HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific never gave up the fight, but the Sharks just kept digging a hole too big to climb out of as HPU fell on the road at Hawai'i-Hilo 3-0.
 
The Sharks (5-6, 1-1) dropped the Pacific West Conference inter-island battle to Hilo (4-3, 1-1) 25-22, 25-22, 25-18.
 
Freshman Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico led the way for the Sharks, posting a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs to go with two aces. Senior Pomai Recca of Waimanalo, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama just missed a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs, but led the team with four blocks.
 
The Sharks hit .127 as a team as the Vulcans chalked up 9.0 team blocks against them. UHH hit .197 in the match as HPU recorded 5.0 team blocks.
 
UHH senior Marley Strand-Nicolaisen paced the Vulcan attack with 13 kills and three blocks to go with eight digs. Siera Green and Kyndra Trevino-Scott each chalked up seven kills with Armani Moultrie leading the match with five blocks.
 
The first two sets were heart-breaking for the Sharks.
 
The first set saw seven lead changes and 10 ties before the Vulcans used a five-point run after HPU had gained an 18-17 advantage. HPU answered by collecting four of the next five points to get within one at 23-22. But Escobar's attack into a Moultrie block swung the momentum back to UHH and Green's kill ended the opener 25-23.
 
The second set witnessed the Vulcans going on a 12-point run and a pair of short runs to jump out to an 18-9 advantage over HPU. Then it was the Sharks turn to follow suit, going on a 7-2 run, then adding a 5-2 run to pull to another 23-22 deficit thanks to Escobar and Recca. It was Green again that proved to be the Shark killer, with a kill followed by a block assisted by Moultrie for the second 25-22 set.
 
In the third, Hilo broke the set open the close set with a pair of 3-0 runs, then salted it away with a 5-1 run to extend the Vulcan lead to 21-15. HPU answered with a 3-1 run to pull within 22-18 before UHH ended the match on a 3-0 run.
 
Hawai'i Pacific next heads out for a week-long road trip to northern California with the first of four matches for the week on Monday as HPU visits Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, Calif. First serve is set for 4 p.m. HST (7 p.m. PDT).
 
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