Box Score HONOLULU – The Chaminade women's volleyball team concluded the 2013 season by dropping a 18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 decision to Hawai'i-Hilo Saturday night in front of a vocal crowd of 232 at McCabe Gym.
The Silverswords finished the season at 9-16 overall and 6-14 in the Pacific West Conference. The Vulcans ended theirs at 11-14 and 6-14.
Senior
Crystal Powell had a team-high 10 kills, ending her career with 739. Fellow senior
Daniella Montoya ended her career with a double-double (18 assists, 15 digs) while
Kapiolani Rapoza had six kills and three block assists in her final match in the blue and white.
Brenda Walker had a match-best 22 digs while
Kim Spring had nine kills and 10 digs.
Marley Strand-Nicolaisen had a match-high 16 kills for the Vulcans while Callie Aberle added 11 and 15 digs.
Chaminade stormed out of the gate in the first set, grabbing a 7-2 lead with a pair of Rapoza kills. A 7-1 UH-Hilo run would give the Vulcans the lead at 9-8. The team would trade points to forge a 16-all tie before
Cassie Rushlow hammered down two kills along with a
Valentina Bevilacqua ace to grab a 20-16. Hilo closed to 20-18, prompting the Swords to call timeout. The strategy paid off as CUH forced three Vulcan hitting errors as well as a
Kylee Pedro kill, setting up set point.
Athena Maskarich served an ace to put the Swords up, 1-0.
Chaminade scored the first five points in the second as its defense forced three attack errors, but a 6-1 Hilo run would give the Vulcans their first lead of the set at 7-6. UH-Hilo expanded its lead to 13-10. The Swords then scored three straight, forcing another pair of errors, but gave the points right back on a pair of errors on their own. CUH would twice close to within a single point, but the Vulcans had an answer each time to tie the set at 1.
In the pivotal third set, UHH jumped out to a 14-4 advantage before the Swords closed to within six at 18-12. Chaminade then went on a 5-0 run with a Powell kill and forcing three attacking errors. But the Vulcans scored the next three points, making it 21-17, taking the wind out of the Silverswords' sails as Hilo went up 2-1.
In Set 4, the Swords were again forced to play catch-up, facing a 9-4 deficit.
Reigna Johnson put down two kills while Rushlow and Pedro had one each, cutting the margin to one at 9-8. Both teams traded 3-0 runs as the Vulcans established a 20-15 lead. But the Swords had one final push, reducing the deficit to one at 20-19 with the help of a Montoya ace and Rapoza kill. But the Vulcans were too much in the end, going on a 5-1 run to end the match.
Neither hitting percentages were high (.150 for the Vulcans, .061 for the Swords) and both teams were nearly even in total blocks (8-7 Chaminade). CUH's 34 hitting errors proved to be a factor while the Vulcans only committed 19.
