SAN DIEGO - The Point Loma volleyball team is getting used to going the distance for their victories. Tonight it earned a five-set win over Hawaii Hilo, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 26-28 and 15-4, marking the fifth straight match the Sea Lions have gone the distance.
 
Point Loma is now 5-9 on the season (3-2 PacWest). Its last three victories have all come in five-sets, and PLNU is now 3-3 on the season in those decisive fifth sets. The loss drops UHH below .500 to 5-6 on the season (3-2 PacWest).
 
Brianna Sizemore hit .358 with a match-best 22 kills to lead five Sea Lions in double-figures. She had just three errors in 53 swings and also added 16 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.  Samantha Krakower had even a higher hitting percentage of .414 as she added 15 kills. Marissa Hageman topped them all with a .550 hitting percentage as she had 12 kills and just one error in 20 attempts. Ashlynn Fresques and Alyssa Rifilato added 10 and 11 kills, respectively. Cara Keturakis had a career-high with 61 assists, and Christin Fisher was just one short of her career-best mark with 36 digs.
 
"This was one of our best passing matches," PLNU head coach Jonathan Scott explained. "It has been an inconsistency for us in the tight moments in particular, but in this match we were very mentally strong in serve receive, so it allowed our middles and our right side hitter to be in good positions to put the ball on the floor."
 
Putting the ball away has been the key for Point Loma in closing out their five-set matches, and coach Scott is seeing his team growing because of it.
 
"We whole-heartedly believe that winning is part of a culture that needs to be built, it doesn't just happen," explained Scott. "We have been talking a lot about mental toughness and nailing down certain skills to help us close out more matches. It has been slow, but surely it is working."
 
Point Loma will go on the road next Wednesday, Oct. 5 to face Azusa Pacific, a team which it defeated in a fifth set on Sept. 17.
 
"We fully intend that match to go five sets," continued Scott. "This will be very interesting because when you play a team so close twice in a season it ends up being basically the same game and the better team tends to handle both matches. Since both us and APU are young and inexperienced, I think it will be a completely different match than it was two weeks ago. It will be interesting to see how the two teams match up."