HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team returned the friendly confines of McCabe Gymnasium Thursday and scored a 25-17, 10-25, 25-19, 25-18 win over Academy of Art in their penultimate match of the year.
The Silverswords got 11 kills from
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) and 10 from
Annah Rivera (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) to help them improve to 21-8 overall and 15-6 in the Pacific West Conference.
The Urban Knights (12-17, 9-12 PacWest) got a match-high 12 kills from Sadie Emery.
The 'Swords overcame a forgettable Set 2 performance by taking the final two sets to match the 1996 team for the second-most wins in program history. Only last year's 23-win squad had more.
Emma Tecklenburg (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) had eight kills followed by
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) and
Alana Handy (Burlington, Wash./Bethune-Cookman/Burlington-Edison) who each put down six.
Leka Kiner-Falefa (Honolulu/UNLV/Mid-Pacific Institute) had 23 digs for the 'Swords, giving her 474 on the year. She needs just eight to pass
Brenda Walker's single-season record of 481 set in 2015.
Natashya Enos (Kahalu'u, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Saint Francis) had 21 assists while
Alecza Abary (Fontana, Calif./Racho Cucamonga) had 16. Enos also had one service ace, tying her with Danielle Robins for third on the team's career list.
The 'Swords hit .218 on the match while ART U was held to .127.
Chaminade opened up the match on a 5-0 run and led by as many as 21-7. But despite losing the set, the Urban Knights got some momentum with seven straight points.
Their mojo carried into the next set with a pair of 4-0 runs. Following a 6-0 run, ART U led 21-7 for a comfortable set win to knot the match at 1. The 'Sword hit a measly -.034 and surrendered five service aces, all coming early in the stanza including three straight at one point.
With the Silverswords now on high alert, the two teams jostled for position early in the pivotal third set with 10 ties and four lead changes. Knotted at 14, Chaminade pulled ahead on a 6-0 surge to take command of the frame. Rivera, Reedy and
Rae Montrose (Cedar Hills, Utah/Lone Peak) each put down spikes while Tecklenburg added an ace during that run to help the 'Swords take the match lead.
Leading 11-9 in the fourth, the Silverswords got two kills each from Reedy and Rivera during a 7-1 run that all but put the match away.
After the disastrous second set, the 'Swords hit .310 in the final two sets. Three of their five total team blocks also came during the final two frames with Saulala recording three total blocks in the match.
The Silverswords will end the season Saturday against Holy Names at 3 p.m. It will be the final career matches for seniors Enos, Handy, Tecklenburg,
Isabella Tessitore (San Diego/Torrey Pines) and
Nina Torio (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani). All five will be honored following the match.
