SAN DIEGO – Point Loma has opened the conference season with four matches in front of the home fans in Golden Gym and all four matches have resulted in wins for the Sea Lions, which will conclude the homestead on Wednesday against Biola after earning a four-set win against Holy Names 25-21, 26-28, 25-22, 25-23 on Friday night.
 
The Sea Lions remain undefeated in conference play following the win over an improved Holy Names team, which was able to take on set off of Point Loma. Dropping that narrow set hardly slowed down the Sea Lions, who took the final two sets of the match to remain in a tie atop the PacWest standings.
 
All four sets ended up being very close as the Hawks proved that their improvements going back to the spring season have made them a much more competitive team in the PacWest. Still, in the big moments, Point Loma played with a lot of poise and avoided an upset.
 
Torina Hommes turned in a particularly noteworthy performance in Point Loma's 107^th PacWest win in program history. She recorded 19 kills on 40 attacks with only two errors and added four blocks. Courtney Dyer added 24 digs and seven assists, while Lauren Phillips had 35 assists with eight digs.
 
The first set remained very close throughout with both teams taking leads at different stages, but the Sea Lions capitalized on some errors from the other side of the net and Alexis Soncrant recorded three kills down the stretch to claim the opening set.
 
The second set had a very similar feel with Point Loma leading early before Holy Names led halfway through the set. The Sea Lions earned three set points, but the first two were saved by kills from Saupuni Mavaega before Lauren Sera recorded a third kill to keep the Hawks alive. Eventually Holy Names tied the match at one set apiece on a service error.
 
Hommes looked unstoppable in the third set with seven kills on 13 swings with no errors. She had three kills in the first five points and four in the first eight points, and the Sea Lions never looked back, leading for the entire set. Hommes's seventh kill earned a set point and Point Loma didn't waste the opportunity this time, taking the set, 25-22.
 
Soncrant powered the Sea Lions' offense in the fourth and final set with six kills and no errors on eight attacks. She had three kills in four points in the middle of the set to give PLNU a solid lead, but Holy Names fought back to tie the set at 19-19. Tate Duane then had two kills and a block to earn a match point. After the first match point went by Dyer watched a serve from Holy Names go over the baseline as Point Loma earned a seventh-consecutive victory.
 
This is now the Sea Lions' best start to a PacWest season since 2014. They will next play Biola on Wednesday in Golden Gym before going on the road for the first time during the conference season. Holy Names is now 0-4 in conference play after completing its first trip to Southern California.