HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team wrapped up the Magic Island Hawai'i Classic presented by Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra on Saturday by again splitting their two matches at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
In a battle of AVCA Top 25 squads, the 25th-ranked Silverswords were swept by No. 21 Lewis in their first match of the day, 13-25, 23-25, 17-25.
Then in the Classic's 16th and final match, the 'Swords were taken to five sets by San Francisco State before pulling out the 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 16-25, 15-12 victory.
Brooklen Pe'a (Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State/Bountiful HS) was named to the all-tournament after totaling 39 kills during the team's four matches.
Lewis 3, CUH 0
Very few went right for the Silverswords against the Flyers in their late morning contest. Chaminade hit -.019 (25 kills, 27 errors, 104 attacks) in the match, their worst hitting percentage since Oct. 2014.
The second set was indicative of peaks and valleys. The 'Swords scored the first five points of the set only to see Lewis run off the next six. Later, they held a 23-21 lead but the Flyers scored the final four points to prevent Chaminade from tying the match. And although the Silverswords hit a mere -.167 (6 kills, 13 errors, 42 attempts) in the second frame, the Flyers fared no better, hitting -.022 (10 kills, 11 errors, 45 swings).
Lataisia Saulala (Morgan Hill, Calif./Oakwood) had a team-high eight kills for the 'Swords, who were out-blocked 11-to-6.
CUH 3, SFSU 2
Chaminade got all it could handle from the Gators, a 22-win squad last season. In the opening set, the 'Swords broke a 12-all deadlock by going on a 10-0 surge with two service aces from
Kendall Rios (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) and three kills from
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Univ. of Alaska/Schul- and Leistungssportszentrum Berlin HS). Up 24-17, Chaminade saw SFSU score four uncontested points to make things interesting.
The Silverswords took a 2-1 lead in part to a set-ending 5-0 run with
Sasha Colombo (Milan, Italy/Colorado State/Liceo Scientifico Giordano Bruno HS) accounting for three scores with two kills and a block.
The Gators forced a fifth set with a 8-0 run to cap the fourth. However, Chaminade did not commit a hitting error in the final set, putting down six kills with no errors. Pe'a finally ended the drama with a kill on aloha ball.
Chaminade hit .253 in the match with eight total team blocks while San Francisco State hit .228. The 'Swords also had eight blocks to the Gators' seven.
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS) put down a team-high 13 kills while Colombo added 12 kills. Schilling contributed with 12 kills while hitting .611 and also adding five total blocks.
Alexia Byrnes (Chicago/Youngstown State/St. Francis HS) had yet another double-double with 48 assists and 14 digs.
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) had 19 digs.
No. 7 Cal State San Bernardino completed the Classic as the only unscathed squad with a 4-0 mark.
The Silverswords will be on the road this week, playing in the Cal State Los Angeles Invitational. The 'Swords open the tournament Friday when they face Central Washington in a rematch of last year's NCAA West Region First Round encounter won by the Wildcats.
All-Tournament Team
Jenna Patton, Cal State San Bernardino – Most Valuable Player
Ashley Robinson, Cal State San Bernardino
Lauren Stenman, Lewis
Gabby Rawson, Stanislaus State
Kimberly DeBoer, San Francisco State
Tamiya Wilson, San Francisco State
Brooklen Pe'a, Chaminade
