HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team got identical 11-kill, nine-dig performances from
Alana Handy (Burlington, Wash./Bethune-Cookman Univ./Burlington-Edison HS) and
Claire Zanon (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) as the Silverswords swept past Academy of Art 25-14, 25-18, 25-18 Monday at McCabe Gym.
Zanon set a season-high with her kill effort while her .600 attack percentage set a career-high. Handy was also proficient with a .409 percentile.
The win improved the 'Swords to 12-3 overall and 6-3 in the Pacific West Conference.
The Urban Knights (0-18, 0-10 PacWest) were led by Ashley Pawlak's 11 kills.
Emma Tecklenburg (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) added eight kills, seven digs and two service aces while
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) had six kills and a pair of blocks.
Brooke Bell (Escondido, Calif./North Idaho College/Calvin Christian) batted a 1.000 on the night, putting down all four of her attacks.
Danielle Wiley (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) and
Skyler Curry (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) combined for 31 of the team's 40 assists while Curry picked up a team-best three aces. Meanwhile
Nina Torio (Mililani, Hawai'i/Mililani) had seven digs and a pair of aces.
The 'Swords had little trouble in the first set but ART U was competitive in the second. A 4-0 Chaminade run late in the set helped them pull away and build a 2-0 lead.
Set 3 was similar to the previous one with the visitors from San Francisco going toe-to-toe, forging a 15-all tie. But the 'Swords finally pulled away on an 8-1 surge and ended the match when freshman
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) got a solo block, her second of the match.
Although blocks were even at five, CUH easily out-paced ART U in kills (45-26), assists (40-23), digs (49-31) and aces (9-4). They also hit .333 on the night while holding the Urban Knights to a .113 percentage.
Meanwhile, Tecklenburg and Curry are both approaching more career milestones. Tecklenburg has 763 kills and needs 15 to pass Danielle Robins for ninth all-time. Curry has 1,409 career assists and needs just 19 to pass former teammate Natashya Enos for seventh on the career list.
The Silverswords are next in action Saturday in a crucial showdown with the PacWest's second-place squad, Hawai'i Hilo (11-3, 7-1), on the Big Island. The match will also count in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge standings.
