IRVINE, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University opened a four-match Southern California road trip with a five-set 3-2 PacWest Conference victory over Concordia Irvine at CU Arena Monday night.
 
The Sharks (3-7, 2-2) split sets with the Eagles (4-9, 3-2) before rallying in the fifth to win 25-23, 25-19, 13-25, 22-25, 15-13.
 
The Sharks hit .146 as a team for the match, but tallied 8.0 team blocks. CUI recorded a .173 hitting percentage with 9.0 team blocks, but hit minus .048 in the deciding set.
 
Freshman Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah led the Sharks with 13 kills and a .226 hitting percentage, while junior Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico, recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 16 digs. Senior Carson Pyle of Houston, Texas/Memorial racked up eight kills with three blocks, as senior Chandler Lippincott of Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista led the game with five blocks.
 
Concordia Irvine was led by Patience O'Neal with 13 kills, Jaclyn Brown with 11 kills and Jordan Mineer with 10 kills. Hanna Tostado and Emil LaCroix-Dalluh each recorded four blocks.
 
HPU gutted out a first set win 25-23, picking up kill from senior setter Mahea Pescaia of Kailua, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama and a set-winning double block from Pyle and Carson.
 
The Sharks never trailed in the second set, expanding their lead to six with the 25-19 triumph.
 
But the Eagles made a comeback in the third set, using a 9-0 to gain the advantage on the way to a 25-13 win. In the fourth, HPU battled in the close set until a Cambria Fernandez kill sparked a 4-0 CUI run that led the Eagles to a 25-22 win to knot the match at 2-2.
 
In the final set, HPU overcame a two-point deficit with a 5-0 to take a lead, then battled the home-standing Eagles to a 13-all tie. That's when HPU took advantage of an attack error by O'Neal for the 14-13 lead and finished the match when O'Neal hit into a double block from Lippincott and Ferris for the 15-13 win and the 3-2 triumph in the match.
 
The Sharks continue their road trip on Wednesday night at Azusa Pacific. First serve is 3 p.m. HST (6 p.m. PDT).