FULLERTON – Manaia Mamea and Lole Mamea both hit over .300 to lead the Hope International women's volleyball team to a 25-18, 25-5, 25-20 victory over Park Gilbert in GSAC action on Friday at Darling Pavilion.
Manaia Mamea contributed a match-high 13 kills on .303 (13-3-33) hitting. Lole Mamea hit .533 with 10 kills and just two errors in 15 attempts.
The Royals swung at a season-best .330 clip.
Sabrina Galassi added six kills and 13 digs, while Kaylani Moncada scooped up a match-high 15 digs.
Setter Rita Nua handed out 33 assists and was one of three Royals with a pair of service aces. Galassi and Monse Rodriguez also fired off a pair of aces.
HIU improved to 2-1 in GSAC play, winners of two of their last three following an 0-6 start. The Buccaneers fell to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
The Royals maintained a three-point lead in set one before a 5-2 run opened up a 15-9 edge. The Buccaneers trailed 17-12 when HIU started a 7-0 blitz to get to set point. Manaia Mamea had three kills during that run.
Park Gilbert scored six straight points to pull within 24-18, but a service error secured the 25-18 HIU victory.
The hot serving of Nua helped the Royals reel off 10 straight and 14 of the last 15 points as they won 25-5 in set two. HIU hit a sizzling .667 (12-0-18) in set two.
Park Gilbert earned its first lead of the match early in set three, going up 6-5 following an HIU error. But the Royals responded with a 6-1 run – three of those points courtesy of Olivia Samaniego kills – and took an 11-7 lead.
The Buccaneers answered with a five-point run to retake a 12-11 lead. Trailing 13-12, the Royals hunkered down and tallied six of the next eight points to go up 18-15.
Park Gilbert crept within 21-20 following a Keep Williams kill, but the Royals closed out the contest with four straight points, aided by three straight Buccaneer attack errors. HIU completed match point on an assisted block from Manaia Mamea and Genevieve Kertz.
Kertz led all players with five blocks, including one solo.
The Royals return to action on Saturday at the Azusa Pacific-hosted Cougar Classic. HIU faces Caltech at 10:00 a.m. and Azusa Pacific at 2:30 p.m. inside the Felix Event Center.
