BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team enters the 2022 NCAA West Regional with somewhat of a chip on their shoulders.
A year ago, the then-third-seeded Silverswords were poised to make a deep postseason run but the No. 6 seed Central Washington abruptly ended those thoughts.
This time, Chaminade finds itself the ultimate underdog in the region, as the No. 8 seed when they face the favored Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in Thursday's opening round at Carver Gymnasium on the Western Washington University campus at 12:30 p.m. Hawai'i time.
The Silverswords and Seawolves, the champions of the GNAC and ranked fourth in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, will renew acquaintances with the winner moving on to the second round on Friday.
In their first meeting of the season back on Aug. 20, UAA bounced the 'Swords with a 25-15, 25-20, 25-22 loss in the Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge. But the team is vastly different from the one that took the court three months ago.
At the time, the Silverswords were still trying to settle their vacant libero and right-side hitter spots. But now, those questions are well behind them with
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) taking a firm grip of the libero spot while
Ajack Malual (Trento, Italy/Tambosi ETI) is putting together the best stretch of her season in the past five matches. With the team chemistry as strong as ever, it has the makings of Chaminade, winners of 21 of its last 22 matches, being a rather dangerous No. 8 seed.
Tournament Central
NCAA WEST REGION (Carver Gymnasium; Bellingham, Wash.; Nov. 17-20)
First Round, Nov. 17; all times Hawai'i Standard)
10 a.m.: #4 Cal Poly Pomona (23-5) vs, #5 Cal State San Bernardino (20-6)
12:30 p.m.: #1 Alaska Anchorage (27-2) vs.
#8 CHAMINADE (24-7)
5:00 p.m.: #3 Cal State Los Angeles (21-6) vs. #6 Sonoma State (21-8)
7:30 p.m.: #2 Western Washington (21-5) vs. #7 Central Washington (16-10)
Semifinals, Nov. 18
5:00 p.m.: #4/5 winner vs. #1/8 winner
7:30 p.m.: #3/6 winner vs. #2/7 winner
West Regional Championship, Nov. 19
7:00 p.m.: Winner advances to NCAA Division II Championships in Seattle, Wash.
Live game links:
Video |
Stats
Official NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament Digital Program
Tickets at Carver Gymnasium
CHAMINADE vs. ALASKA ANCHORAGE
All-time series record: Tied at 14 (first ever postseason meeting)
Last meeting: Aug. 20, 2022 (McCabe Gym, Honolulu); UAA won 3-0.
ABOUT THE SILVERSWORDS (24-7 overall, 19-1 PacWest)
Captured their second straight PacWest championship and third overall … won back-to-back conference titles for the first time in school history … won 21 of their final 22 matches including their final eight entering the regional … making their fifth all-time NCAA regional appearance … placed seven players on the All-PacWest Teams … senior setter
Alexia Byrnes (Chicago/Youngstown State/St. Francis HS) was named the PacWest Player of the Year and took Setter of the Year honors for the second straight season with graduate transfer
Sasha Colombo (Milan, Italy/Colorado State/Liceo Scientifico Giordano Bruno HS) earning Newcomer of the Year and
Kahala Kabalis Hoke winning Coach of the Year for the second straight season … Byrnes and Colombo were named to the All-PacWest First Team as were
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS),
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) and
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) …
Ajack Malual (Trento, Italy/Tambosi ETI) and
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungssportzentrum Berlin HS) were named to the second team … the Silverswords feature a balanced attack with six hitters averaging between 2.62 and 1.38 kills per set, led by Colombo who also hit .308 on the year … Saulala, who is the school's all-time blocks leader with 371, is second in the PacWest in attack percentage (.330) and third in blocks (1.01) … Corti has 52 service aces, fourth-most in school history … the Silverswords average 2.45 aces pet set which ranks sixth nationally … the team's .950 conference winning percentage is the highest in the PacWest since 2017 when California Baptist finished the season 20-0 … Chaminade won all 10 of its conference road matches for the first time in program history and was the first team outside of Southern California to sweep a four-match road swing in the PacWest's vaunted SoCal region … this will be the team's third venture to Carver Gym in the last four years, having been in the 2018 regionals and the 2021 Western Washington Invitational where they upset then-11th-ranked MSU Denver.
HEAD COACH KAHALA KABALIS HOKE
Named the PacWest Coach of the Year for a second straight season … is the program's all-time winningest coach with a 182-121 mark … has guided the Silverswords to four straight 20-win seasons (excluding spring 2021); the program had just one 20-win season prior to her arrival in 2012 … has been involved in all five of Chaminade's NCAA tournament appearances … played in two regionals as an All-PacWest outside hitter (2002, '04) and three as coach (2018, '21, '22) … was the 2021 AVCA West Region Coach of the Year … won her 180th career match on Nov. 9 at Academy of Art, breaking the mark held by Glennie Adams, her coach during her playing days.
ABOUT THE SEAWOLVES (27-2 overall, 17-1 GNAC)
Making their eighth NCAA appearance in the past nine seasons … senior right-side hitter Eve Stephens averages 4.79 kills and 0.87 blocks, hits at a .359 clip and has 53 aces … senior outside hitter Lisa Jaunet averages 2.82 kills … like the 'Swords, UAA is among the nation's leaders in aces, averaging 2.39, tied for seventh … UAA's No. 4 national ranking in the AVCA poll is its highest ever in a regular season poll
CUH-UAA CONNECTIONS
Chaminade's
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS), who is sitting out the 2022 season as a redshirt, played two seasons at Alaska Anchorage including the spring 2021 non-championship season as a true freshman ... she finished the fall 2021 season third on the team in kills (2.13) and had 77 digs and 25 blocks … Seawolves libero Talia Leauanae is from Wailuku, Maui, attended Kamehamena-Maui School and was the 2017 Maui Interscholastic League Division I Player of the Year while Silverswords' libero
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) played at neighboring school, King Kekaulike, while also earning MIL Player of the Year honors in 2019.
'SWORDS IN THE REGIONALS
All-time NCAA regional record: 1-4
All-time NCAA postseason results:
Nov. 21, 2022 (Pacific Regional; San Bernardino, Calif.):
L, 0-3; UC San Diego
Nov. 18-19, 2004 (Pacific Regional; La Jolla, Calif.)
W, 3-0; Cal State Los Angeles
L, 1-3; Cal State San Bernardino
Nov. 15, 2018 (West Regional; Bellingham, Wash.)
L, 0-3; Cal State San Bernardino
Dec. 2, 2021 (West Regional; San Bernardino, Calif.)
L, 1-3; Central Washington
