HONOLULU, Hawai'i -- For the second time this week, Azusa Pacific lost in five sets to Hawai'i Pacific. Annaka Jorgenson had a game-high 18 kills, while Kyra Palmbush added 17 kills. Maggie Nielsen finished with 46 assists. Defensively, Kaitlin Craig had two solo blocks and three block assists, while Bailey Henington tallied 35 digs. 

How it Happened: In the opening set, Azusa Pacific held a slim 10-9 lead when two Palmbush kills sandwiched three Shark attack errors to push the Cougar lead up to 15-9. Hawai'i Pacific was able to work its way back into the set, when it turned an 18-13 Cougar lead into a 19-19 tie. Azusa Pacific would respond by taking the next four points for a 24-19 advantage, and a Katarina Radisic kill eventually secured the set at 25-21.

With the score knotted at 13 all in the second set, Hawai'i Pacific went on a 5-0 run to go up 18-13. The Cougars were unable to draw closer than four points over the remainder of the set, with the Sharks drawing even in the match on a 25-19 set victory.

Hawai'i Pacific was able to take a 2-1 match lead by holding off a late Cougar comeback attempt in the third set. The Sharks were up by a comfortable 23-17 score when Azusa Pacific claimed four straight points to make it 23-21. While a Cougar attack error gave the Sharks set point at 24-21, Hawai'i Pacific had a service error that made it 24-22, and Craig put a ball down on the Shark side of the net for a kill that closed it to 24-23. Azusa Pacific was unable to tie the match, as the Sharks shut the door on the set with a kill that made it 25-23.

Looking to close out the match in the fourth, Hawai'i Pacific seized the early momentum with a 10-5 lead. The Cougars would respond with their best run of the night, scoring seven consecutive points to flip the score into a 12-10 advantage. Azusa Pacific would maintain the lead over the remainder of the frame, growing its lead to as large as eight points at 24-16, and Jorgenson tied the match for the Cougars with a kill that won the set at 25-17. From an offensive standpoint, the fourth set was the Cougars' best of the night, with Azusa Pacific posting a team hitting percentage of .441 (17 kills on 34 attempts). 

Early in the fifth set, the Cougars went up by a 5-3 score, but Hawai'i Pacific scored five unanswered to take an 8-5 lead. The Sharks would not surrender the lead from that point on, eventually wrapping up the match with a 15-9 set win.

By the Numbers: Both sides struggled to find consistency offensively, with Azusa Pacific posting a slim advantage in hitting percentage at .189 (Hawai'i Pacific finished at .168). In the service game, Hawai'i Pacific tallied 11 service aces, which is the most by a Cougar opponent this season, while Azusa Pacific had five aces. The Cougars only committed one service error in the match, which ties their lowest total of the season. At the net, Azusa Pacific posted 10 or more total blocks for the seventh time this year, finishing with 11. 

Up Next: The Cougars (16-8 overall, 11-5 PacWest) will finally have a day off following four consecutive days with a match. However, the rest will be brief, as Azusa Pacific returns to action on Saturday when it closes out its Hawai'i trip with a doubleheader at Hawai'i Hilo. The first match of the day will be at 9:00 am local time (11:00 am Pacific time), and the second match will be at 6:00 pm local time (8:00 pm Pacific time). To watch game one, click here, to watch game two, click here.