HONOLULU – It was a just another typical night of volleyball between Chaminade University and Hawai'i Pacific University.
In the latest edition of the intercity rivalry that is now in its 34
th year since records were kept, the Silverswords managed to hold off the Sharks in four wild sets, 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 30-28.
Emma Tecklenburg (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) tallied her ninth double-double of the season by slamming down a match-high 22 kills with 10 digs and two service aces to help the 'Swords snap a six-match slide. Chaminade improved to 10-9 overall and 5-6 in the Pacific West Conference.
HPU (7-12, 5-6 PacWest) was led by Kayla Demari who had 11 kills and eight total blocks.
Brooke Bell (Escondido, Calif./North Idaho College) had 10 kills for Chaminade while hitting .321. The junior also amassed a season-high nine total blocks, tying her with four others for the third-most in a single match. Seven were block assists.
Claire Zanon (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) dropped 10 kills in the final three sets after wearing the libero jersey to start the match. The freshman also had 23 digs, one shy of her season-high.
Kira Long (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) had nine kills while
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) had six kills with three total blocks.
Danielle Wiley (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) dished out 27 assists while
Skyler Curry (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) added 23.
Nina Torio (Mililani, Hawai'i/Mililani) had 17 digs and three aces on the night.
Chaminade jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks in large part to holding HPU to a -.037 hitting percentage and hitting.
But as always the case in the series, the trailing team responded. The Sharks used an 8-1 to open up a 16-8 advantage and seemingly had the set in hand despite the 'Swords closing to 24-20. But the home team staved off three set points aided by Tecklenburg kills to get to within a point at 24-23. Demari then got the necessary kill to force a fourth set.
The fourth was as dramatic as any between the two squads in recent years. There were 15 ties and 16 lead changes in the frame with HPU's three-point lead being the largest margin. The Sharks were up 21-18 but the 'Swords stormed back on a 5-0 run as Long, Tecklenburg and Bell hammered down kills while Bell also teamed with
Kiana Drumheller (Auburn, Wash./Auburn Riverside) with a block to put the home team up, 23-21.
HPU fought back to tie it at 23 and from there, the set took several twists and turns. The Sharks managed to get three cracks at set point in trying to force a decisive fifth including at 28-27. But Tecklenburg hammered down her final kill of the night to tie it then got an ace to put the Silverswords up 29-28. On their third chance at aloha ball. Zanon finally ended the match, powering a kill through the HPU block.
Chaminade hit .145 on the night and held HPU to a .067 percentage and amassed 61 kills and 58 assists to the Sharks' 41 and 37, respectively. The 'Swords also collected eight aces to 15 service errors while HPU had four aces but only three errors. Digs were near-even (72-71 CUH) and both put up walls at the net with HPU getting 14 total blocks and Chaminade 13.
Despite the Sharks owning a significant lead in the series, the 'Swords have managed to win three of the last five meetings after HPU won 15 straight from 2008-14. The four-setter was also the eighth straight match in the series that went into extra sets. The last sweep in the series was in September 2013, won by HPU.
Chaminade also picked up two points in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge. They currently lead the volleyball standings with four points while HPU has two.
The Silverswords won't have time to savior the victory for long. They travel to the Big Island Saturday and face another interisland rival, Hawai'i Hilo, at 7:30 p.m.
