Concordia casts away Vulcans’ win streak in sweep

Credit to Concordia, UH-Hilo volleyball coach Chris Leonard said. And to the Pacific West Conference.

The Eagles put a sudden end to the Vulcans’ eight-match winning Monday in Irvine, Calif., a 25-21, 25-11, 25-18 sweep that didn’t haunt UHH for long.

“I think they’ve already put it behind them,” Leonard said.

A short memory can be a virtue during a Pacific West Conference road trip through Southern California.

The Vulcans (12-3, 9-2) fell out of first place in the PacWest – Azusa Pacific is 8-1 – but don’t have too much time to fret. They’ll make the trip down to San Diego to face Point Loma (8-3) on Wednesday. Another tough customer, Biola (8-3), beckons on Friday. UHH won’t face Azusa on this trip – the Cougars postponed the match due to COVID-19 protocols.

Little went right Monday night.

Concordia (13-5) hit .349 in winning its fourth in a row, and the Vuls managed only one block. Earlier this season, UHH beat the Eagles in five sets in Hilo.

“I’ve said it before this season, but there is a lot of parity in this league,” Leonard said. “If you’re not playing well at someone’s place, it can be a tough night. Tonight was our turn for it to be a tough night.”

Kira Schulz and Patience O’Neal led the Eagles with 13 kills. Samara Cruz led the Vulcans with 11 kills. Bria Beale had eight kills and 12 digs, Kendall Kott had 25 assists and Madelyn Blandford had 10 digs.

UHH hit just .139.

“We new it would be a big challenge. It took a lot to beat them at home,” Leonard said. “They passed the ball a lot better and made a lot of plays on defense.”

W-L W-L

Azusa Pacific 8-1 13-4

UH-Hilo 9-2 12-3

Chaminade 9-3 19-5

Concordia 8-3 13-5

Biola 8-3 12-7

Point Loma 8-3 12-7

Hawaii Pacific 3-8 4-15

Academy of Art 2-9 5-14

Fresno Pacific 2-9 5-16

Holy Names 2-10 5-15

Dominican 1-9 1-18