HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball had a prime opportunity to expand their grip of the Pacific West Conference's top spot on Sunday.
However, visiting Hawai'i Hilo had other ideas. Despite seeing their 12-match winning streak end just 16 hours earlier at Hawai'i Pacific in which they played five grueling sets (and four match points in the fifth), the Vulcans opened up a two-set lead and survived in five, 25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 25-27, 15-12, at McCabe Gymnasium.
Emma Tecklenburg (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) led the 'Swords with 19 kills while
Annah Rivera (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) had 15 and
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) added 14.
Despite the loss, the 19-4 Silverswords are still in the top spot of the conference at 13-2. But it narrowed the gap as second-place Azusa Pacific (12-2 PacWest) and now-third place UH Hilo (18-6, 13-3) are closed to just a half-match behind.
Bria Beale led the Vulcans with 21 kills while towering 6-foot-3 middle Emily Wade had 11 total blocks (nine block assists, two solo). UH Hilo's height caused Chaminade to hit a season-low .153 on the afternoon while also forcing 32 attack errors and amassing 16 total team blocks.
The loss also snapped Chaminade's seven-match winning streak against UH Hilo dating back to 2016. It was also typical of a match between the two island rivals. Each of the last three meetings, including on Sunday, have gone five sets.
Natashya Enos (Kahalu'u, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Saint Francis) and
Alecza Abary (Fontana, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) each had 24 assists, a career-high for the latter, while the freshman setter also had another career-best with 11 digs.
Leka Kiner-Falefa (Honolulu/UNLV/Mid-Pacific Institute) had a match-high 21 digs with Enos getting a season-high 15 and
Claire Zanon (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) adding 12. Abary also collected three service aces. Reedy led the 'Swords with a career-high six total blocks (two solo, four assisted) while
Rae Montrose (Cedar Hills, Utah/Lone Peak) had four.
UH Hilo did not look like a team that had played a two-hour, 20-minute match less than 24 hours earlier by jumping out to leads of 12-5 and 16-7. They also took advantage of sloppy 'Swords' receptions to the tune of four aces in the second set which helped them grab a 2-0 lead.
But Chaminade stormed back, using an early 6-0 run then ended Set 3 by scoring eight of the final 12 points to take the set.
Although they grabbed a 20-14 lead in the fourth set, the Vulcans rallied on a 6-0 run themselves to tie it at 20. With the 'Swords trailing 23-21, a UH Hilo hitting error opened the door for a kill from Tecklenburg and an ace from Rivera to take a 24-23 lead. Chaminade couldn't close it which set up match point for the visitors. But another kill from Tecklenburg, Abary's ace and a hitting error on Set 4 point forced a decisive fifth set.
However it was too much of Hilo's size in the end. Chaminade committed seven attack errors for a minus-.074 percentage and were blocked on four points in the fifth set that was the difference. A large contingent of UH Hilo faithful made their presence known when Amber Tai put down the match-clinching kill.
Chaminade had 59 kills, 52 assists and 80 digs on the afternoon. The 'Swords also had nine total team blocks. UH Hilo had 54 kills, hit .156 on the day, 51 assists and 73 digs.
The Silverswords have another crucial PacWest match on Wednesday at Hawai'i Pacific. At 12-3 in the conference, the Sharks are still very much alive in the conference chase. The match will also decide the winner of the volleyball segment of the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge. Both Chaminade and HPU have four points in the Challenge's volleyball standings. First serve at HPU's Shark Tank (site of the former Saint Francis School) is 7 p.m.
