HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University snapped its six-match skid with a straight sets PacWest Conference victory over Holy Names on Thursday night at The Shark Tank.
The Sharks (3-14, 2-7) downed the Hawks (5-13, 2-8) 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to avenge a straight sets loss to HNU on Sept. 27.
The Sharks hit .221 with 6.0 team blocks in the three-set win. The Hawks hit .158 with 5.0 team blocks in the one hour, 29 minute match.
Sophomore
Ella Dotson of Tucson, Ariz./Marana had a career-performance with 19 kills and a double-double of 13 digs, while recording a .375 hitting percentage. Junior
Demi Winters of Gresham, Ore./Barlow added nine kills with three blocks. Senior
Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah and senior
Kirah Boynton-Brown of Vancouver, Wash./Union tallied three blocks as well.
The Hawks were paced by the double-double of Lauren Sera with 13 kills and 15 digs. Lille Tuivailala had eight digs with a .667 hitting percentage, while Saupuni Mavaega and Keahi-Rose Sarono both chalked up three blocks.
The Sharks and Hawks battled through 10 ties and six lead changes in the opening set, flipping the script with a 5-0 run after a kill by Dotson and four straight points served up by junior Makenzie Fa'amausili-Cacoulidis of Honolulu/Sacred Hearts. HPU made it a 7-1 run to take a 20-15 advantage on a kill by Winters. The Sharks were a point away at 24-21, when HNU rallied with the next two points. Then Dotson responded with a kill to win the set 25-23.
HPU and Holy Names played close in the second set, but the Sharks never trailed. Once again, HNU pulled overcame a 24-21 disadvantage to get within a point at 24-23 before Dotson again put it away for the set victory.
The final set had the teams swap the lead early only to have the Sharks go on a 4-1 run and never trailed again. HPU pushed its lead to 19-11, only to have the Hawks battle back. But the Sharks took the final three points of the set and won the match on an assisted block by Boynton-Brown and senior
Cara McClean of Beaverton, Ore./Southridge for the 25-19 score and the straight sets decision.
The Sharks conclude their PacWest home stand on Saturday night when they host Dominican (Calif.) in a 7 p.m. match at The Shark Tank.
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