No. 3 Hawai‘i 3, Northern Colorado 0
No. 3 Hawai'i swept Northern Colorado (25-21, 25-15, 25-15) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday evening in front of 7,854 fans. With the win, the Rainbow Wahine advance to the second round to play Colorado State.
Kanani Danielson posted her 19th double-double of the season, recording a match-high 16 kills with 12 digs. Jane Croson had 11 kills and six digs, Brittany Hewitt had four service aces and Mita Uiato added 36 assists.
Kelley Arnold had 13 kills to lead UNC in the losing effort.
Hawai'i (30-1) trailed early in set one as the Bears (22-9) jumped out to a 6-3 lead. UH responded to take a 10-9 lead on an Arnold attack error and a Croson kill, and maintained the advantage for the remainder of the set for the 25-21 win.
UH had complete control of the rest of the match. The Rainbow Wahine held a slim lead early in the second set, then scored six straight points to take a 21-12 lead. Emily Hartong had a pair of kills in the run, finishing the match with eight kills and seven digs.
Hawai'i was too much for UNC in set three. The Rainbow Wahine scored nine straight points midway through the set, highlighted by four Danielson kills. They led 14-4 at that point and cruised into the second round with a sweep.
UH and Colorado State play for a spot in the NCAA Honolulu Regional at 7 p.m. Friday. The Rams defeated Oregon in five sets in their first round match.