If the UH-Hilo volleyball team misses the postseason, a four-set loss to Academy of Art will likely be a key reason.
The Urban Knights upset the Vulcans 25-21, 14-25, 25-23, 25-21 in a PacWest match Thursday night at the UHH Gym, where 147 fans were allowed to attend for the first time this season.
UHH desperately needed a PacWest win after dropping two matches on its recent road trip and starting to lose sight of the conference crown.
Isaura Santos blasted 18 kills, Ashley Mecham 15, and Sadie Emery had 12 to lead the Urban Knights (8-14, 5-9 PacWest), who had a .241 hitting percentage and have won three straight.
Bria Beale slammed 14 kills, Sydney Gott added 12 while Samara Cruz and Ashton Jessee had 10 each to lead the Vulcans (13-5, 10-4), who hit .245 and lost their second in a row.
It appears that PacWest coaches are the best in the business at predicting how things will shake out. Azusa Pacific was picked to win the conference for a third time while UHH and Chaminade tied for second. Those three are atop the standings.
The West Region rankings came out Wednesday, and the Vulcans weren’t in the Top 10, meaning if the season ended today they would be sitting at home. Losses to Saint Martin’s and Hawaii Pacific, teams with subpar records, hurt UHH in the rankings. The loss to Art will definitely damage UHH in the next West Region poll.
The champions of the PacWest, CCAA, and GNAC earn automatic qualifiers. The next five teams are determined by the West Region rankings.
No surprise, the two best conferences in the West Region hold the first five spots: No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (CCAA), No. 2 Western Washington (GNAC), No. 3 Simon Fraser (GNAC), No. 4 Cal State LA (CCAA), No. 4 Alaska Anchorage (GNAC). The rest of the Top 10 includes No. 6 Chaminade (PacWest), No. 7 Central Washington (GNAC), No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona (CCAA), No. 9 Azusa Pacific (PacWest), and No. 10 Biola (PacWest).
The good news is UHH still has five home matches left, including showdowns against Azusa Pacific (Nov. 13) and Chaminade (No. 19), so there’s the possibility of leapfrogging a few teams or falling out of the postseason picture.
The other bit of good news is the Vulcans don’t have to battle Concordia or Biola, the two teams they lost to in straight sets. Also, for future good news, Concordia loses its best player, 6-foot-4 opposite Patience O’Neal, to graduation, but Biola returns sophomore outside hitter Madison Beebe, who dominated UHH with 17 kills and a .469 hitting clip.
With Game 4 tied 15-15, the Urban Knights scored six of the next seven points to grab a 21-17 lead. Beale knocked down a kill and UHH had a block to get within 23-21. The Vuls then had a hitting error and Santos clobbered match point.
In the first set, UHH’s serve-receive passing was sloppy, surrendering three aces, including a shank that lead to an 18-13 Art lead.
The Vuls scored five straight to get within 23-22, but Jillian Wheaton won a battle at the net against Ashton Jessee for set point.
The Urban Knights had a 71% sideout rate and kept making mini-scoring runs. Emery was a big help in that regard; she blasted six kills and hit .500 in Game 1.
In Game 2, the Vuls jumped on a 7-0 run to grab a 22-11 lead. Beale smashed five kills on 10 hits and hit .500 to help UHH take a 78% sideout rate. Art wasn’t sharp with its passing and had just a 44% sideout rate.
The third set resembled a tennis match late as both teams kept trading shots and leads. Beale got UHH within 24-22 and Gott followed with a kills. But the Urban Knights got a block on set point to take a 2-1 game lead.
The Vulcans had a decent defense against AAU’s best player, Mecham, a 5-11 freshman, who’s from Kauai and leads the Urban Knights in kills and kills per set. She looks like a clone of Biola’s Beebe who doesn’t hit all that hard but hits smart. She hit just .178 but had 16 digs for a double-double.
However it was Santos who was a thorn in UHH’s side. She hit .293 and had 21 digs for a double-double, playing a major spoiler role.