FRESNO, Calif. – For nearly six years, the 18th-ranked Chaminade University women's volleyball team has had a stranglehold on the Pacific West Conference's Northern California pod with 41 straight wins.
On Saturday, that streak was tested like no other.
The Silverswords saw a two-set lead at Fresno Pacific evaporate before rallying late in a heart-stopping 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 15-11 win at the FPU Special Event Center, making it 42 straight victories over PacWest NorCal schools.
A heck of a way for head coach
Kahala Kabalis Hoke to earn career win No. 200, becoming just the third coach in any Chaminade sport to reach the prestigious mark (Merv Lopes, men's basketball, 238 wins; and Kent Yamaguchi, current softball coach, 225).
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS) put down a match-high 14 kills along with 16 digs while
Ajack Malual (Rome, Italy/Tambosi ETI) added 11 kills for Chaminade, which improved to 16-2 overall and 5-2 in the PacWest.
Lizanyela Lopez (Lima, Peru/Trinity Valley CC/Saco Oliveros HS) was a force at the net with six blocks, four solo, while
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungsportszentrum Berlin HS) contributed with seven kills and four blocks and
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) putting down six.
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane) quarterbacked Chaminade to 38 assists, 13 digs, two service aces, three blocks and five kills.
Hula Crisostomo (Honolulu/Univ. of Texas El Paso/Moanalua HS) came up with 17 digs.
Corinne Acosta led the Sunbirds (7-8, 4-3 PacWest) with 11 kills.
At the start of the match, it appeared the 'Swords would make it another short night, hitting .375 and holding FPU to just five kills for a dominant first-set win, then held on in the second set for a 2-0 lead.
But the Sunbirds, who were upset by previously winless Hawai'i Pacific University on Thursday, staved off a sweep, rallying from down 22-20 to take the third set.
In the fourth, the 'Swords played likely one of their worst sets of the season, committing 13 attack errors to just four kills for a minus-.237 hitting percentage. Yet they were still able to hang around and chopped an early 9-1 deficit to just 24-20 before dropping the frame.
In the decisive fifth set, FPU took an 11-10 edge on a Claire Corippo kill. However, Corti put down back-to-back attacks to tilt the lead back in Chaminade's favor at 12-11. The Sunbirds then had back-to-back hitting errors to set up aloha ball where Lopez pushed back Geneva Elliott for her fourth solo block, not only getting Kabalis Hoke's milestone win, but also completing a 3-0 PacWest road trip to keep pace with first-place Point Loma (8-0 in the conference).
The 'Swords hit .115 with 52 kills against the feisty Sunbirds, who hit .092 and 46 kills. Chaminade, the PacWest's top serving team at over two per set, had just five service aces, tying a season-low. However, the 'Swords out-dug FPU, 75-to-58, and out-blocked them, 10-to-7.
The Silverswords will step out of conference for the final time in the regular season, wrapping up their road trip Monday at Stanislaus State in Turlock, California.
