HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Pacific University women's volleyball team fell to Vanguard University in straight sets Tuesday evening at the HPU Shark Tank, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16, in PacWest Conference action.
Sophia Cooper and Alohalani Chun led the Sharks offensively with six kills apiece, while Cooper finished with a .429 hitting percentage on 14 attempts without an error. Jordyn Pascone added four kills, and Jordyn McCutcheon directed the offense with 12 assists.
HPU (2-14, 1-9 PacWest) opened the match with a competitive first set, building an early 9-4 advantage behind contributions from Cooper and Chun. Vanguard responded to even the score at 12 before the teams continued trading points. With the set tied at 16, the Lions gained momentum and eventually secured the opening frame, 25-21.
The Sharks remained competitive early in the second set, using a service ace from Raiatea Campbell to even the score at eight. HPU later took an 11-10 lead before Vanguard put together a nine-point run to take control. The Lions closed out the set 25-15 to take a two-set advantage.
Vanguard carried its momentum into the third set, establishing an early lead and maintaining control throughout the frame. HPU continued battling behind contributions from Pascone, Rosie Larkin and Ema Gibson, but the Lions completed the sweep with a 25-16 victory.
Campbell finished with a team-high two service aces, while Mayah Nakasato led the Sharks defensively with five digs. McCutcheon added four digs and a service ace, and Larkin contributed four assists and an ace.
As a team, HPU recorded 23 kills, 20 assists, four service aces and five total blocks.
Vanguard (6-13, 4-8 PacWest) was led by Haylee Long, who finished with nine kills and six block assists. The Lions hit .272 as a team and totaled 12 blocks in the victory.
