HILO, Hawai'i – It was a tough Pacific West Conference home-opening stand for the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball team and it stepped up to the challenge to put up a big fight, but the Vulcans ultimately fell in the final game to visiting Azusa Pacific, 3-1 (25-14, 17-25, 21-25, 18-25), Sunday afternoon at the Vulcan Gymnasium.
If there was any fatigue setting in from playing consecutive five setters in as many days — including just eight hours prior — it didn't show early on as the Vulcans came firing on all cylinders in the opening set. Hawai'i Hilo rotated fresh arms into the lineup with Samara Cruz and Imani Lee taking the swings on the outside to help post a .342 hitting percentage as Raelee Samio led with five kills.
Set 2 saw the Cougars flip the script as they hit .444 to overcome five aces by the Vulcans.
The third set was a closer affair between the two teams as the Vulcans rallied late to make it a one-score game facing a 22-21 deficit. But even with Hawai'i Hilo hitting at .417, APU managed to pull away to put down the final points.
After APU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the final set, Hawai'i Hilo remained within striking distance through a 15-17 score when the Cougars strung together six straight points to pull away for the match win.
The Vulcans top two offensive weapons, Taylor Tullo and Isabella Hadaller (only played one point), sat out Sunday's match.
STATS SHEET
- Kamryn Childs notched 11 kills (.474) while Samara Cruz led with 13 to go along with 12 digs.
- Imani Lee had four service aces and added 12 kills with 14 digs.
- APU had six blocks to UHH's zero. The Cougars also held a slight dig advantage at 71-67, which included more than a handful of point-saving pancakes.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 5-7 overall (2-2 PacWest) while Azusa Pacific moved to 7-6 (4-1 PacWest).
The Vulcans will head to Northern California for a three-game stretch against Fresno Pacific (Oct. 4), Dominican (Oct. 5) and Academy of Art (Oct. 7) before returning home Oct. 14 to host two-time defending champion Chaminade to start another four-game home stand.
ONLINE TICKETS
Single-game and season tickets are now available to be purchased online through Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics' recently launched online ticket platform in partnership with AudienceView Campus.
The 2023 slate will feature 10 total home matches at the Vulcan Gymnasium with a package price of $75 for adults and $40 for seniors (ages 65-plus) and middle/high school students.
Both can be accessed at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
