mark. The sophomore amassed 54 digs in eight games as the Argos swept new rival Dixie State in a pair of matches by the same 3-1 score. The first contest was a league battle on Friday night, while on Saturday the two teams tangled in a non-league match.

The Rebels dropped three matches during the week but did see junior Mariesa Nielson (Oak City, UT/Delta) average 1.27 blocks per game - third best in the league for the week. She led the PacWest with 14 total blocks during the stretch.

Chaminade had its winning streak snapped vs. BYU-Hawai‘i but the Silverswords still own the best overall mark among PacWest teams at 8-2. Sophomore Vanja Radanovic (Zrenjanin, Serbia) turned in 23 kills (3.29 k/g), a .327 hitting rate, and 10 total blocks (1.43 b/g) as Chaminade split its two league matches. She averaged 4.50 points as well.

After losing its league opener, BYU-Hawai‘i smothered Chaminade with a 3-0 sweep on Saturday night. Senior Noelle Filimoeatu (Lindon, UT/Timpanogos) led the league last week with a 5.33 kills per game average and ranked third with a 4.67 digs per game mark. She was also third in the league at 5.50 points per game.

Hawai‘i Pacific's Jackie Tedesco (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) topped the conference last week by recording 1.00 service aces per game in HPU's two tough losses.

Grand Canyon was the only team not in action, but the Anteopes host NDNU Tuesday in their PacWest opener. The two teams battle in a non-league contest Wednesday.