Hawai’i Women’s Volleyball Hits the Road for Mountain West Series at Grand Canyon
- The University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to face Grand Canyon in a two-match series at Global Credit Union Arena on Friday, Oct.
- Entering the weekend series, Hawai'i holds a 10-3 overall record following a sweep of New Mexico in its inaugural Mountain West matches under head coach Joshua Walker.
- Grand Canyon enters the matchup at 7-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play after splitting a series against Nevada in Reno, Nevada.
The University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to face Grand Canyon in a two-match series at Global Credit Union Arena on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3, marking the program’s first Mountain West Conference road trip of the season. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, which corresponds to 3 p.m. in Hawai’i.
Entering the weekend series, Hawai’i holds a 10-3 overall record following a sweep of New Mexico in its inaugural Mountain West matches under head coach Joshua Walker. The team’s 10-3 start represents its best performance over the first 13 matches since the 2019 squad opened the season 12-1.
Grand Canyon enters the matchup at 7-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play after splitting a series against Nevada in Reno, Nevada. The Lopes lost the opening match in five sets before earning a reverse sweep in the rematch. Head coach Kendra Potts is in her third season at Grand Canyon, holding a 44-30 record with the program and an overall career record of 168-54. This weekend’s meetings mark the first-ever matches between Hawai’i and Grand Canyon in women’s volleyball.
Statistically, the series features a stark clash of styles between conference leaders. Grand Canyon leads the Mountain West and ranks 50th nationally in hitting percentage at .257, anchored offensively by outside hitter and opposite Starr Williams, who leads the team with 166 total kills and 3.25 kills per set. Middle blocker Aubrey Goodere paces the Lopes with a .358 hitting percentage, while setter Bella Nunez has recorded two triple-doubles this season.
Conversely, Hawai’i counters with the conference’s top defensive unit, ranking sixth nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .149. Senior Panna Ratkai leads the Rainbow Wahine with 3.49 kills per set, ranking third in the Mountain West. Setter Adrianna Arquette leads the conference and ranks 66th in NCAA Division I with 9.60 assists per set, while middle blocker Miliana Sylvester ranks third in the Mountain West with 54 total blocks and 1.08 blocks per set.
Freshman middle blocker Rachel Purser leads Hawai’i with a .339 hitting percentage, coming off a .389 performance with 16 kills and three errors against New Mexico. Libero Victoria Leyva averaged 6.5 digs per set during the New Mexico series to climb to second in the Mountain West with 3.96 digs per set. Outside hitter Tali Hakas, returning from an injury-shortened 2025 season, is second on the team with 126 total kills after matching her career high with 17 kills in the series opener against New Mexico. Sophomore Cha’lei Reid also returned to the starting lineup last week, putting away 10 kills on 18 attempts with a .333 hitting percentage in the series finale.
Television coverage is unavailable for the series, but fans can stream the matches live on MW+. Radio broadcasts will air on ESPN Honolulu (1500AM/92.7FM) for Friday’s match and on The New 1420 (1420-AM) for Saturday’s contest, with Tiff Wells providing the play-by-play. Streaming audio will also be accessible through ESPNHonolulu.com and The New 1420, while live statistics will be provided via Hawaii.Statbroadcast.com.