LAIE, Hawai'i — Despite a 20-20 match from star Pomai Recca, Hawai'i Pacific University fell 3-2 in PacWest play to Brigham Young University-Hawaii on Friday afternoon in the final collegiate volleyball match for BYUH at the Cannon Activities Center.
 
The Sharks (16-12, 12-7) dropped the first of two matches set for Friday with the 24-26, 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 11-15 loss. The Seasiders (7-21, 5-14) won their final home match. BYUH is dropping intercollegiate athletics at the end of the school year and closes the season on Saturday at Hawai'i-Hilo.
 
Senior outside hitter Pomai Recca of Waimanalo, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama, just missed a triple-double for the Sharks. Recca led both teams with 22 kills to go with 21 digs and eight blocks. It was the 19th double-double of the season for Recca and the 66th of her storied career at HPU.
 
Freshman outside hitter Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico, also double-doubled for HPU with 15 kills and 25 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Carson Pyle of Houston, Texas/Memorial tallied eight blocks to join Recca for the match lead.
 
BYU-Hawaii got 15 kills with six blocks from Lacy Lange, while Brittany Waite, Sinamoni Tonga and Leilani Adolpho all recorded 13 kills for the Seasiders.
 
The match was a tight affair, with HPU holding a lead in every set except the fifth. In all there were 31 ties and eight lead changes in the contest between the rivals for points in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge.
 
The tone of the match was set in the first set. With 11 ties and three lead changes overall, the Sharks came from behind to tie the set three times late at 19, 23 and 24. But after getting the final tie at 24 on a kill from sophomore Mahea Pescaia of Kailua, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama, the Seasiders won both points in the extra time on a kill by Lange and a block by Waite for a 26-24 BYUH win.
 
The second set bounced as much as the first, with 14 ties and four lead changes, but it was controlled by the Sharks late. Trailing 15-13, freshman Alison McCollum of LaCanada, Calif./Flintridge Sacred Hearts, got a kill to start a 4-0 run to give HPU a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It also started a 12-3 run for HPU that ended on a kill by sophomore Kayla Demari of Dana Point, Calif./JSerra Catholic for the 25-18 win.
 
Set three proved to be a killer for the Sharks. HPU jumped out to a 9-3 lead when the Seasiders reeled off a 13-3 run to grab a 17-13 advantage. The Sharks answered with a 3-0 run to pull within 17-16, but BYUH returned with a 6-1 run for the 23-17 lead. The Sharks had a mini-rally, but fell 25-21.
 
The Sharks never trailed in the fourth set, but HPU's early four-point lead vanished as the Seasiders tied it up at 16. But a kill from Demari started a 9-2 HPU run that closed on a Recca kill for the 25-18 win.
 
The deciding set was settled early. After a 3-3 tie, BYUH jumped out with a 4-0 run. The Sharks battled back to close within two at 10-8, but a 4-1 run spelled trouble for HPU. The Sharks got two points for a 14-11 differential before a Waite kill sealed the match 15-11.
 
HPU closes the season on Friday night when they host cross-town rival Chaminade in a 7:30 p.m. match in James Carter Gym at St. Andrew's Priory.  The Sharks will honor Recca, the lone senior on the team, in Senior Night activities after the match.