HONOLULU – The Silverswords finally got one.
After struggling throughout the season in five-set matches, the Chaminade University women's volleyball team faced yet another five-set thriller on Friday. This time, however, the 'Swords came through, pulling out a 25-12, 25-22, 17-25, 22-25, 15-10 win over Point Loma Friday at McCabe Gym.
Junior outside hitter
Suncica Bakic put down 14 kills, tying her season-high while teammate
Cassie Rushlow also had 14 as Chaminade improved to 2-4 in five-setters this season. It was the second consecutive night the Silverswords (11-10 overall, 4-7 Pacific West Conference) were involved in a five-set match. Six of their last nine matches have gone to the max.
Sophomore middle blocker
Ku`ulei Lynch contributed by putting down a career-high 11 kills while hitting .435 for the match. She also had four block assists.
Delany McCraney led Point Loma (12-8, 9-3 PacWest) with a match-high 18 kills while hitting .516 on the night.
"From the past five-set matches, we were mad, we were furious, we said 'That's supposed to be our game,' " Lynch said. "So coming into this game, we used those losses as motivation to push. I gave it to my team. We worked really worked hard, we fought and had no fear, we just gave it our all and left it all on the court."
Chaminade stormed out of the gate early, jumping out to a 9-3 lead with the help of back-to-back Rushlow aces, a block assist from Bakic and Lynch and a
Reigna Johnson solo block. The 'Swords ended the set on an 8-1 run as Johnson got two more block solos, accounting for all three of her solo blocks in the match. The Silverswords hit .360 in the set while holding Point Loma to a negative percentage (-.061)
Set 2 was more nip-and-tuck as the lead changed hands several times before the 'Swords were able to grab a lead midway through the set. But the Sea Lions continued to hang around before Chaminade was able to out-point them down the stretch. The 'Swords also hit efficiently in the set as they had a .333 percentage in grabbing a 2-0 lead.
But Chaminade could not keep the momentum going, hitting only .125 combined in Sets 4 and 5 as Point Loma forced a deciding fifth.
In the fifth set with the score knotted at 9, the Silverswords made their move. The teams traded a flurry of volleys for three consecutive possessions, but Chaminade would end up with the points each time with back-to-back Bakic kills and one from
Madalene Barrett. Barrett then recorded consecutive kills to end the match.
Chaminade hit .237 in the match to Point Loma's .160 and out-blocked them, 10-7.
Valentina Bevilacqua had 40 assists while
Athena Maskarich tallied 18 digs with
Kaya Chong getting a season-high 11.
For Lynch, motivation was also personal. Her former coach at her alma mater of Castle High School, Danell Yanagida, unexpectedly passed away earlier in the week, which sent shock waves throughout the Windward O'ahu community.
"It's been crazy," she said. "Just thinking about it every day, it's really hard. She was really young (age 33 at her passing), and every game, I play for her now.
"When I make a mistake, I hear her yelling at me, telling me, 'Jump, Ku'ulei, you're not jumping,' and I just know she's here watching over me. She was a great coach and had a great impact in our community."
The Silverswords will play their final match of the week on Saturday when they face California Baptist at 1 p.m. at McCabe Gym. The match was moved up from its original 7 p.m. start time due to the potential effects of Hurricane Ana. Live audio of the match will be on GoSwords.com.
