HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University finished the season in heartbreaking fashion as the Sharks lost their season finale to rival Hawai'i Hilo 3-2 in PacWest Conference play Saturday night at UHH Gymnasium.
 
The Sharks (7-21, 5-15) fell to the Vulcans (9-18, 6-15) 25-16, 26-28, 16-25, 25-21, 11-15. The loss saw HPU finish the year on an 11-match losing streak, equaling the longest single-season string in school history.
 
"The team put their best effort together tonight," said head coach Jenic Tumaneng. "With the up and downs of the season, the team stayed together and competed until the end. I'm proud of them for that."
 
HPU hit .136 for the match with 6.0 team blocks. UH Hilo hit .161 with 10.0 team blocks.
 
Freshman Cameryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge paced HPU with 13 kills and two blocks, while sophomore Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico, recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 17 digs. Senior Lea Felton of Sacramento, Calif./St. Francis, also had 11 kills with two blocks and led the Sharks with a .450 hitting percentage in her final collegiate match. Freshman Abigail Wilmington of Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River, added 10 kills.
 
The Vulcans pwer paced by Evelin Solyomvari with 14 kills, with Randi Hunter adding eight kills. Kiley Davis led UHH with eight blocks.
 
The Sharks opened strong against the Vulcans jumping out to a 6-1 run and extending it to a 15-5 lead on a kill by Felton and a Vulcan attack error. HPU eventually got the match to 20-10 on a kill from junior Kayla Demari of Dana Point, Calif./JSerra Catholic. The Sharks just traded points with the Vulcans until picking up the 25-16 win on a ball-handling error by UHH.
 
The second set was pivotal, as HPU jumped out to an early lead, extending it to 14-11 on a block from junior Chandler Lippincott of Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista. The Vulcans answered with a 5-1 run to take the lead. UHH extended it to 20-17 when the Sharks made a move. Following a kill from Collie, HPU went on a 5-0 run to claim a 22-20 advantage following an attack error by Kiley Davis. UHH rallied for three quick points only to have HPU answer. The Sharks had two set points after taking a 25-24 and a 26-25 leads on kills by Escobar. But each time the Vulcans answered and when UHH blocked Escobar's attack at 26-all with Ashton Jesse and Solyomvari, the tide turned. A final HPU attack error gave the Vulcans set two 28-26.
 
The third set belonged to UH Hilo. After swapping points to go to 2-all, the Vulcans ripped off a 6-0 run and never trailed again. The Sharks climbed back to trailing 15-10, but the Vulcans answered with a 3-0 run and maintained their advantage to win on a kill from Solyomvari 25-16.
 
The Sharks showed valor in the fourth set, battling through six ties and three lead changes to send the match to a deciding set.  UH Hilo vaulted out to a 12-5 lead before HPU started chipping away. Down 15-9, the Sharks got two quick points before allowing UHH to score. Then Felton got a kill and Wilmington a service ace to key a 5-0 and tie the set at 16 on a block by Felton and Collie. The Vulcans held on and battled to a 21-19 lead on a Davis kill. But it was HPU that answered the loudest as Collie got a kill to tie the set, then served it out as the Sharks posted a 6-0 run to win it on Wilmington's kill at 25-21.
 
The Sharks carried momentum over to the fifth set, taking a quick 4-2 lead after a kill by Felton. However, the homestanding Vulcans came up with a 5-0 run to claim a 7-4 advantage. The teams played even with HPU closing to 11-8 in the shortened set before UHH rallied with a 3-0 run to claim a 14-8 lead. The Sharks countered with a 3-0 run of their own on a kill and a service ace by junior Carson Pyle of Houston, Texas/Memorial, followed by a Vulcan attack error. That would be it for the Sharks as Jesse ended the set and game with a kill for the 15-11 set win and a 3-2 match win.
 
The season closed with the loss as HPU bids Aloha to seniors Felton, Alyson Brunner, Kayla Kilaulani, and Sierra Dawson.