HONOLULU, Hawai'i – After clawing out of a 2-0 hole, the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball team dropped a tough fifth set to HPU in a 3-2 loss (20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 8-15) Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at The Shark Tank to close out the regular season.
It was the seventh five-set marathon of the season as the Vulcans found themselves on the other side of victory after the Sharks managed to break away from an 8-7 score to tally seven of the last eight points of the final frame and the match.
The first two sets also saw similar endings with HPU managing to extend on a 20-19 lead by taking five of the last six points for the win. Set 2 was a tough one to swallow for the Vulcans as they held a 23-19 lead but saw it evaporate as the Sharks mustered up six straight scores to go up 2-0 in the match.
Hawai'i Hilo heated up to rally back to even the match at 2-2 before falling in the final frame.
Samara Cruz put down a season-high 19 kills (.313) along with 10 digs for her sixth double-double on the year.
Raelee Samio finished with 10 kills and three blocks and Chase Koepke added nine kills and five blocks.
HPU finished with a 10-3 advantage in service aces.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 12-16 overall (9-11 PacWest) while HPU moved to a 5-15 conference record (5-19 overall).
The Vulcans finish the regular season at a three-way tie for sixth place in the PacWest Conference standings.
Mahalo for your support of Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball this season.
PACWEST HAWAI'I CHALLENGE
In an effort to elevate Hawai'i-based rivalries, the PacWest Hawaii Challenge has awarded the top school in athletics competition among the state's Division II institutions going back to the late 1970s.
Comprising 10 sports that all three schools participate in, points are awarded from head-to-head Pacific West Conference matchups as well as final placements at conference-ending meets and events. At the conclusion of each sport's season, the team with the highest total gets three points while the second-highest gets two and the third-place finisher receives one.
With the conclusion of the fall season, Chaminade holds a slight lead with nine points followed by Hawai'i Hilo and HPU both tied with eight points.
