SAN DIEGO – Hawai'i Pacific University opened its four-match southern California road trip on the wrong foot as Point Loma tripped up HPU 3-1 in PacWest Conference play at Golden Gym.
 
The Sea Lions (17-9, 13-5) downed the Sharks (17-8, 13-4) 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 25-15 to knock the Sharks from second in the PacWest race. HPU is tied for third with Chaminade, who lost at Azusa Pacific on Monday night.
 
HPU recorded an attack percentage of just .117 with four team blocks. Point Loma hit .297 with 11 team blocks in the four sets.
 
Senior Perla Escobar of Calexico, Calif./Calexico paced HPU, recording a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs, while junior Cameryn Collie of El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge posted 10 kills. Sophomore Kirah Boynton-Brown of Vancouver, Wash./Union collected eight kills and led HPU with three blocks.
 
Madie Fox recorded 13 kills with six blocks for the Sea Lions, while Jaime Cymbaluk put up 11 kills with four blocks. Alexis Soncrant double-doubled with 10 kills and 12 digs, while Torina Hommes added 10 kills.
 
The Sea Lions used a 4-0 run early in the first set to take the lead. The Sharks hung tough throughout the set and used a 4-0 run late to knot the set at 21-all after a kill by sophomore Lauren Christie of Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon. But Fox followed with a Sea Lion kill to start a 3-0 run that was capped by a service ace from Soncrant for the 25-21 win.
 
The second set started even through the 10th point, when PLNU crafted a 9-2 run that put the Sea Lions in the driver's seat. HPU rallied with a 4-1 run to put the Sharks within three on a kill from Boynton-Brown to make it 20-17. The Sea Lions answered with the 4-0 run to end the set on a Shark attack error.
 
HPU fell behind 7-1 in the third before coming back to life. A Collie kill ignited a 9-3 Sharks run and tied the set at 10-10 on a kill by sophomore Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah. The teams swapped points until PLNU led 19-18. That's when another Collie kill started a 4-0 HPU run for a 22-19 lead. HPU got up 24-20 and clinched the 25-21 win on a Sea Lion service error.
 
The fourth set found HPU behind the 8-ball early and they Sharks couldn't dig out as PLNU opened with a 12-3 run. The Sharks managed to get a 7-4 run of their own, but it was too little, too late. Point Loma was content to swap points and finally ended the set and match on a Soncrant kill for the 25-15 win.
 
The PLNU win avenged a sweep by the Sharks earlier this season and split the season series.
 
The Sharks are back in action on Wednesday night as they are out to payback a loss from early October as they visit Biola in La Mirada, Calif. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. HST (7 p.m. PST) at Chase Gymnasium on the BU campus.