FULLERTON – Hope International women's volleyball split on day one of the Summer Slam, defeating Simpson in straight sets before a four-set loss to No. 18 College of Idaho in the nightcap.
HIU downed Simpson by scores of 25-19, 26-24, 25-20. College of Idaho dropped the first set, but recovered to win 21-25, 25-6, 25-18, 25-23.
Hope International 3, Simpson 0
Manaia Mamea posted a match-high 10 kills in her Royals debut, hitting .429 with just one error in 21 attempts. She added seven digs and five block assists.
The Royals also received eight kills apiece from Savannah Salter and Kat Schwab, with Salter swinging at a .389 clip. Olivia Samaniego also shined in her HIU debut, hitting .636 with seven kills in 11 errorless swings.
Rita Nua notched six of HIU's eight service aces while handing out 22 assists. She split setter duties with Gaby Schirado, who finished with 12 assists.
The Royals hit .261 for the match, while limiting the Red Hawks to .062 efficiency. HIU also won the statistical battle in kills (37-30), digs (36-30) and blocks (9.0-3.0).
Simpson was effective from the service line with 13 aces – three each from Tiara Manns and Brooklyn Jimenez.
In set one, Simpson broke out to a 6-3 lead, and remained in front 9-4 when the Royals used a 6-0 run to take a 10-9 lead. The Red Hawks wrested the lead back at 14-13, but the Royals answered with another 6-0 spurt for a commanding 19-14 advantage. HIU was not threatened the rest of the way and took the 25-19 victory.
The Red Hawks scored six straight points to break out to a 6-2 lead in set two. However, HIU responded with a 5-0 run to climb ahead 7-6. Neither team led by more than two points until an HIU service error and Simpson assisted block gave the Red Hawks an 18-14 advantage.
The Royals still trailed 21-17 when back-to-back kills from Salter got the home team within two. Two straight Nua aces knotted the score at 21-21.
Simpson answered with a Manns putaway and Brooke Sarahina ace to go up 23-21, but HIU tied the score at 23-23 following a Red Hawk attack error and Schwab kill. With the score tied 24-24, HIU earned the 26-24 set victory as Simpson's Mariah Napoleon had back-to-back attack errors.
HIU played the role of comeback kids again in the third set, overcoming an early 11-5 deficit. HIU started with a 4-0 run to creep within two points at 11-9, getting kills from Vianka Martinez and Salter to help the cause. The run eventually became 10-3 as HIU took a 15-14 advantage.
Simpson led for the last time at 16-15 as HIU heated up, going on yet another 6-0 run to grab a 21-16 lead. Macy Thornbury took control at the service line for the Royals during that stretch. A pair of Mamea kills got the Royals to 23-17, and Salter's slam handed HIU the 25-20 triumph.
No. 18 College of Idaho 3, Hope International 1
The Royals handed the Yotes a 25-21 first set loss to start an upset bid of the 18th-ranked program in the country.
However, College of Idaho won a dominating 25-6 set two. The final two sets were competitive, with the Yotes taking sets three and four by 25-18 and 25-23 scores.
Salter led the Royals with seven kills, while Mamea and Samaniego provided five apiece.
Thornbury piled up five service aces, while Annie Nugent scooped up a team-high 11 digs.
The Royals managed to hit just .030 while the Yotes countered at .222.
HIU overcame an early 3-0 first set deficit, going on a 6-0 run to take a 6-3 lead. CoI scored four of the next five points to tie it at 7-7. HIU clung to a 12-11 lead, scoring three straight points to open up a four-point advantage.
Leading by as many as six at 20-14 and 22-16, the Royals watched the Yotes reel off five straight points to narrow the gap to 22-21. But two consecutive kills by Martinez and the set clincher from Samaniego secured the win for HIU.
In set two, the Royals trailed just 6-4, but scored only two more points the rest of the way. CoI utilized a 12-0 run to pull away from the Royals.
The two teams battled through 11 ties to remain deadlocked at 14-14 in set three. But the Yotes embarked on a 9-2 run to create a 23-16 advantage. CoI won the 25-18 frame on an Abigail Flerchinger solo block at set point.
HIU grabbed an early 4-1 lead in set four but a 5-0 Yote spurt put the visitors ahead 8-6. The Royals stormed back with five straight points, taking an 11-8 lead thanks to three straight attack errors from CoI's Brooke Garman.
The match appeared headed for a fifth set when the Royals utilized a 5-0 run for a 17-10 advantage. But the Yotes slowly chipped away, eventually tying the match at 20-20 on a Madeline Lee service ace.
Three more ties at 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23 ensued, and the Yotes took the final two points on a kill from Garman and an HIU attack error.
The Royals continue action in the HIU Summer Slam on Saturday, hosting Bushnell at 2:00 p.m. and No. 6 Southern Oregon at 6:00 p.m.
