HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team ended the 2019 season Saturday with a 25-11, 25-13, 25-17 win over Holy Names University at McCabe Gymnasium on Aloha Senior Day.
All five Silverswords seniors had a hand in the win, led by
Emma Tecklenburg's (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) match-high 14 kills. The outside hitter had just two hitting errors on 20 swings, giving her a career-high .600 hitting percentage in her final collegiate match.
Alana Handy (Burlington, Wash./Bethune-Cookman Univ./Burlington-Edison HS), the 2018 Pacific West Conference Newcomer of the Year whose injuries throughout the season limited her to reserve status, started her final match and responded with 10 kills while hitting .500.
Setter
Natashya Enos (Kahalu'u, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Saint Francis) had 21 assists and six digs in her final match. The senior, who returned after a two-year hiatus, ends her career ranked fourth in the career assists list (2,062), tied for third in aces (109) and seventh in digs (930).
Finally, senior defensive specialists
Nina Torio (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) and
Isabella Tessitore (San Diego/Torrey Pines) had five and three digs, respectively. It was Tessitore's season-high while Torio, the team's starting libero last year during their NCAA Tournament run, equaled her season-best in digs while also adding a service ace.
The Silverswords finished the year with a 22-8 mark overall and 16-6 in the PacWest for a third-place finish. The team's 22 wins is the second-highest in program history, trailing only last year's 23-win squad. It was also the first time in school history posting back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
The depleted Hawks, who had just eight healthy players available, ended their season at 3-25 and 2-20 in the PacWest. Holy Names got a team-high nine kills from Maddy Standley.
Chaminade wrapped the season with a whopping .442 attack percentage (46 kills, eight errors, 86 attempts), the team's highest single-match percentile since a .475 hitting day against HNU on Sept. 18, 2015.
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) put down nine kills and did not commit an error in 11 swings for a career-high .818 percentage.
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) contributed with five kills while
Annah Rivera (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) added four.
Leka Kiner-Falefa (Honolulu/UNLV/Mid-Pacific Institute) wrapped up her outstanding first season as the team's starting libero with 15 digs, giving her 489 on the season, breaking
Brenda Walker's previous mark of 481.
Jacqueline Wolfe (Laguna Hills, Calif./Irvine Valley CC/Mater Dei HS) and
Rae Montrose (Cedar Hills, Utah/Lone Peak) each had two blocks for the 'Swords with Wolfe accounting for the team's lone solo roof.
A 12-2 run midway through the first set helped established Chaminade's dominance early. Saulala put down all five of her swings during the surge to help them hit .667 (15-121) in the opening set.
Another big run by the 'Swords – this time at 13-3 – helped them expand a three-point lead in the second. Reedy, Saulala, Tecklenburg and Handy all two kills in the run with Handy teaming with Wolfe on a block while the latter added a solo roof on the next point.
The Hawks came out with intensity to start the third set, forging a 5-5 tie by winning several long rallies. But Tessitore served five straight point to put Chaminade up 11-5, then after HNU rallied to close to within 17-13, the Silverswords scored six of the match's next eight points to help end any doubt.
The 'Swords held the Hawks to .116 hitting, out-dug them 39-24 and had 40 assists to their 21.
Chaminade ends the season as the PacWest's top service ace squad (1.79 per set) second in percentage (.235), assists (12.78) and kills (14.06).
