(HILO, Hawaii) PLNU Volleyball capped off a perfect trip to Hawaii with a block party on Saturday night.
Three Sea Lions set new career-highs in blocks, as Point Loma came away with a four-set (25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-23) win over Hawaii Hilo to make it three wins from three for PLNU in the Aloha State.
"I'm just proud of the effort and heart these girls had this week," Head Coach
Jonathan Scott said of his team's first full road sweep of the PacWest Hawaii schools since 2015. "Our blocking was incredible, starting with Anna and ending with Grace winning the match with a stuff."
Anna Massari (14 blocks),
Torina Hommes (10 blocks) and
Grace Hicks (9 blocks) all set new career-highs in blocks on Saturday, with Massari and Hommes getting the block party going right away, posting two block assists apiece in a 5-1 PLNU start.
Point Loma quickly extended that lead to as many as eight on a few different occasions, before
Abigail Nua's kill gave the Sea Lions an early one-set-to-none advantage.
That was just one of many kills on the night for Nua, who set new career-bests with 23 kills and 18 digs.
"Abi had an amazing match to cap off an amazing week, in a new and tougher role," Scott said of the PacWest leader in kills.
In the second set it was Hilo who got out to an early 5-1 lead, an advantage the Vulcans held until kills from Massari and Nua tied the set at 11 all. After UHH regained its lead by scoring the next point, Massari helped spark a 5-0 Sea Lion run with a kill and a pair of combined blocks with Hommes.
The home side would not go away though, tying the set at 18 apiece before the visitors began to pull away slightly. Hommes' service ace and a kill from
Claire Smith put PLNU back up by three before
Grace Hicks gave the Sea Lions set point with a kill to make it 24-22. The Vulcans were able to save one set point, but not the second, as Massari put Hilo on the brink with a kill.
Point Loma then had a chance to complete a sweep, holding three match points in the third set, but Hilo saved each one to force a fourth stanza.
Yet another combined block from Massari and Hommes earned PLNU double match point at 24-22 in the third, but a Sea Lion service error and two Vulcan service aces suddenly gave UHH set point. A Hilo service error and a tandem block from Hommes and
Izzy Reisinger then gave Point Loma its third match point, only for three-straight Vulcan points to require a fourth set being played.
Hilo's momentum from the third set carried over into the fourth, with the Vulcans racing out to a 10-3 lead. PLNU slowly chipped away at UHH's advantage, as Nua served two aces during a 5-0 run that then gave Point Loma a 17-16 advantage.
Hilo then scored seven of the next nine points to take a commanding 23-19 lead, only for the Sea Lions to score six-straight points to clinch the match, punctuated by a Hicks block to finish it off.
Offensively, Hommes (nine kills) and Massari (eight kills) almost joined Nua in double figures for the category, helped by a career night from
Maggie Wolf, who set a new personal best with 27 assists.
Courtney Dyer led all players with 27 digs, while Reynolds added 13.
After playing three matches in Hawaii, Point Loma (16-6 overall, 11-3 PacWest) returns home to face Holy Names and Dominican on Thursday and Friday respectively. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Thursday's match with Holy Names is PLNU Volleyball's annual Dig Pink Night, as the Sea Lions work in conjunction with the Side-Out Foundation to raise awareness of breast cancer.
