HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University upset PacWest Conference leading Azusa Pacific in five sets on Tuesday night at The Shark Tank.
 
The Sharks (6-19, 5-12) won their second straight by handing the Cougars (16-6, 11-3) their second straight loss with a 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 15-12 triumph. The loss dropped APU into a tie in the loss column with Chaminade and Biola.
 
The Sharks chalked up a season-best 64 kills, with a .223 attack percentage – the third-best of the season. They also rolled up 9.0 team blocks in the five-set match.
 
APU hit just .209 for the match, but did tally 10.0 team blocks against the Sharks.
 
HPU had a balanced attack, with four players notching double-digit kills led by sophomore Ella Dotson of Tucson, Ariz./Marana with a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs. Senior Nicole Ferris of Woodstock, Ga./Etowah added 15 kills and senior Lauren Christie of Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon tallied 14 kills with three blocks. Junior Demi Winters of Gresham, Ore./Barlow posted 10 kills with a .318 hitting percentage and led the Sharks with five blocks.
 
Azusa Pacific was led by Annaka Jorgenson with a double-double of 17 kills and 14 digs, while Katarina Radisic double-doubled with 13 kills and 16 digs. Delaney Dunham recorded five blocks.
 
The Sharks set the tone of the match in the first set, exchanging points with the Cougars until a 19-19 tie. That's when HPU went on a 4-0 run to go up 23-19 after a kill from Ferris. But APU, who is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, rallied with a 6-0 run to steal the set 25-23 on a Radisic ace.
 
The Sharks fought back after trailing 7-2 to start the second set, then was down 11-5 before swapping point before a 4-0 run key by one of three service aces in the match from freshman Kayla Torres of Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills. HPU tied the set at 15, then traded points until a Winters kill tied the set at 20 all and started a 5-1 run, giving the Sharks a lead for the first time in the set. After giving up a point to the Cougars, Ferris hammered home a kill to give HPU the set 25-22.
 
The Sharks never trailed in the third set, build a lead and having APU come back get within one at 22-21. But the Sharks took advantage of three straight kills by Dotson for the 25-21 win.
 
The Cougars took the fourth set, going on a 7-2 run to open up the set and holding on to send the match to a fifth set with a 25-19 win.
 
The final set was controlled by the Sharks. The squads tied at 2-2 and 7-7 when HPU went 4-0 run to get in the driver's seat after an ace by Dotson and a kill from Christie. But the league-leading Cougars wouldn't go away, clawing back to within two at 13-11 after a block from Dunham and Mina Andjelkovic. HPU made it 14-11 with a kill from Ferris, then APU countered with a kill from Jorgenson. That's when Ferris put the next attack away to give the Sharks the win 15-12.
 
The match, rescheduled from Oct. 29 because of pause in the APU program, won't be the only time this week the teams meet. After the Cougars face Chaminade for a second time in the week on Wednesday, APU returns to The Shark Tank to take on the Sharks in a 7 p.m. match on Thursday.