The Hawaii beach volleyball team saw its season end with a 3-1 loss to Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Friday in Gulf Shores, Ala. Hawaii (24-12), which was the No. 9 seed, had won eight straight matches before it was eliminated by the Lions (28-13) in the NCAA’s for the third consecutive year.
Hawaii won the first point of the dual at No. 2 when Kaylee Glagau and Pani Napoleon won in straight sets, 21-17, 21-13.
However, UH had lost the first set on the other four courts and dropped the match-clinching point at No. 1 when LMU’s Vilhelmiina Prihti and Michelle Shaffer defeated UH’s Jamie Santer and Alana Embry, 21-18, 21-11.
It was the final match for seniors Glagau, Napoleon, Santer, Anna Maidement and Riley Wagoner, who helped UH win its first Big West title since 2018. All five rank in the top 15 in school history in career wins.
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NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Gulf Shores, Ala.
First Round
Loyola Marymount 3, Hawaii 1
1. Vilhelmiina Prihti/Michelle Shaffer (LMU) def. Jaime Santer/Alana Embry (UH) 21-18, 21-11
2. Kaylee Glagau/Pani Napoleon (UH) def. Isabelle Reffel/Alisha Stevens (LMU) 21-17, 21-13
3. Anna Pelloia/Jacinda Ramirez (LMU) def. Anna Maidment/Sydney Miller (UH) 21-16, 21-15
4. Cassie Chinn/Chloe Hooker (LMU) vs. Riley Wagoner/Sydney Amiatu (UH) 21-19, 20-18, unfinished
5. Abbey Thorup/Madi Firnett (LMU) def. Julia Thelle/Sarah Burton (UH) 21-10, 21-15
Friday
No. 1 USC 3, North Florida 0
No. 2 UCLA 3, No. 15 Texas A&M Corpus Christi 0
No. 3 Stanford 3, No. 14 Georgia State 0
No. 4 Florida State 3, No. 13 Washington 1
No. 5 Cal Poly 3, No. 12 Arizona State 0
No. 11 LSU 3, No. 6 TCU 2
No. 7 Cal 3, No. 10 Long Beach State 0
No. 8 Loyola Marymount 3, No. 9 Hawaii 1