HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Volleyball fell to No. 18 Point Loma in another thrilling five-set battle (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-25, 15-13) on Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at the Vulcan Gymnasium.
Hawai'i Hilo won the second and fourth sets and outscored Point Loma, 105-101, in total points across the match, but the Sea Lions managed to squeak away with set victories each decided by three or fewer points.
The Vulcans led the final set, 8-6, before Point Loma was able to score four straight points for a two-point lead. Hawai'i Hilo tied it at 10-10 on a Logan Blutreich solo block and again at 11-11 on one of Alohi Garcia's 22 match kills, but PLNU mustered up three consecutive points to reach match point. The Vulcans scored back-to-back points to close the gap but, it just wasn't quite enough to overcome.
Garcia posted her 15th double-double of the season (18 digs). 'Anolani Santos recorded 42 assists and a season-high 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Elly Stokely (17), LC Nakagawa (15) and Maiah Kalima (12) joined Garcia and Santos for double-digit figures in digs.
Point Loma (14-2), Biola (14-3) and Concordia (14-3) have clinched spots in the four-team PacWest Championships field, leaving Hawai'i Hilo (11-5) and Westmont (10-6) in the race for the final spot. The Vulcans clinch with a win in either of their last two matches, or with a Westmont loss in either of its last two contests (Nov. 4 vs Vanguard, Nov. 7 vs Point Loma).
Hawai'i Hilo celebrated Senior Night with the recognition of Kennedy Stevens, Blutreich, Nakagawa, Garcia and Maya Imoto-Eakin.
GAME NOTES
- Set 1: PLNU trailed, 7-4, before scoring seven straight points for an 11-7 lead that PLNU did not relinquish the rest of the way. Garcia (.500) and Blutreich (.571) each recorded five kills.
- Set 2: The score was tied at every number from 14 through 18 before UHH scored five straight points for a 23-18 lead on the way to evening the match. Chase Koepke recorded four kills without an error (.571).
- Set 3: UHH led, 18-13, before PLNU scored four straight points with the score eventually drawing even at 19, 20 and 21. PLNU scored the final four points after UHH led, 22-21.
- Set 4: The score was tied from 5 through 9. UHH led, 12-10, and outscored PLNU, 13-5, the rest of the way, holding PLNU to a .045 attack percentage.
- Set 5: The score was last tied at 11-11. PLNU committed five errors but recorded 10 kills to UHH's seven and managed to score four of the final six points.
- Total Kills: Hawai'i Hilo 56, Point Loma 63
- Total Attack Errors: Hawai'i Hilo 25, Point Loma 34
- Garcia recorded her 1,000th career kill (636 as a Vulcan) to tie the fifth set at 11-11.
- Santos recorded 42 assists to surpass 1,000 assists.
- Previous Matchup (Sept. 21, 2026): W 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 26-24) in San Diego, California
- Hawai'i Hilo: 19-8 Overall (11-5 PacWest)
- Nickname: Vulcans
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 3
- Current Conference Standing: No. 4
- AVCA-Taraflex Top 25 Poll (Oct. 26): Receiving Votes
- NPI Rank (Oct. 25): No. 47 (No. 10 West Region)
- No. 18 Point Loma: 19-5 Overall (14-2 PacWest)
- Nickname: Sea Lions
- San Diego, California
- Conference Preseason Poll: No. 1
- Current Conference Standing: No. 1
- AVCA-Taraflex Top 25 Poll (Oct. 26): No. 18
- NPI Rank (Oct. 25): No. 35 (No. 6 West Region)
- Game Day Sponsor: Bank of Hawai'i
UP NEXT
- Friday, Nov. 6 (6 PM) at Chaminade (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
- Saturday, Nov. 7 (3 PM) at HPU (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
AMONG THE BEST
Hawai'i Hilo was listed among others receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association-Taraflex Division II Top 25 Poll released on Oct. 26, totaling four points.
PACWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top four teams in the conference standings will qualify for the 2026 PacWest Championships, hosted by Vanguard on Nov. 13-14 in Costa Mesa, California.
- Clinched (3/4): Biola (14-3), Concordia (14-3), Point Loma (14-2)
- In Contention (2): Hawai'i Hilo (11-5), Westmont (10-6)
- Eliminated (5): Chaminade (6-10), Dominican (1-16), HPU (3-13), Jessup (4-13), Vanguard (5-11)
The Vulcans made an appearance in last year's PacWest Championships semifinal round. Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 3 earlier in this year's conference preseason coaches poll.
NCAA POWER INDEX (NPI)
NCAA Division II has implemented the NCAA Power Index (NPI) as the official, objective metric for determining NCAA Championships postseason tournament berths. Outside of conference champions receiving Automatic Bids (AQs), all remaining at-large spots are awarded based on final NPI rankings, which evaluate winning percentage, strength of schedule and match location.
In the most recent ratings, through games of Oct. 25, Hawai'i Hilo came in at No. 47 nationally and No. 10 in the West Region. NCAA Selection Show will be Nov. 15 with the opening rounds of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships set for Nov. 19-22. Five at-large berths will be awarded alongside the AQs for the three champions from the conferences comprising the West Region — PacWest, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
