SAN DIEGO – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team continued their Southern California road trip Friday, dropping a 25-18, 25-21, 25-18 decision to Point Loma at Golden Gymnasium.
Cassie Rushlow put down a team-high 10 kills for the Silverswords in defeat, her 21
st double-digit kill effort of the season. Freshman
Kira Long, who grew up in nearby Vista, Calif., had six kills while
Suncica Bakic had four.
Setter
Valentina Bevilacqua fell one dig shy of her eighth double-double with 17 assists and nine digs.
Natashya Enos led the Swords with 12 digs on the night.
Bethany Mandon had a match-high 13 kills to lead the Sea Lions (17-9 overall, 14-4 Pacific West Conference).
The first set saw both teams battle to a 16-all deadlock before PLNU used a 5-0 run to help them capture the first set.
In Set 2, the Sea Lions had a 22-16 advantage, but the Swords came roaring back. Back-to-back Point Loma errors and a Rushlow kill brought them to within 22-19, prompting a timeout from the home team. PLNU broke the string with a successful attack, but Chaminade kept coming back with another Rushlow kill and a Sea Lion hitting error, making it 23-21, forcing PLNU to call its second timeout. But Point Loma got the final two points it needed to jump ahead to a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Chaminade fought back from an early 10-6 deficit and managed to force a 13-13 tie with two Bakic kills and an
Athena Maskarich service ace. But an 8-1 run by PLNU was the difference as the Sea Lions took the set and match.
The Swords conclude the road trip Sunday at Dixie State. Match time is set for 6 p.m. MST.
