[ DIVISION II VOLLEYBALL ]
BYUH beats HPU
to win PacWest
A conference title celebration sounds the same in any language, and last night in Laie the joy came out in Chinese, English, Italian and Portuguese.
The multinational Brigham Young-Hawaii volleyball team clinched the Pacific West Conference crown last night with a 30-19, 30-20, 30-28 sweep of Hawaii Pacific at Laie.
It is the earliest the Seasiders, who usually have to wait for a win over HPU in the last regular-season game, have clinched. They now have to wait two weeks to hear where they are going and who they are playing to defend their national title.
"In the past it always came down to crunch time with them," BYUH middle blocker Ashley Moeai said. "It's comforting to get this out of the way and have time before regionals, which is a whole nother stress load."
The Seasiders (18-2, 9-0 PacWest) ran a clinic on the Sea Warriors (15-5, 6-3), who had only one day with their starting seven to prepare because of injuries, outblocking them 12-5 and outhitting them .355 to .108. HPU didn't solve the puzzle until the third game, when it led 28-26 before the Seasiders tied it and Kahuku's Lesina Funaki ended it with successive kills. They were Funaki's only kills of the night.
"I think our blocking broke down and we couldn't stop them at first," HPU coach Tita Ahuna said. "We did a better job in the third game, but we still couldn't stop No. 6 (BYUH's Chun Yi Lin). They are a great team, but we have got to get some heart."
All Chun did was hit .700 and pound down 15 kills to trail Yu Chuan Weng for the lead by four. Silvia Oliveira of Brazil followed the Chinese outside hitters with 11 kills.
"We knew where they were going to go, it was just a matter of stopping it," BYUH coach Wilfred Navalta said. "Offensively both teams are even, so we have to beat them in passing and blocking."
Brazilians Nadica Karleusa and Flavia Brakling led HPU with 10 kills each but neither was able to hit more than .200. Setter Vera Oliveira was the only Sea Warrior to go over that mark, hitting .444 with six kills on assorted dinks around the block.
Going through it was not an option until late in the third game when Brakling knocked down five straight to give HPU a 24-22 lead and Karleusa dropped in three straight to run it to 28-26. The Seasiders think it may have been the Sea Warriors finally waking from their slumber.
"Their offense wasn't as quick as I've seen it," said Moeai, who is in her fourth year of battling with HPU. "They try to make our middles move but they just weren't as quick."
The Sea Warriors only put together more than two points in a row four times in the first two games and shied away from what got them to second in the conference after tasting BYUH's defense.
"We weren't frustrated, but we stopped doing the things we do well," HPU setter Vera Oliveira said. "Everything they do is right. They dig every single ball and it makes it hard. We have to practice our defense."
Ahuna and Vera Oliveira stopped short of using injuries as an excuse, but it certainly hurt their team. "This loss happened two weeks ago," Vera Oliveira said about being upset in Hilo and then Chaminade. "You lose two games and have everyone hurt, it is hard to get it going again."
The Seasiders and Sea Warriors hook up twice more before the season ends, but they will be rare games with little meaning. The Sea Warriors have lost twice since being ranked sixth in the region last week. The top six teams are invited to the regional.
"They'll definitely get us ready," Navalta said. "It is nice to win this early for once. Now we have to take the opportunity to get better."
