Saturday, September 19, 1998

BYUH survives scare
from HPU

By Jerry Campany
Special to the Star-Bulletin

The Hawaii Pacific University volleyball team traveled to Laie and gave the top-ranked Seasiders a scare.

Brigham Young University-Hawaii survived a five-set thriller last night, edging HPU, 15-8, in rally scoring after splitting the first four games, 14-16, 15-13, 8-15, 15-10 in NCAA Division II play.

"It shows us that we can compete with the best," Sea Warriors head coach Tita Ahuna said.

Hawaii Pacific hung with the Seasiders in rally scoring, trading kill for kill until Juliana Lima dumped an uncontested shot over the net to make the score 11-8 in favor of BYUH.

After Seasider middle blocker Arlete Silva combined with Lima and Vanessa Valansi to block successive shots by Debbie Sant' Anna, BYUH survived with a win in a rare close game.

Hawaii Pacific trailed in the first set, 14-10, when, after an HPU timeout, middle blocker Hai Yan Wang took over the contest. Wang shadowed Silva and contributed two blocks, an assist and a kill to the six-point comeback.

After a career of dominating her competition, Silva was looking across the net at a player just as talented.

BYUH came back to squeak out the second set before HPU exploded for 10 unanswered points to take the third when the Seasiders allowed setter Nia Tuitele to pick them apart.

In the unfamiliar position of trailing after three sets, BYUH took the fourth set on the serving of Silva and the inspired play of Becky Laubach and Vanessa Valansi. Laubach finished with 14 kills on 24 shots.

Ahuna is looking forward to the next meeting with the Seasiders.

"Both teams can play better than we did tonight," she said. "When we meet up again it will be a fight."

"There is no question that HPU is No. 2 in the nation," BYUH head coach Wilfred Navalta said.

In other small-college volleyball last night, UH-Hilo had 16 kills each from Nico Moniz-Viveiros and Kaleihoku Nathaniel to beat Montana State- Billings, 8-15, 15-12, 15-12, 15-11, at Hilo.

Chaminade rallied past Western New Mexico, 15-11, 8-15, 8-15, 15-11, 15-10, at McCabe Gym. Hinano Warfield and Joan Lilio had 15 kills apiece for the Silverswords.

BYUH def. HPU, 14-16, 15-13, 8-15, 15-10, 15-8

Individual statistics

Kills--BYUH (83): Valansi 25, Silva 21. HPU (65): Sant'Anna 20. Blocks (solo/assist)--BYUH (3/16): Silva 3/5, Laubach 0/5. HPU (3/13): Wang 2/3, Penebacker 1/4. Digs--BYUH (95): Valansi 21, Silva 21. HPU (88): Sant'Anna 18. Assists--BYUH (75): Lima 64. HPU (57): Tuitele 52. Aces--BYUH (5): Meatoga 2. HPU (6): Roche 2, Sant'Anna 2.