HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team on Friday returned home for their final three matches of the regular season with a 25-21, 25-20, 26-24 win over Dominican University of California at McCabe Gymnasium.
Facing a Penguins squad that has struggled throughout the season, it gave an opportunity for the 15th-ranked team in the nation to get some of their key players off their feet after returning from their rather grueling 12-day Southern California road trip.
Heavenly Campbell (Waialua, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Idaho/Damien HS) put down a match-high 12 kills, one of six Silverswords who put down five attacks on the evening.
The win gave improved the 'Swords to 27-3 on the season, equaling the 2021 team for the most wins in a single season. They also moved to 15-3 in the Pacific West Conference, keeping the pressure on league-leading Point Loma (16-1) which suffered its first conference loss on Thursday.
The Penguins (0-24, 0-17 PacWest) were paced by Ella Heckman's eight kills.
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) added eight kills with reigning Pacific West Conference Player of the Week
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS),
Lizanyela Lopez (Lima, Peru/Trinity Valley CC/Saco Oliveros HS) and
Ajack Malual (Rome, Italy/Tambosi ETI) each adding six.
Brooklyn Poling (Gilbert, Ariz./Western Carolina Univ./Perry HS) contributed with five.
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane) had 22 assists while
Allexis Iramina (Honolulu/Moanalua) helped out with 12.
Hula Crisostomo (Honolulu/Univ. of Texas El Paso/Moanalua HS) came up with 25 digs, adding to her PacWest-leading total of 515 on the season, becoming just the second Silversword with 500 digs in a single season.
Corti played the first set-and-a-half before being subbed out for the remainder of the contest. Lopez and Malual also got time to get a breather, allowing freshmen
Tabby Allen (Leander, Texas/Rouse) and
Reina Krueger (Fort Collins, Colo./Liberty Commons) to get quality time.
It also allowed much of the reserves a chance to play in pressure situations as they saw late in the second and third sets.
In the second set, CUH held a slim 21-20 edge before benefitting from a service error and two attack errors. With
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) serving as primary setter towards the end of the set, she found Ama who had moved over to an attack position for the clinching kill at set point.
In the third set, Chaminade managed to build to a 23-16 lead with a chance to close out the match. However DUC rallied and tied the set at 24 before Ka'apuni's kill got CUH to aloha ball and the 'Swords got the Penguins to hit into the net for the clincher.
Chaminade hit .207 and held Dominican to a .030 percentage. But there was a wide disparity in kills (51-to-19), assists (45-to-19) and digs (57-to-39). However, the Penguins did manage to out-ace the 'Swords, 6-to-2, and out-blocked them, 6-to-2.
The Silverswords return to action Saturday against Academy of Art. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.
