HONOLULU, Hawai'i — For the second consecutive night, Biola Volleyball built an early advantage, watched its opponent seize the momentum and then faced the question of how it would respond.

Friday night, Head Coach Brian Failinger's team answered emphatically.

The Eagles erased a five-point deficit in the fourth set and scored 14 of the match's final 16 points to defeat Hawaii Pacific 3-1 (26-24, 25-18, 14-25, 25-18) at the Shark Tank. The victory sends Biola home from its three-match Hawaii swing with a 2-1 record and improves the Eagles to 14-4 overall and 9-2 in PacWest play.

Biola showed its composure early. Hawaii Pacific battled the Eagles to 24-24 in the opening set, but Biola claimed the final two points for a 26-24 win.

The second was more convincing. With the score tied 10-10, the Eagles ripped off eight consecutive points, with Lexi Lambert directing the run from the service line, and cruised to a 25-18 victory.

Then the match changed.

Biola struggled mightily in the third, committing 10 attack errors and hitting minus-.081. Hawaii Pacific capitalized and finished the set on a seven-point run to force a fourth with a 25-14 win.

The Sharks carried that momentum forward and built a 16-11 advantage in the fourth. With Hawaii Pacific suddenly threatening to force a deciding fifth set, the Eagles found their response.

Alex Strating and Haylee LaFontaine supplied kills during a 4-0 push that brought Biola within one. After Hawaii Pacific briefly stretched the advantage back to 17-15, Caprice Cooper changed the complexion of the match from the service line.
Cooper delivered three consecutive aces, turning a 17-16 deficit into a 19-17 Biola lead and putting the Eagles back in control.

Hawaii Pacific managed one final point before Biola slammed the door with a 6-0 run to finish the match. Savannah Simpson was at the center of the closing surge, factoring into five of Biola's final six points as the Eagles turned what had been a tense fourth set into a decisive 25-18 victory.

Biola hit .313 with just two attack errors in the fourth.

Simpson finished an outstanding night with 11 kills on 20 swings and only one error for a .500 hitting percentage, while also adding seven block assists. Cooper contributed 18 digs and four aces.

Those performances also put the finishing touches on some outstanding Hawaii trips. LaFontaine led Biola with 30 kills across the three matches. Simpson totaled 27 kills while hitting .358 and adding 13 block assists, while Cooper accumulated 54 digs and six aces. Lambert also put together a strong all-around trip, finishing the three matches with 64 assists and 32 digs.

The victory keeps Biola firmly in second place in the PacWest race as the Eagles return to La Mirada for a matchup with the league leader.

Biola returns to Chase Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to host first-place No. 22 Concordia at 7 p.m.