HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team is the Pacific West Conference's top serving team. On Wednesday, the Silverswords demonstrated why.
The Silverswords unleashed a barrage of 12 service aces – tying a season-high – as they swept visiting Biola University, 25-13, 25-14, 25-18, at McCabe Gymnasium.
Chaminade, which upped their team's ace per set average to league-leading 2.35 which also moved them up to ninth nationally, dealt eight alone in the first set as they completed the season sweep of the Eagles.
Sasha Colombo (Milan, Italy/Colorado State/Liceo Scientifico Giordano Bruno HS) put down a match-high 10 kills with four total blocks while
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS),
Kaybrie Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) and
Kendall Rios (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) each had three aces.
Kaybrie's twin sister,
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS), had seven kills and eight digs while
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) added six kills and four blocks to help the Silverswords improve to 18-7 overall and 13-1 in the PacWest. The win also increased their conference lead to two over Fresno Pacific and Point Loma (both 11-3 in the PacWest).
The Eagles, who back on Sept. 26 ended the 'Swords' school-record 20-set win streak, were paced by Anna Aubele's seven kills as they fell to 13-9 overall and 10-5 in the conference.
Corti had 12 digs for Chaminade while
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) and
Kaybrie Pe'a both had eight digs. Pe'a's ace and dig totals were both career highs.
Chaminade, which earlier in the day was one of the 10 West Region squads listed in the first set of regional rankings, stunned Biola from the opening serve, opening up a 7-0 lead. Corti had all of her aces during the run as the 'Swords opened up a 17-9 lead. Like Corti,
Kaybrie Pe'a had three aces in the first set including on back-to-back serves which pushed their lead to 21-10.
The Silverswords, who also are just outside of the AVCA Top 25 Poll, never looked back in the second set, jumping out to a 16-6 advantage to take the 2-0 lead.
But in the third set, the Eagles finally back soaring, taking a 5-3 lead and went point-for-point with Chaminade, trailing just 17-16. However,
Brooklen Pe'a, Corti and
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungsportszentrum Berlin HS) each put down kills while Inoue served her second ace of the match to put the 'Swords up 21-17.
Colombo and Saulala combined to block Dominique Kirton on back-to-back attacks, then on aloha ball, Chaminade fittingly ended the match on an ace from
Alexia Byrnes (Chicago/Youngstown State/Saint Francis HS).
Chaminade hit .299 in the match with 36 kills, out-dug Biola, 50-to-39 and out-blocked them, 6-to-5. They also held the Eagles to a -020 hitting percentage (20 kills, 22 errors, 101 attempts), their first negative attack percentage match since becoming a NCAA Division II member in 2017.
Byrnes had 23 assists on the night and added four kills.
The Silverswords host Azusa Pacific, a five-set survivor at Hawai'i Hilo on Wednesday, on Friday. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
