(SAN DIEGO) No. 16 PLNU Volleyball came back from down two sets to one to defeat Hawai'i Pacific in five sets (21-25, 25-22, 14-25, 25-17, 15-7) on Wednesday night in Golden Gym.
After dropping the first set with a late Sharks' surge, Point Loma bounced back in set two.
With the second stanza tied at 16-16, PLNU went on a 6-0 run capped by a
Jolyna Salas dump kill to take control of the set.
Hailey Clark's kill then officially clinched the second for the Sea Lions, who leveled the match at 1-1.
The Sharks responded to take set three, only for PLNU to answer right back with a dominant fourth.
Sophia Baugh's service ace sparked an immediate 4-0 run for the Sea Lions, who led by as many as 10 on their way to forcing a deciding fifth set after
Kaitlyn Cabral's kill.
An
Ila Rose service ace in set five forced an HPU timeout with PLNU up 8-4. After the Sharks scored out of the timeout, Point Loma responded with five straight points to put Hawai'i Pacific on the brink.
Mariah Hughes then clinched the comeback win with a service ace.
Cabral led the Sea Lions' offense with 11 kills and posted a double-double with her 16 digs. Clark dominated at the net with a career-high seven blocks, while
Kira Federico (23 digs) and
Hailey Wilson (13 digs) joined Cabral with double-digit digs.
Point Loma (6-3 overall, 2-1 PacWest) returns to Golden Gym on Thursday at 6 p.m. to play against Chaminade.
POSTMATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
