HILO, Hawai'i – The unusual 2021 spring season came to an end for the Chaminade University women's volleyball team on Saturday, culminating with a split at the fourth and final PacWest Hawai'i Spring Tournament, held again at the University of Hawai'i Hilo Gymnasium.
The Silverswords were swept for the first time this season, dropping the opening match to Alaska Anchorage, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19. Ironically it was the exact same scores in Chaminade's sweep of the Seawolves on Friday.
But the 'Swords came back in their final match of the spring with a 25-16, 25-12, 25-22 win over Hawai'i Pacific University.
Senior
Claire Zanon (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) had 26 digs on the day to set the school's all-time record with 1,265. Fellow senior
Rachel Reedy (Temple City, Calif./Arcadia) totaled 19 kills while setter
Danielle Wiley (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial) had 50 assists.
Because the NCAA canceled all fall sports championships in Division II and III, Chaminade finishes its season at 7-9 and 6-8 in the PacWest.
Alaska Anchorage 3, Chaminade 0
Some 10 hours after the completion of Friday's five-set match, the Silverswords returned to UH Hilo Gym for their 10 a.m. contest. The Seawolves appeared to be the more rested of the two squads, leading much throughout the first and second sets with the help of several 'Swords' ill-timed errors. UAA's final five points in the second set were results of Chaminade attack, service, reception and setting errors which helped them take a two-set lead.
The 'Swords owned a three-point lead, 12-9, in the third set, their largest at any point of the match. But UAA used an 11-3 run to not only retake the lead but to eventually pull away.
Reedy,
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) and
Kyra McCain (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) each had team-highs of eight kills. Pe'a added six digs and McCain three blocks.
Zanon, who needed just one dig to break
Brenda Walker's career mark, got it early in the first set and finished with 14.
Chaminade hit .198 in the match and had just two service aces, its fewest this season.
The Seawolves (11-2) hit .305 as a team. Five players who took at least nine swings all hit above .300 in the match. Eve Stephens had a match-high 16 kills.
Chaminade 3, HPU 0
Playing their fourth match in 24 hours, the 'Swords showed no sign of fatigue.
In a reversal of the Alaska Anchorage match, it was Chaminade that stormed out to big leads in the first two sets. They owned a 15-4 edge in the first set and 13-3 in the second in which they hit .533 (17 kills, one error, 30 attempts).
The third set was more indicative of how the two teams have played against each other in 2021. The Sharks would own a 13-10 lead but Reedy put down three consecutive kills as a part of a 5-0 run to put Chaminade ahead for good.
Reedy finished with 11 kills while Pe'a and
Annah Rivera (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany) each had nine. Pe'a also had 18 digs while adding three more aces, giving her a team-leading 28 on the year. The junior also finished the year as the 'Swords top attacker at 3.32 kills per set. Wiley had a double-double with 26 assists and 12 digs.
The 'Swords hit .264 and held the Sharks to .038. They also amassed more kills (40 to 26), assists (33 to 23) and digs (55 to 26) although they were out-blocked, 6 to 2.
Cameryn Collie led HPU (2-11 PacWest) with 10 kills.
Reedy, a two-time All-PacWest, All-West Region and All-AVCA All-American, finished her highly decorated career eighth in the all-time kills list with 896 while her .304 hitting percentage ranks fourth.
Meanwhile, Wiley moved into sixth in the school's career assist list with 1,817.
And while Zanon is the new owner of the school's digs record, she also finishes tied for sixth in aces with 104.
Saturday was the final career matches for Reedy, Wiley, Zanon and senior reserve setter
Riley Lynch (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kalaheo). They have elected not use the NCAA's season-of-competition waiver which restores a year of eligibility this coming fall.
