By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

With one precocious freshman sidelined, another stepped up last night to help lift the University of Hawai‘i into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship.

UH's Lauren Duggins watches the ball fly past her as Utah's Kim Turner looks on during last night's match at the Stan Sheriff Center. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

The third-ranked Wahine swept 19th-ranked Utah 15-12, 15-8, 15-8 before 6,411 at Stan Sheriff Center.

UH freshman Kim Willoughby lifted her older teammates in a tense first game with 10 kills and finished with a match-high 19.

Blocking terror Maja Gustin, who shared Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors with Willoughby, rested her injured ankle on the bench for a third consecutive match.

Willoughby "really did great things out there on the court," said Utah middle blocker Kim Turner, also a conference Freshman of the Year. "There were times we touched her, and we did stop her a couple times, but she’s a great athlete. She jumps high and hits hard and it was a challenge for us."

Utah ended its finest season (23-8) at Stan Sheriff Center for the second year in a row. The Utes played as if they never wanted it to end. So did the Wahine, in a radical departure from their zombie-like performance on Thursday.

"We know how bad we want a national championship," Willoughby said, "and we wanted to prove how bad we want it."

Next Thursday, incentive should not be a problem. Hawaii (29-1) earned the right to be host for next week’s Western Regional - and another shot at Long Beach State. The 13th-ranked 49ers dealt the Wahine their only defeat this year a week ago in Long Beach.

No. 14 University of California-Santa Barbara will play No. 9 Minnesota or Arizona State in the other regional semifinal. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 8 a.m.

The Wahine were ready to play last night - against Long Beach, Utah, or anyone else between them and the fifth national championship they have craved so badly since Day 1.

The Utes stayed with them through Game 1 and the first half of Games 2 and 3. But last night, the Wahine weren’t giving anything away.

Willoughby provided all of Hawai‘i’s offense early. She, and seven service errors, stopped every Utah rally in a first game that was tied six times, the last at 9. Hawai‘i pulled ahead, 12-9, when the Utes’ stable of hitters suddenly went cold, but Utah closed to 13-12 on a remarkable point where it dug two rockets.

UH, somewhat dazed, called time and came back with a phenomenal rally of its own, Willoughby and Melissa Villaroman pinballing up two Utah lasers. The Utes were so shocked by the second, they let it fall.

"We were much more spirited tonight (than Thursday)," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "Defensively, I thought we set the tone. Offense was almost a wash, but we had bodies flying and balls coming up. I think that’s what won the match for us."

Hawai‘i scored its 14th point on Lauren Duggins’ kill and won it when Jessica Sudduth found the floor at game point.

Duggins and Tanja Nikolic shared Gustin’s position, with Willoughby and setter Jennifer Carey shifting to block middle in some rotations. The Wahine clearly missed Gustin’s presence - the country’s sixth-best blocking team had but five stuffs all night - but they touched enough balls to jump-start a scintillating defense.

Sudduth, who found her hitting range in the final game for the second consecutive night, gathered 20 of Hawai‘i’s 69 digs.

"She was fuego, on fire," said Lily Kahumoku, who worked through her own hitting problems to finish with 15 kills. "Nothing hit the ground around Jessica. It’s really inspiring to have a teammate working so hard, putting so much effort into each ball. It was contagious."

It prevented the Utes from continuing their .300-plus hitting in the first game. They dropped below .200 in the final two games, which were both tied at 7. Veronica Lima served the final six points of the second game and UH scored 11 of the last 12 in Game 3.

"Even in Games 2 and 3 I don’t think we let up at all," Utah coach Beth Launiere said. "Hawai‘i just did some things that we couldn’t match.

"Hawai‘i has a legitimate shot to get to the final four, and with their freshman middle back they probably have a shot to win the championship."

Utah, with stretches of its own awesome defense, forced Hawai‘i to play with an edge it hadn’t possessed all season.

"They played very well, as hard as they can . . . ," Kahumoku said of the Utes. "They played us straight up and in the end we just had more fight in us."