HONOLULU, Hawai`i--Just one more point, that's all the Hawaii Hilo volleyball team needed....four times.

Host Hawaii Pacific fought off four match points and and closed out the fifth set with a service ace to win a two hour and twenty minute battle on Saturday night at the Shark Tank over the Vulcans, 16-25, 25-22, 25-17, 16-25, 18-16. The victory in front of a loud HPU crowd bunched up the Pacific West Conference even more, moving the Sharks to 12-3 in the league play and 16-7 overall. It also means a series sweep for HPU over the Vulcans this year. 

Hawaii Hilo saw their 12-match win streak come to a close. They are now 17-6 overall and also 12-3 in the PacWest. Now they must turn around and play first-place Chaminade in 16 hours (1 pm).

UHH's Bria Beale had a career-high 25 kills in the slugfest, adding 14 digs and three blocks in an outstanding performance. Alexandria Parisian had 14 kills and three blocks, and Emily Wade was in double figures with 13 kills and four blocks. Setter Kendall Kott had 54 assists and 16 digs, and Kaila Lizama added 21 digs.

After trailing two sets to one, the Vulcans cruised back in the fourth (25-16) to set up the winner-take-all game. The Sharks jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth and led through the halfway point (8-6). The Vulcans kept chipping away, taking their first lead of the set on Armani Moultrie's kill (10-9), and they then stretched that lead to 13-10 on a Parisian put-away. Another Parisian finish made it 14-12, giving the Vulcans match point.

The Sharks erased two of those match points to make it 14-14, but Parisian set up another with a kill (15-14). HPU answered (15-15), and Wade then gave UHH their fourth one-more-point scenario at 16-15. 

Perla Escobar then denied the Vulcans again with a kill (16-16). A Vulcan attack error and an HPU service ace by Cara McClean ended the match, sending the crowd into a frenzy and the Sharks rushing onto the court in celebration.

Escobar finished with 20 kills for the home team, along with 17 digs. Cameryn Collie added 16 kills. 

The Vulcans hit .263 in the match, including scorching totals of .382 in the first set and .410 in the fourth. The team stat column was very similar with the Vulcans holding slight lead in total kills (68-65), digs (77-76) and blocks (8-6). 

UH Hilo now sits 1.5 games behind Chaminade (13-1), heading into Sunday's critical match-up. 

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