HONOLULU — Hawai'i Pacific University volleyball earned its first PacWest home victory of the season Saturday night, sweeping Dominican University of California 25-23, 25-21, 25-16 inside the Shark Tank. The Sharks improved to 2-11 overall and 1-6 in conference play with the win.
HPU put together one of its strongest offensive performances of the season, finishing with 42 kills on a .259 hitting percentage while holding Dominican to 30 kills and a .069 clip. The Sharks also finished with 57 digs and seven total blocks.
The opening set was the tightest of the night, featuring seven ties and two lead changes. HPU trailed 17-15 before putting together a 6-0 run behind the service of Jordyn McCutcheon, turning the deficit into a 21-17 advantage. Dominican fought back to tie the set at 22, but kills from Mia Ferdinand and a Dominican attack error helped the Sharks close out the 25-23 victory.
The Sharks again found themselves in a battle in the second set before taking control late. With HPU trailing 16-15, the Sharks scored seven of the next eight points to build a 22-17 advantage. Sophia Cooper delivered five kills during the set, including the final point, as HPU took a two-set lead with a 25-21 win.
HPU saved its best offensive set for last, hitting .353 with 15 kills and just three errors in the third. With the score tied at 10, the Sharks erupted for an 8-0 run that included three kills from Ella Schoene, two from Cooper and an ace from Jordyn Pascone. HPU never allowed Dominican back into the set, finishing the sweep with a 25-16 victory.
Cooper led the Sharks offensively with 12 kills while hitting .256, adding 10 digs and an ace for a double-double. Schoene added nine kills on a .286 hitting percentage and was a force at the net with two solo blocks and two block assists. Ferdinand was highly efficient, putting down six kills on 12 swings for a .417 hitting percentage while adding three block assists.
McCutcheon directed the offense with 28 assists and 13 digs, while Alohalani Chun added 11 digs, five kills and an ace. Mayah Nakasato contributed nine digs and four assists as the Sharks completed the straight-set victory.
