COSTA MESA– Sophia Cooper put together a 14-kill performance Saturday evening as the Hawai'i Pacific University women's volleyball team took a set from Vanguard before dropping the PacWest road match in four sets.
HPU (1-9, 0-4 PacWest) fell 25-15, 25-16, 24-26, 25-23. The Sharks totaled 36 kills, 59 digs and six blocks in the match.
Cooper led the HPU offense with a match-high 14 kills, hitting .196 while adding nine digs and two block assists. Ella Snobar contributed six kills on 21 attempts, while Alayna Grinstead finished with seven kills.
After dropping the first two sets, Hawai'i Pacific responded in the third. HPU trailed 24-18 before putting together an eight-point run to steal the set, 26-24. Cooper had two kills during the run, while Taylor Kaoihana added a service ace. Back-to-back blocks from Jordyn McCutcheon and Ella Schoene helped push HPU in front 25-24 before the Sharks completed the comeback on the next point.
The momentum carried into a tightly contested fourth set. HPU held a 15-13 advantage following a Schoene service ace and remained within striking distance throughout the frame. The Sharks battled to 23 points before Vanguard secured the final two points to close the match.
Mayah Nakasato anchored the HPU defense with a team-high 15 digs and added a service ace, while Kaoihana collected 11 digs. McCutcheon directed the offense with 28 assists to go along with six digs and three block assists.
Hawai'i Pacific finished its final two sets with 21 kills, including a match-best 12 in the fourth, as the Sharks closed out their road contest with their strongest stretch of the night.
