ST. GEORGE, Utah — Hawai'i Pacific University opened its five-game road trip on a down note as Dixie State bettered the Sharks in PacWest play with a three-set sweep on Friday night at DSU's Student Activities Center.
 
The Sharks (6-9, 4-3) fell to the Trailblazers (6-8, 4-2) 21-25, 17-25, 21-25.
 
"Dixie State was ready for us," said head coach Jenic Tumaneng. "The match was tight, just like when we played a couple of weeks ago in Honolulu. We just couldn't get the break we were after."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 
The Trailblazers hit .298 as a team and posted 11.0 team blocks. HPU hit just .110 with 3.0 team blocks.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico posted her seventh double-digit kill match of the season, leading the Sharks with 11 kills. Junior right side hitter Kayla Demari of Dana Point, Calif./JSerra Catholic  added nine kills with a block.
 
A trio of Trailblazers posted eight kills, as Kaycee Adams led the way with a .467 hitting percentage to go with her eight. Kayla Chapman and Brette Barney also posted eight kills. Lauren Gammell tallied nine blocks for the Blazers.
 
The opening set featured three lead changes and four ties before Dixie State opened a three-point advantage. The Sharks cut it to a 21-19 difference, only to see the Trailblazers grab four of the next six points and take a 25-21 win on an Adams kill.
 
In the second set, HPU battled back from a 5-1 start by DSU to take a 7-6 lead. The Trailblazers answered with a 4-0 run to retake the lead and the Sharks could never tie the set again. HPU got within two near the end of the set before Dixie popped a 6-1 run to end it 25-17 on a Chapman kill.
 
The final set opened with a 3-0 Dixie State run, only to be followed by an 8-1 Shark rally featuring an Escobar kill and two service aces. HPU held the lead until DSU chipped away to tie it at 14-all. HPU went back up 16-15 on a kill from Carson Pyle, only to have the Trailblazers go on a 3-0 run on the way to an 8-2 run to swing the momentum back toward Dixie State. The Sharks pulled back to within three at 24-21 before Lauren Gammell ended it with a kill for the Blazers.
 
HPU travels back to California for its next action on Monday. The Sharks visit Fresno Pacific for a 3 p.m. HST (6 p.m. PDT) match against the Sunbirds.