HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University dropped a heartbreaking five-set decision to Big Island rival Hawai'i Hilo on Friday night in PacWest Conference play in James Castle Gym at St. Andrew's Priory.
 
The Sharks (12-15, 11-10) battled the regionally-ranked Vulcans (21-6, 17-4) for two hours and 21 minutes before UHH prevailed 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-8.
 
The Sharks hung with the Vulcans despite hitting .216 with one block in the contest. UH Hilo hit .305 for the match and tallied 10.0 team blocks.
 
Sophomore Camryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge chalked up a match-high 23 kills, with seven digs and was part of the lone block. Freshmen Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah and Lauren Christie of Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon each added 11 kills, while senior Chandler Lippincott of Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista had eight kills with a .583 attack percentage and joined with Collie for the block.
 
Bria Beale tallied 17 kills and Ashton Jessee 14 kills with four blocks for the Vulcans. Armani Moultrie had six blocks for UHH.
 
The Vulcans never trailed in the first set, building a 24-19 lead before beating HPU 25-21.
 
HPU returned the favor in the second set, fighting through eight ties and five lead changes for the win. HPU got a three-point lead late on kills by Ferris and Collie to go with a service ace from freshman Emily Joseph of Modesto, Calif./Gergori. The Sharks closed the set on the Collie-Lippincott block for a 25-21 win.
 
In the third, HPU and UHH swapped the lead four times with five ties before the Vulcans overcame a 16-15 deficit with an 8-0 run and finished the set with a Moultrie service ace to win 25-19.
 
The gritty Sharks fought again in the fourth, as the set was knotted nine times and the teams exchanged the lead five times before it ended. A kill by Collie broke the 23-23 tie and Ferris finished off the set with a kill for the 25-23 win and the match tied at 2-2.
 
The final frame belonged to the Vulcans, rolling up a 5-1 run to start and holding the Sharks off at arms-length. The Sharks closed the gap to 10-7 late on a UHH service error, but the Vulcans rallied with a 5-1 to finish out the set and the match 15-8.
 
The Sharks close the season on Saturday night when they entertain Fresno Pacific. The Senior Night match starts at 6 p.m. at St. Andrew's Priory.