(Team photo courtesy of Joe Poellot/UHH)

HILO, Hawai'i-- The Vulcans showed their heart in a gritty performance against Dominican University, coming back from behind to grab a 25-17, 22-25,19-25, 25-17,15-5 win from the Penguins. 
 
"I'm proud of our group," said head coach Chris Leonard. "We started down a number of players tonight and had a lot of players who stepped up. It was a team effort, and we struggled at times but one of the things I'm most proud of is this team's ability to come back. We have been down numerous of times this year and have been able to comeback and chase teams down." 
 
UH Hilo (11-2, 8-1 PacWest) had a dominant performance against DU (1-15, 1-6 PacWest) in the first set. UHH lost the first point of the set, but answered with a five-point run and didn't give up the lead the entire set.  
 
The Penguins bounced back in the second set, taking a 25-22 win over the Vulcans. The lead hopped back and forth until DU went on a five-point run at 21-21 to steal the win. 
 
Dominican, leveling the playing field 1-1, ran with their momentum and won the next set 25-19. The Vulcans were playing hard, but the results weren't going their way. Tani Hoke had several impressive digs, many where she had to make great dives to keep the ball alive. Hoke had the most digs on the court tonight, totaling 27. 
 
With everything on the line, UHH accepted the challenge in front of them and prevailed. Amber Tai tied the fourth set with a kill and the Vulcans didn't look back. At 3-3, Hoke kept the rally going, stunning the Penguins with three consecutive service aces. Ashton Jessee also contributed to the 25-17 win with some excellently placed kills, finding gaps in the back corners. 
 
The Red and Black thrived in the fifth set. After DU took the first point, UHH went off on an eight-point run. The Penguins were able to break up the Vulcans rally, but not for long. Kamilla Marinas shut DU down with a fireball to the deep middle and UH Hilo kept chipping away until their eventual 15-5 win. Freshman Imeleta Ale delivered the game point that came served to Dominican as a service ace.
 
The Vulcan's kill leaders were Samara Cruz (16), Marinas (13), Tai (11), and Jessee (9).
 
The volleyball team plays next on Saturday, Oct.16 at 7 p.m. against Holy Names. 
 
CLICK HERE, to view the volleyball team's schedule.
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