HILO, Hawai`i--In a battle between two of the top teams in the west, Alaska Anchorage was just two shots better than host Hawai`i Hilo during a 25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 26-28, 16-14 volleyball win on Friday morning at Vulcan Gymnasium.

It was a slugfest between two teams--one a perennial power and the other a up-and-comer in NCAA Division II. UH Hilo saw their nine-match win streak come to a close to move to 11-2 on the year, while Alaska Anchorage moved up to 10-1 on the spring season. 

The Vulcans, who dropped the first two sets, fought off six match points between sets four and five before finally accepting the loss. 

All-American Eve Stephens led the Seawolves with 21 kills, whille Bria Beale led the Vulcans with 20. It was a match with big momentum swings but with all five sets being played close as they could be. In the end, each team had the same number of total points.

"We didn't execute as well as I would have liked," said Vulcan head coach Chris Leonard after the match. "We didn't serve and pass as well as you need to if you are going to beat a good team like Alaska Anchorage."

The first and second sets were mirror images of each other. In both, the Vulcans built big early leads only to see the Seawolves come back to claim the set.

In the first UHH held a 17-11 lead and still had a 20-15 margin before UAA scored five straight to tie it at 20-20. The set was tied again at 21-21 and 23-23 before the Seawolves gained their first lead of the set at 24-23. A UAA block closed the set at 25-23. 

In the second set, UHH led again at 7-3 and 11-6 before another Alaska Anchorage run tied the set at 14-14. The teams traded blows, tied at 20-20 after a Beale kill. UAA then scored the next three points and closed the set on a Stephens kill (25-23) to go up two sets to none.

In the must-have third set, the Vulcans built a 16-8 margin and kept UAA at arms length after a Beale kill made it 21-15. UHH never trailed in staying alive with a 25-21 win. The fourth set was a marathon. UAA jumped out to a 5-0 lead before UHH came back to take a 8-7 lead after back-to-back kills by Alex Parisian. 

UHH later went on a 7-0 run to grab a 18-14 margin, but would eventually lose that edge after UAA went up 22-21. The Vulcans trailed 23-22, but a Beale kill and Vulcan block put the home team up 24-23. UAA would score the next two points and would twice have match point but UHH rallied with a kill by Samara Cruz and an ace by Beale to send it to a fifth set (28-26).

UAA took a 9-4 lead in the fifth and final set but UHH roared back again to tie it at 10-10 on a Parisian ace. The Seawolves would score the next four points to seemingly salt the match away, but the Vulcans stared four match points in the face and stayed alive with kills by Taira Kaawaloa and Beale, a team block and a Kaawaloa ace to tie it at 14-14. 

A super long rally at 14-14 went to the Seawolves with a Stephens putaway, and a Anchorage block solidified the match at 16-14. The match took two and a half hours and featured 26 ties and 11 lead changes.

For the Seawolves, in addition to Stephen's 21 kills, she also had two service aces and 15 digs. Hannah Pembroke added 12 kills and Hilo HS alum Mahala Kaapuni had 10 kills. Reilly Plumhoff had 20 digs and four aces.

Beale had 18 digs and five service aces to go with her 20 kills. She hit .298 in the match. Parisian had nine kills and Kendall Kott had 45 assists. Ashton Jessee had eight block assists and Tani Hoke led UHH with 20 digs. 

"I am happy with the heart that we displayed again in never giving up and battling back," Leonard added. "We have never quit this spring when we have been down. That's not easy to do, but we have showed that ability all spring."

The Vulcans and Seawolves will play again at 7 pm on Saturday night, but first the Vulcans will host Chaminade on Friday night at 7. UAA and Chaminade play this afternoon at 2:30. 



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