HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University jumped off to a strong start, but unbeaten Chaminade came back to defend its home floor at McCabe Gym and defeat HPU 3-1 in PacWest Conference action Wednesday night.
 
The Sharks (2-7, 1-2) took it on the chin to the Silverswords (9-0, 3-0) 25-22, 12-25, 18-25, 14-25.
 
After hitting .300 in the first set, the Sharks finished the match hitting .118 with 7.0 team blocks. The Swords bounced back from hitting .205 in the opening set to record a .304 hitting percentage with 8.0 team blocks.
 
HPU was paced by freshman Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah with 11 kills and a .333 and a block, and junior Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico with 11 kills, a block and a service aces. Senior Carson Pyle of Houston, Texas/Memorial led the Sharks with six blocks.
 
Chaminade was paced by Emma Tecklenburg with 18 kills, two blocks and a .375 hitting percentage. Alana Handy double-doubled with 12 kills and 10 digs.
 
The Sharks used an early 6-1 run to jump out to a 10-5 lead and building it out to a 21-14 advantage. The Swords made a comeback attempt with an 8-3 run to pull within 24-22 before a kill from sophomore Camryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge gave HPU the win 25-22.
 
Chaminade dominated the second set, never trailing in taking a 25-12 triumph.
 
HPU battled back in the third set, but had dug a hole too deep, cutting a seven-point deficit to four before falling 25-18.
 
The fourth set saw the Swords make a 6-2 run midway through the set to break a 10-all tie before going on to a 25-14 win and the 3-1 set victory.
 
The contest was the first of two volleyball matches for the Sharks and the Swords in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge. The pair meet again on Oct. 14 at James Castle Gym at St. Andrew's Priory.
 
The Sharks are next in action on the mainland when they visit Concordia Irvine on Monday. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. HST (7 p.m. PDT) at CUI Arena.