HILO, Hawai`i--Senior
Taira Kaawaloa had 13 kills on her Senior Day to help the Vulcans wrap up a near perfect spring season with a 25-12, 25-16, 25-23 win over Hawaii Pacific on Sunday afternoon at Vulcan Gymnasium.
The Vulcans finished the spring with a 14-2 mark, with their only two losses coming by two points in the fifth set against Chaminade and Alaska Anchorage. Kaawaloa, the only Vulcan graduating who will not return for the Fall of 2021, hit .650 in the match for the second highest kill total of her career. She also had nine digs.
"We will miss Taira, she has been a special part of our program," Leonard said. "She has a very high volleyball IQ. She has been tremendous on defense, is a great passer and is just very instinctive."
Kaawaloa finished the spring season third on the Vulcan team in kills (2.02 per set) and third in digs (2.79 per set).
After playing three matches that went five sets and lasted two hours and 30 minutes each, the Vulcans wrapped up the last match of the tournament in an hour and 20.
Joining Kaawaloa in double figure kill numbers was
Bria Beale with 12 (.370 hitting percentage). Beale also had 10 digs.
Alexandria Parisian added eight kills, including the final put away of the match.
Ashton Jessee had six block assists for a team that had 14 blocks in three sets.
Tani Hoke had 13 digs on the defensive side. Emily Joseph led HPU with ten kills.
The Vulcans got an early jump on the Sharks, who had upset Alaska Anchorage earlier in the day in three sets. UHH blitzed out to a 7-4 lead and increased it to ten points at 20-10. They closed out at 25-12, hitting .464 as a team with Kaawaloa blasting home five kills.
The second set was closer, featuring ten ties, the last at 12-12. The Vulcans then scored six of the next seven points, and down the final stretch scored four points off blocks. Kaawaloa got the final point in the 25-16 game.
UHH rushed out to a 13-9 lead in the third set, but HPU would tie it at 13-13. The Vulcans then scored five of the next six points (18-14), but the Sharks would rally back again to tie the set at 20-20. It was tied at 22 before a kill by Beale and a block and a kill by Parisian ended the match.
"One of the best parts about the spring was that we continued to develop a mentality of never quiting," Leonard concluded. "We played seven five-set matches and in some of those we were down a set or more. We never gave up, and I am looking forward to carrying over that mindset into the fall season."
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