BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team's season came to an end Thursday, dropping their NCAA West Regional first round match to No. 2-seed Cal State San Bernardino, 25-23, 25-10, 27-25, at Carver Gymnasium on the Western Washington University campus.
However the seventh-seeded Silverswords, making their first West Regional appearance since 2004, served notice that they weren't go down meekly, holding a lead late in the first set and came within inches of winning the third to the No. 1-ranked team in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Pacific West Conference Newcomer of the Year
Alana Handy (Burlington, Wash./Bethune-Cookman Univ./Burlington-Edison) returned to her home state and put down a team-high 12 kills in defeat as the 'Swords ended their record-setting season at 23-6.
Alexis Cardoza, the CCAA Player of the Year, put down a match-high 20 kills with 11 digs to move Cal State San Bernardino (27-2) into the regional semifinals against sixth-seeded Central Washington, which upset No. 3-seed Cal State Los Angeles earlier in the day.
Emma Tecklenburg (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior), a first team All-PacWest and second team all-West Region honoree, added 10 kills for the 'Swords.
Claire Zanon (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) added eight kills and 12 digs while
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) put down seven.
Brooke Bell (Escondido, Calif./North Idaho College/Calvin Christian HS) ended her career with five kills and three blocks.
Danielle Wiley (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) dished out 17 assists while
Skyler Curry (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) had 15 in her final match.
"(Among the coaches) the consensus was that we are extremely proud of the team," Chaminade head coach
Kahala Kabalis Hoke said following the match. "They played their hearts out and I thought that's all that we can ask for."
Trailing 18-14 in the opening set, the 'Swords got three consecutive kills from Handy during a 5-0 run which put the royal blue and white up 19-18. A Tecklenburg spike gave them a 22-20 advantage which forced a Coyotes timeout. But the Yotes collected themselves from the timeout and out-pointed the 'Swords 5-1 to finish the set and take a 1-0 lead.
The momentum carried into the second with CSUSB taking advantage of sloppy CUH passing to take a 6-0 lead. An 8-0 surge towards the end of the set put the defending West Region champions up 2-0 as they held Chaminade to a -.057 hitting percentage in the frame.
In the third set, the Silverswords rallied from a 14-9 deficit then staved off match point at 24-23 by forcing an Asia Clarke hitting error which tied the set at 24. Zanon then slammed down her final kill to give the 'Swords a 25-24 lead as they looked to extend the match to a fourth. But CSUSB scored three straight including a call at match point when Chaminade was called for a net violation on an attack that landed.
Despite not taking a set, Chaminade demonstrated a no-quit attitude and forced the nation's top-ranked squad to fight for every point.
"It was great seeing the emotions that they had because that shows me that they truly believe that they belong here among the top teams and that they were meant to compete among the best and that makes me the most proud," Kabalis Hoke said.
"It was amazing to have a ton of people supporting me," said Handy who is from nearby Burlington, just 20 miles south of Bellingham. "It was super fun and exhilarating.
"It's a great way to end the season with the girls that I love," she continued. "We played a tough team and that we can play at this level."
"Chaminade does some things that are very different and a little bit harder to defend outside our comfort zone," CSUSB head coach Kim Cherniss said. "They did a really, really good job on that and I want to congratulate them on a really good season. They did a great job the entire year."
Despite being out-hit .286-.183, the 'Swords managed more kills (43-41) and were barely edged out in assists (43-41), digs (48-44) and total team blocks (7-5).
With four returning starters and several key reserves returning for the 2019 season, the 'Swords are already in the planning stages about a return to the postseason.
"I'm really excited to have a team that knows that we're capable of (returning to the regional) and they know what it takes to get there," Tecklenburg said, who'll be a senior next season as the Silverswords seek back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time ever.
