HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team on Friday took yet another step forward in their quest to take all the marbles again.
The Silverswords got another balanced attack with five attackers with five or more kills as they defeated Azusa Pacific in straight sets, 25-14, 25-14, 25-22, at McCabe Gymnasium.
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS) and
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungsportszentrum Berlin HS) each put down seven kills while
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) and
Sasha Colombo (Milan, Italy/Colorado State/Liceo Scientifico Giordano Bruno HS) each added six.
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) tacked on five more.
The victory improved the 'Swords to 19-7 overall and 14-1 in the Pacific West Conference to take a 2 ½-match lead over second-place Point Loma (13-3 PacWest). Chaminade, winners in 16 of its last 17 contests, also reduced their magic number to repeat outright as PacWest champions down to four.
Annaka Jorgenson led the Cougars (13-12 overall, 9-7 PacWest) with a match-high eight kills.
Senior setter
Alexia Byrnes (Chicago/Youngstown State/Saint Francis HS), like the attackers she set, also put down five kills in addition to 20 assists and three service aces.
Chaminade recorded a season-high 13 aces, giving them 25 in their past six sets.
Kaybrie Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) matched Byrnes with three aces, tying the career high she set on Wednesday against Biola. Corti and
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) each had two.
In fact, aces were wild in the beginning of the first set with Chaminade serving up four in its first seven points of the match. Byrnes and Corti each had a pair, forcing APU to call an early timeout. Azusa Pacific drew to within 9-7 but a 5-0 run which included yet another ace, this time from
Kendall Rios (Tustin, Calif./Foothill), put CUH up 14-7. In all, the 'Swords had seven aces in the first set.
Azusa Pacific played more like the squad which won consecutive PacWest titles in 2018 and '19 in the second set, trailing 12-11 midway through. However, three Corti kills along with two more from Byrnes and another ace from the latter, helped the 'Swords put together a 13-4 surge to take a two-set lead.
Not surprisingly, APU wasn't about to go down without a fight. Trailing by as many as 13-8, the Cougars chipped away at the deficit and forced three ties, the last at 19-all. But a service error followed by an attack that landed out, put Chaminade up by two. Three times, Azusa Pacific would draw to within a point. However a service error put the 'Swords up by two and then on aloha ball,
Kaybrie Pe'a fittingly ended the match with an ace.
The Silverswords hit .232 in the match while holding APU to just .074, registering 38 kills to their 23. They also had out-performed the Cougars in assists (30-to-19) and digs (46-to-31).
Brooklen Pe'a had 11 digs while Corti scooped up nine. Schilling had four total blocks, two solo, while Saulala had two total.
The Silverswords will have their final home match Wednesday against in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University at McCabe Gym with first serve at 7 p.m. Seniors Byrnes, Colombo, Saulala the Pe'a twins and
Alecza Abary (Fontana, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) will be among those honored following the match.
