HONOLULU – The Hawai'i Pacific University volleyball team lost two more times to Alaska and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday to close the season opening Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge on Friday at The Shark Tank.
 
The Sharks (0-4) dropped a 25-17, 25-13, 25-13 decision in the afternoon to the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (2-0), but won their first set of the season in falling to the Alaska Nanooks (1-1) 16-25, 20-25, 25-23, 13-25 in the night cap.
 
The Sharks hit a negative .045 against the Seawolves, but tallied a season-high 7.0 team blocks. UAA hit .361 with 43 kills with 4.0 team blocks.
 
HPU hit .097 in the closer against the Nanooks with 33 kills and six blocks. UAF hit .218 with 55 kills, while posting 11.0 team blocks.
 
In match one against UAA, HPU was paced by the play of freshman Micaela Ladjevic of Seal Beach, Calif./St. Joseph with seven kills. Senior Demi Winters of Gresham, Ore./Barlow chalked up three blocks to lead the match.
 
Alaska Anchorage had three players with double-digit kills, with junior Eve Stephens posting 13 kills. Senior Vera Pluharova hit .917 with 11 kills in 12 attacks and a team best two blocks, while sophomore Lisa Jaunet had 10 kills in the match that lasted an hour and eight minutes.
 
In the match against Alaska, Winters paced the way with seven kills, and two blocks. Freshman Karina Gatewood of Cerritos, Calif./Cypress added six kills, while freshman Claire Hindman of Mount Vernon, Wash./Sedro-Wooley also added two blocks.
 
The Nanooks got 12 kills from senior AveRee Reynolds and 11 kills from senior Lahra Weber. Junior Sophie Schilling had one of the best night's with nine kills and six blocks. Freshman Elizabeth Jackson chalked up five blocks as well.
 
The Sharks take some time off before hitting the competitive floor again on Thursday, Sept. 9 at Central Washington in the CWU-Seattle Pacific Invitational.