NAMPA, Idaho — Hawai'i Pacific University ran into a a balanced and efficient Sonoma State attack as the Sharks were swept 3-0 in their opening match of the NCAA Division II West Region Showcase hosted by Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.
 
The Seawolves (5-1) downed the Sharks (1-4) 25-20, 25-11, 25-21.
 
The Seawolves hit .341 for the match with 7.0 team blocks, while the Sharks hit just .091 with 2.0 team blocks.
 
HPU was paced by the play of freshman Cameryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge, who collected six kills and hit .286. Sophomore Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico, added five kills.
 
Calan Seitz pounded down 11 kills for the Seawolves, while Morgan Annala and Caiti Wiesner each added nine kills apiece in an attack that had just 10 miscues in the match.
 
The efficient attack started off strong as an Annala kill snapped a 3-3 tie, and Seitz pounded down three balls in a 7-1 surge that put SSU on top early.
 
The Sharks (1-4) chipped away and closed as close as 19-16 down on one of the few hitting errors on the day for Sonoma State before two more Seitz kills, and a final kill from Wiesner, finished off the opening win.
 
A 16-6 surge in the second set sent the Seawolves well on their way to a comfortable lead in the match before Hawaii Pacific battled back strong in the third set.
 
The Sharks led 10-5 early and were up 13-10 before three service aces by Wiesner powered a 5-0 run for Sonoma State, giving it the lead for good.
 
The Sharks are back in action on day two of the West Region Showcase as they face Cal State LA on Friday at 8:30 a.m. HST (12:30 p.m. MDT), and Simon Fraser (Canada) at 2:30 p.m. HST (6:30 p.m. MDT).