SAN DIEGO - The Point Loma volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking five-set loss to BYU-Hawaii 25-21, 17-25, 18-25, 25-16 and 15-13 on Thursday, Oct. 8 to snap its 20-match home winning streak.
 
The Sea Lions fall to 8-7 on the season and to 3-4 in the PacWest. It was the first loss for PLNU at home since its 2014 opener. The win boosts the five-time defending PacWest champion, Seasiders, to 6-1 in the PacWest (8-7 overall).
 
The match began with great execution by both teams but as fatigue started to set in the efficiency followed. PLNU hit over .400 in each of the first three sets, including a .471 mark in the set, to go up 2-1 in the match. But then BYU-Hawaii made adjustments and the match was much less clean after that point.
 
BYU-Hawaii limited PLNU to just 10 kills with nine errors in the fourth set, after the Sea Lions had just two hitting errors in the first three sets, to take the set 25-16 and send the match to decisive fifth set. The Sea Lions quickly shook off the effects of their loss in set four and jumped on BYU-Hawaii to take a 10-7 lead. The Seasiders then went on a run, outscoring PLNU 8-3 down the stretch to win the match and hand the Sea Lions their first home loss of the season.
 
Bethany Mandon was fantastic for Point Loma in the match. She had 17 kills and just one error on 24 attempts to post a .667 hitting percentage. Heather Leavitt also added 17 kills and 21 digs for the double-double. Marissa Hageman (12) and Kelli LeClair (11) each registered double-figure kills for the Sea Lions as well. Savannah Wedemeyer added 53 assists and Christin Fisher had a match-high 27 digs.
 
BYU-Hawaii's Sinamoni Tonga led all student-athletes with 21 kills. The Seasiders also got 19 kills from Malary Reid and 17 kills from Leilani Adolpho. Michelle Chen added 58 assists and nine kills without an error.
 
The Point Loma volleyball team will continue its homestand on Saturday, Oct. 10 when they face Hawaii Hilo at 5:00 p.m.