HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University's six-match winning streak came to an end on Friday night as PacWest Conference leader Azusa Pacific left James Castle Gym at St. Andrew's Priory with a hard-fought 3-2 win.
 
The Sharks (12-14, 11-9) battled the regionally-ranked Cougars (21-6, 17-2) for two hours and 39 minutes before APU got the upper hand 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 15-7.
 
The Sharks hit just .167, but totaled 9.0 team blocks with seven service aces against the Cougars. APU hit .234 with 16.0 team blocks and three aces.
 
HPU had three players with double-digit kills led by sophomore Camryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge with a match-high 18 kills and 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the season to go with three blocks and a service ace. Junior Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico tallied 13 kills and 23 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. Freshman Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah added 12 kills, two blocks and a team-high .242 hitting percentage.
 
The Cougars four players with 10 or more kills and a pair of double-doubles, led by Julianne Miller with 17 kills, seven blocks, and a team-best .436 hitting percentage. Sara Wagenveld notched 15 kills and six blocks, with Katarina Radisic collecting 12 kills and 16 digs, and Natalie Klapp recording 10 kills with 20 digs.
 
The Sharks broke open the first set with a timely 6-1 run midway through the action that started with an APU service error and closed on a kill by Collie for a 16-12 lead. After trading points, HPU withstood a 7-2 run by the Cougars that brought them within a point at 22-21. HPU closed out the set winning three of the next four points with a double-block from Collie and Pyle giving the Sharks a 25-23 set win.
 
APU roared out of the gate in the second set, building a six-point, 17-11 advantage. That's when the Sharks caught fire with a 10-4 run and tied the set at 21-all on a double-block by Collie and senior Chandler Lippincott of Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista. This time it was APU's turn to get a run, going on a 4-1 clip to win th set 25-22 on a kill by Radisic.
 
The third set was a heartbreaker for the Sharks. After building a four-point 14-10 lead midway through the frame, APU used an 8-1 run to claim an 18-15 lead and control of the set. HPU answered back to get within a point at 22-21, but it was again a 3-1 run capped by a Raisic kill for the 25-22 APU win.
 
HPU made its comeback in the fourth. After holding a 15-10 lead, the Sharks saw the Cougars go on an 8-2 run to claim a 19-18 lead. Collie tied the set at 19 with a kill, but Miller retaliated with a kill for APU to take a 20-19 advantage. That was the last Cougar point of the set. Another Collie kill put the service in the hands of freshman Cara McClean of Beaverton, Ore./Southridge. McClean ignited a 6-0 run with three aces to go with a Pyle kill and an APU error for the match-evening 25-20 win.
 
The Sharks got the first two points of the deciding set before the Cougars' Miller took the matter into her own hands. Her kill started a 6-0 run for APU that included an ace by Miller and the Sharks could not recover. Miller had a double-block with Amy Hinnant and closed the match with a pair of kills for the 15-7 win.
 
The Sharks get a chance to rest after a long week, not returning to action until Friday, Nov. 9, when they host Hawai'i Hilo in the next to the last match of the season. The PacWest Hawai'i Challenge match is slated for 7 p.m. at Castle Gym. The season concludes the next day on Saturday, Nov. 10 with a 6 p.m. match against Fresno Pacific at the Priory.