HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University women's volleyball split a pair of matches Friday at the HPU Shark Tank, falling to Saint Martin's in straight sets before bouncing back with a four-set victory over Western Colorado for its first win of the 2026 season.
The Sharks fell to Saint Martin's 22-25, 14-25, 17-25 in the afternoon before defeating Western Colorado 13-25, 25-14, 25-19, 28-26 later that night. HPU finished the day with a 1-4 overall record.
Against Saint Martin's, HPU battled through a tight opening set. The Sharks erased a five-point deficit late, tying the set at 20-20 and again at 21-21 and 22-22 before the Saints scored the final three points for a 25-22 win.
Saint Martin's carried the momentum into the second set, building a 10-2 advantage on the way to a 25-14 win. The third was closer through the early stages, with HPU taking a 12-9 lead before the Saints responded and eventually closed out the match 25-17.
Chayse Hoon led HPU offensively against Saint Martin's with 10 kills on a .292 hitting percentage. Aliyah Baker added five kills on seven attempts for a .571 percentage and three blocks, while Ella Schoene finished with five kills and four blocks. Jordyn McCutcheon recorded 16 assists and seven digs, and Taylor Kaoihana added two service aces and six digs.
HPU responded in the nightcap after Western Colorado took the opening set 25-13. The Sharks turned things around quickly in the second, racing out to an 8-2 lead and later extending the advantage to 18-8. HPU hit .379 in the frame with 14 kills and closed out the set 25-14 to even the match.
The Sharks carried that momentum into the third, scoring the first four points and leading throughout the set. HPU hit .314 with 13 kills and took the frame 25-19 to move ahead 2-1.
The fourth set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. HPU trailed 22-19 before putting together four consecutive points to move ahead 23-22. Western Colorado later had set point at 26-25, but Sophia Cooper answered with a kill to tie it at 26. HPU took the next point on a Western Colorado attack error before a block from Schoene and McCutcheon finished the set 28-26 and secured the Sharks' first victory of the season.
Cooper led HPU with 17 kills, 11 digs and two service aces against Western Colorado. Mia Ferdinand finished with 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, while Schoene added 11 kills and hit .526 with five blocks. McCutcheon handed out 27 assists and collected 10 digs, and Kaoihana led the Sharks with 15 digs. Raiatea Campbell recorded four of HPU's nine service aces.
HPU finished the Western Colorado match with 54 kills, a .208 hitting percentage, 66 digs, nine service aces and eight total blocks.
