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Rainbow Wahine volleyball sweeps Chaminade in exhibition under new head coach Joshua Walker HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine volleyball team defeated Chaminade University Monday night in an exhibition match at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Mānoa. The match marked the debut of former UH All-American Joshua Walker as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine. “I did smell the garlic fries, but just seeing all the fans is just reminds me of like, yeah, how special this place is for an exhibition to have this crowd,” Walker said. The Rainbow Wahine swept the Silverswords in the exhibition and also won an additional fourth set played by the teams. Team works through early-season cobwebs Despite the victory, Walker noted there are areas of play the team needs to refine before their official season opener. “Things definitely got a little bit cleaner as we kind of got more comfortable, so very glad that we had this this exhibition so we make sure we’re translating the things that we’re working on in practice to the games,” Walker said. “I think we definitely had some cobwebs early and then we were able to steady out,” he added. Outside hitter Panna Ratkai agreed that the exhibition was a valuable opportunity to build confidence. “It was something new, so it’s always very exciting,” Ratkai said. “I always have butterflies before the first serve, but with experience, it’s going to calm down more.” The match also served as a reunion for UH assistant coach Kolby Kanetake, who spent the last six years coaching at Chaminade. “The last time he was really here was as a player too,” Walker said, “so I think for him, just battling a lot of emotions as far as like, okay, he was working with that group. They had a lot of success, but yeah, obviously he’s here because he wants to continue to help UH.” Volleyball provides relief after Lala Monday’s exhibition provided a moment of relief for players and fans alike, following power outages and disruptions caused by Tropical Storm Lala over the weekend. “A lot of girls didn’t have power, were hunting for food and stuff like that, but everyone was good,” middle blocker Miliana Sylvester said. “Most people showed up early knowing that we didn’t have practice yesterday to get extra reps.” Walker highlighted the role sports play in helping the community move forward after a major weather event. “It’s a chance for people to just think about something other than what’s going on,” Walker said. “I think that’s what makes sports special. We pick it up, we keep going, and we want the state of Hawaiʻi to continue to pick it up and keep going.” The Rainbow Wahine will officially open their season on Aug. 28 when they host Georgia Southern. The match will be broadcast on KFVE, with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.