by IRVINE, Calif.—One of the marks of a good team is the ability to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.
The Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans have now shown that they have that ability twice in 2018, this time sweeping Concordia just two nights after a three-set loss to conference leader Azusa Pacific. The Vulcans took down the Eagles on Wednesday night at the CU Arena, 26-24, 25-16, 25-16.
The Vulcans improved to 7-3 on the year and to 3-1 in the Pacific West Conference, while Concordia dropped to 3-3 in the PacWest and 4-10 overall.
Earlier this season, coach Gene Krieger‘s team bounced back from a jarring defeat to St. Martin’s to sweep San Francisco State and Montana State Billings the next day.
Tonight, after outlasting the Eagles in a wild first set, the Vulcans played better and better as the night wore on in taking down the team that was picked to finish third in the PWC preseason poll.
UH Hilo hit .352 on the night, including .400 in the third set and also had 16 total blocks. It was their fifth three-set win of the season.
Freshman Alexandria Parisian (Chippewa/Cree) led the way with 12 kills (hitting .321), but she had plenty of company in the stat column. Bria Beale had nine kills, hitting a red-hot .438, and she also had ten digs. Evelin Solyomvari had eight kills and five block assists, Ashton Jessee had seven kills, five block assists and a sizzling .600 attack percentage.
Basia Sauni (21 assists) and Maile Powell (19) distributed the ball, and Mina Grant led the team in digs with 13.
In the first set, neither team led by more than two points until the Eagles took a 11-8 margin. The Vulcans battled back and tied it at 13-13 on a Beale kill, and the teams traded leads from there. The set was tied at 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24-24 after a Parisian put down, which saved a set point. Concordia then handed back two points to UHH on attack errors to allow the Vulcans to slip away with a 26-24 win.
In the second set, the Vulcans fell behind 5-1 but then roared back to tie the game at 6-6 on a Parisian kill. They wouldn’t trail again in the set, at one point scoring eight of ten points to cruise to the 25-16 verdict. The visitors hit .379 in the second set. In the third, they would take it up another notch, breaking a 7-7 deadlock with a 10-3 run. Krieger’s team would hit a robust .400 in the set to quiet any Eagle runs.
The win keeps the Vulcans just one match out of first place in the loss column. At 3-1, the Vulcans trail Azusa Pacific (6-0), Biola (4-1) and Chaminade (4-1). Chaminade defeated Point Loma tonight, allowing UH Hilo to move past the Sea Lions (3-2) in the PacWest standings.
The Vulcans will continue their southern California road swing with a match-up at Biola tomorrow (Thursday) night. Start time is 7 pm Pacific (4 pm Hawaii time).
