Buroker Sets Record as Seasiders Scare Vulcans

Laie, HI–Junior middle blocker Tanza Buroker set a new school record for block assists as the Brigham Young University Hawaii women’s volleyball team put a scare into 16th-ranked UH-Hilo tonight before falling 25-22, 22-25, 29-27, 25-20 in Pacific West Conference action.  Buroker put up 12 block assists against the PacWest champions as the Seasiders dropped to 13-12 for the season and 9-5 in the conference.

The first game set the tone for the match as the teams were tied ten times before UH-Hilo pulled away at the end for the win.  Game two was equally close with neither team holding more than a three-point advantage and with seven ties before the Seasiders closed out the win on a kill by sophomore Losaline Faka’osi.

Game three featured momentum swings as the Seasiders took a 10-6 lead only to see the Vulcans roar back for their own four-point lead at 19-15.  The Seasiders stormed back and appeared ready to win the game with a 24-21 lead, but the Vulcans staved off all three game points to tie the set.  BYU–Hawaii held two more game points but could not close out the game, and UH-Hilo finally got the winning score on its second game-point attempt.  The Vulcans took the early lead in the fourth game and held a 24-14 lead before the Seasiders mounted a last-ditch comeback by staving off six consecutive game points before Morgan Bonney notched her ninth kill of the game to end it.

Buroker, who entered the match as the second-leading blocker in the nation with 1.42 blocks per set, consistently put the pressure on the Vulcan hitters as she broke the record of 11 block assists in a match set back on October 1, 1993 by Lisa Pana, also against UH-Hilo.

Faka’osi blasted 15 kills to lead the BYU–Hawaii attack and also came up with 12 digs.  Keisha Moeai added 16 digs and Nobuko Kotoyori came up with 15 for the Seasiders.  Ane Vea and Hannah Wilkinson each made five blocks for the Seasiders and Kylee Nawahine, Tara Huckvale, and Faka’osi added four each as BYU–Hawaii out-blocked the Vulcans 17-8.

Bonney and Fabiane Seben each finished with 14 kills to lead the Vulcans, now 23-1 overall and 13-1 in the PacWest.  Leilani Ramsey and Josimara Pinheiro each had 13 kills in the balanced UH-Hilo attack and Lauren Tonokawa had 22 digs in the win.

BYU–Hawaii will travel to Honolulu to take on the Chaminade on Friday at 7:30 pm HST.

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