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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, October 1, 2005

Brazilians lead HPU to Pacific West win

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

When Hawai'i Pacific needs points, the formula is simple.

The Brazilian setter goes to three of her countrywomen for kills.

Flavia Brakling had 20 kills, Barbara Martin added 19 and Paula Koikopoulos 15 as No. 7 Hawai'i Pacific beat Chaminade, 27-30, 30-19, 30-27, 30-14, in a Pacific West Conference match last night at McCabe Gym.

Reigning PacWest Player of the Year Vera Oliveira had 56 assists for HPU, and served 10 consecutive points in the fourth game.

Sea Warriors head coach Tita Ahuna attributed her team's slow start to a lineup change because freshman outside hitter Danie Hout is out with a wrist injury.

"I put (Koikopoulos) on the outside to start, but we needed her in the middle," Ahuna said. "We made some adjustments, put her back in the middle and put Lehua Yap on the outside. She's small but we needed a spark out there and she was the one."

Yap had four kills and a match-high 15 digs.

Chaminade outside hitter Marijana Stanic injured her left knee midway through the first game and had to be helped off the court by her teammates.

In the middle of the second game, the junior from Bar, Serbia and Montenegro was fitted for a brace and taken to an awaiting ambulance on a stretcher.

"She's a major part of our offense," Silverswords head coach Glennie Adams said. "Definitely it's a big blow to any team when you lose your top gun. I can't comment on the injury because I don't know."

Adams added, Stanic "came down awkward" on a kill attempt.

HPU (11-1, 1-0) had 13 aces and 11 service errors. Brakling contributed five aces and Oliveira four.

"What I stress to the ladies is we have to use the serving as part of our attack," Ahuna said. "We cannot give them easy serves. We have to take them out of their offense by serving tough."

In the first game, Chaminade (8-6, 0-3) went on a 9-1 run to take a 23-15 lead. HPU tied it at 25, but then committed three hitting errors and one service error to drop the game.

"We played together in the last three games," Martin said. "The first game everybody was playing a different game."

HPU dominated the second game, with Chaminade committing five hitting errors and three service errors.

The third was tied 12 times with the critical point being scored by HPU late in the game.

With Chaminade serving at 26-28, Martin appeared to double-contact a serve, but the point continued and Brakling put down a kill.

Adams protested after the play, but to no avail.

Olivera had three of her aces during a 10-0 run in the fourth game which put HPU up 14-4.

Hawai'i-Hilo beats Brigham Young-Hawai'i: In a PacWest match last night on the Big Island, Taina Savage had 26 kills and 21 digs as host Hawai'i-Hilo handed 22nd-ranked Brigham Young-Hawai'i its first loss, 28-30, 30-28, 23-30, 30-27, 17-15.

Rose Ramsey added 19 kills and six blocks for the Vulcans (10-4, 1-0).

Yu Chuan Weng had 33 kills and 26 digs, and Christina Bobik contributed 25 kills for the Seasiders (12-1, 2-1).

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.