HONOLULU – Five set matches were not kind to the Chaminade University women's volleyball team last season.
A year after going 2-7 in five-setters, the Silverswords turned the tables and rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take down Simon Fraser, 21-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-13, in the season opener of the Honolulu Invitational Thursday at McCabe Gym.
Keani Passi put down a match-high 20 kills in her Chaminade debut while fellow newcomer
Daisia LaBrie slammed down 13 for the Silverswords (1-0), who also got 10 from junior
Cassie Rushlow. LaBrie also led the way with seven total blocks while Rushlow had six.
Emma Jennings had 17 kills to lead the Clan (1-1).
The 'Swords also avenged a four-set defeat to Simon Fraser last year in the PacWest/GNAC Crossover in San Rafael, Calif.
Passi had four kills in the decisive fifth set as Chaminade hit a whopping .476 in the set while holding the Clan to a .154 clip.
The 'Swords fell behind early in the first set as the Clan jumped out to as many as a three-point lead midway. Chaminade forged ties at 17 and 19 before SFU ran off three straight points to help them seal the set and take a 1-0 lead.
However, Chaminade came out with a vengeance in the second, scoring the set's first seven points which forced a Clan timeout with Rushlow accounting for two points on a block and ace. SFU rallied behind a 10-4 run, eventually taking a 15-14 lead on an Alison McKay ace. The Clan's lead increased to 19-17 but
Skyler Curry delivered two service aces to put Chaminade up 21-19. SFU rallied again, sending the set into extra points. Passi and LaBrie then stuffed Devon May at the net to give CUH the 27-25 win, tying the set at 1.
But in the third set, it was Simon Fraser which came out on fire, opening a 9-2 advantage and led by as many as 12 points. Chaminade managed a mini-rally at the end but the Clan still took a 2-1 lead with the 25-18 win.
The fourth set was a see-saw affair with the lead changing hands several times before LaBrie hammered down two kills while
Suncica Bakic and Passi delivered hammer shots as the 'Swords to a 14-10 lead. But the Clan rallied with four straight points to forge a tie. Chaminade took control of the set as
Kasse-Ann Kiriu-Dela Cruz ran off four straight points at the service line, including a pair of aces, as the Silverswords won 25-20.
The decisive fifth set was nip-and-tuck all the way until the waning points of the match. Tied at 9, LaBrie was again in the middle of things with a block assist and kill to give Chaminade an 11-9 advantage followed by
Kim Spring's kill, part of a 4-0 Silverswords run. LaBrie then slammed the door shut by powering down the match-winner for the 15-12 victory.
In her first match as the starting setter,
Natashya Enos dished out 34 assists with 17 digs.
Brenda Walker, a third team All-PacWest libero two years ago but was out most of last year due to injury, contributed with 15 digs followed by Spring's 11.
Chaminade returns to action Friday for the second day of the Honolulu Invitational when they host Saint Martin's at 7 p.m. at McCabe Gym while the Saints face off against No. 12 Sonoma State at 1 p.m. The Chaminade match will have live streaming audio on GoSwords.com.
