HONOLULU – On Wednesday, the Chaminade University women's volleyball team welcomed back their fans, the first day that collegiate indoor sports in Hawai'i were allowed to return.
The Silverswords rewarded their patience after being away for nearly two years by sweeping past in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University, 25-20, 25-12, 25-20, in front of a maximum capacity McCabe Gymnasium crowd of 72.
Chaminade had the distinction of being the first collegiate team in Hawai'i to allow fans for indoor sporting events after the governor's and mayor's offices made the announcement earlier this month.
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) and
Marcelle Butler (Woodstock, Ga./Howard University/Sequoyah HS) each put down 11 kills to help the 'Swords improve to 19-4 overall and 9-2 in the Pacific West Conference, just a half-match behind Hawai'i Hilo for the conference's top spot.
The 'Swords hit .304 in the match while holding HPU to a .102 attack percentage.
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/University of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS) contributed with nine kills and 11 digs while
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) put down eight kills, hit .471 and had five total blocks.
Chaminade, which did not have Pe'a and Corti in the first meeting between the two programs a month ago due to injuries, swept the season series and gave head coach
Kahala Kabalis Hoke her 150th career win.
The Sharks (4-15, 3-8 PacWest), who saw their two-match win streak snapped, were paced by Lauren Christie's nine kills while reigning PacWest Player of the Week Elia Dotson added eight.
Chaminade, which dropped out of the AVCA Top 25 Poll on Monday despite sweeping Holy Names and Dominican last week, got off to a slow start when HPU opened up an early 6-3 lead. However, freshman
Alyssa Grodell (Valencia, Calif./Valencia) helped the 'Swords go on an 8-1 run with two blocks and a kill. The Sharks managed to retake a 13-12 edge but with the score tied at 15, Chaminade got five natural points to HPU's one to take the first set.
The Sharks got the first three points of the second set but it went downhill for them from there. A 10-1 run would help the Silverswords take a two-set lead in dominant fashion, as they hit a whopping .500 in the frame.
The third set played more like the first, a competitive, back-and-forth match own a 12-10 lead. But Saulala had two kills and two block assists with Butler during an 8-1 surge to help finish off the sweep.
Alexia Byrnes (Chicago/Youngstown State/Saint Francis HS) had 29 assists and seven digs while
Anna Dalla Vecchia (Vicenza, Italy/University of San Francisco/IIS S.B. Boscardin HS) had a match-high 19 digs.
Annah Rivera (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) came off the bench and had four kills, eight digs and two service aces. Grodell had four totals blocks as did Butler.
Chaminade's victory also gave them two points in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge, which was suspended in the spring.
Team-wise, the 'Swords totaled 47 kills on 42 assists, 61 digs, six aces and 11 total team blocks. HPU had 30 kills, 26 assists, 43 digs, three aces and three blocks.
Chaminade also wore pink uniforms again for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, following the match, honored those in the crowd who had battled the dreaded disease.
The Silverswords begin a crucial stretch, which will determine their postseason fate, where seven of their final nine matches of the season will be teams that make up the upper half of the current PacWest standings.
It starts Monday as the 'Swords open a four-match Southern California road trip at Biola, which defeated them in five sets in the first meeting in Honolulu on Oct. 9.
