HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University closed the 2021 volleyball season on Saturday night with a four-set loss to Hawa'i Hilo in PacWest Conference action at Vulcan Gym.
 
The Sharks (7-20, 6-13) fell to the Vulcans (17-7, 14-6) 16-25, 14-25, 25-21, 20-25.
 
The Sharks hit .138 with 4.0 team blocks. The Vulcans posted a .235 attack percentage with 10.0 team blocks.
 
Senior Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah led the Sharks with 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, while senior Lauren Christie of Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon and junior Demi Winters of Gresham, Ore./Barlow tallied 10 kills each. Senior Kirah Boynton-Brown of Vancouver, Wash./Union led the team with three blocks. Senior Cara McClean of Beaverton, Ore./Southridge served up three aces to go with 40 assists and 20 digs in her final match for the Sharks.
 
UH Hilo got a double-double from Bria Beale with 14 kills and 21 digs to go with two blocks. Samara Cruz posted 11 kills with a .476 hitting percentage. Ashton Jessee recorded six blocks and Sydney Gott added four blocks.
 
HPU held the lead only once in the first two sets that were claimed by the Vulcans 25-16 and 25-14.
 
In the third set, the Sharks fought off a four-point deficit going on a 9-3 run keyed by a kill from Ferris  and capped by a kill from Boynton-Brown to take a two-point 19-17 lead. UHH came back to tie the set at 19-all before a Christie kill put HPU up 20-19 and started a 3-0 run. After giving a point to the Vulcans, HPU got a Christie kill and a service ace from junior Makenzie Fa'amausili-Cacoulidis before winning the set 25-21 on a Beale attack error.
 
HPU and UHH went through five ties and two lead changes early in the fourth set, with HPU pulling within a point at 14-13. That's when the Vulcans went on a run only to have HPU follow to get back within two at 22-20 on a Boynton-Brown kill. UH Hilo finished the set and match on a 3-0 run for the 25-20 win.
 
The season comes to a close for HPU, who will say Aloha to seven seniors: Boynton-Brown, Christie, Ferris, McClean, Emily Joseph of Modesto, Calif./Gregori, Abby Gundersen of Auburn, Wash./Mountainview, and Emily Johnson of Washougal, Wash./Washougal.