IRVINE, Calif. – Five members of the Chaminade University women's volleyball team have been named to the All-Pacific West Conference Teams by the conference coaches.
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane),
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS),
Hula Crisostomo (Honolulu/Univ. of Texas El Paso/Moanalua HS),
Lizanyela Lopez (Lima, Peru/Trinity Valley CC/Saco Oliveros HS) and
Ajack Malual (Rome, Italy/Tambosi ETI) were all named to the all-conference first team.
All five were named to the All-PacWest First Team while Ama was also the Setter and Freshman of the Year, Crisostomo named Libero of the Year and Lopez the Newcomer of the Year.
Corti was named to the All-PacWest Team for the third time, repeating as a member of the first team. The senior outside hitter finished among conference leaders in kills (eighth at 3.04 per set) and service aces (fourth, 0.40). The 'Swords are 82-17 including a 53-7 PacWest record during her three-year CUH career.
Malual earned her second all-conference mention after leading the Silverswords in kills at 3.41 per set which also ranked fourth in the conference. The sophomore right-side hitter had 20 double-digit kill matches with nine more matches with eight and nine kills, respectively. She also led the PacWest in aces at 0.45 with 14 multi-ace matches. She and Corti were two of three players in the PacWest who ranked in the top 10 in both kills and aces.
Ama finished second in the conference in assists at 9.19 per set while helping Chaminade finish second in hitting percentage at .238. A six-rotation player, the freshman had 19 aces, 39 blocks and 81 kills. It is the third straight year a Chaminade player has been awarded the PacWest's setter of the year award.
Crisostomo lived up to the lofty expectations after the conference coaches chose her as the preseason libero of the year even though she had yet to suit up in the Chaminade uniform. The graduate transfer from Texas El Paso led the PacWest in digs with 572 and average at 5.02 per set, the latter ranking 33rd in NCAA Division II, becoming just the second player in single season school history with 500 digs and an average over 5.0. She also had 43 service aces on the year. Combined with her two years at New Mexico Military Institute and UTEP, Crisostomo has 2,726 career digs in her total collegiate career.
Like Crisostomo, Lopez lived up to the billing she arrived with after an All-American junior college career at Trinity Valley. The junior from Lima, Peru, translated the wealth of international experience with by finishing fifth in the PacWest in hitting percentage (.322) and blocks (1.04 per set). It marks the fifth straight season a Silversword is the conference's newcomer of the year which goes to transfers who have played at least one year at another program.
Concordia University Irvine's Kirra Schulz was named the PacWest Player of the Year. Jonathan Scott of Point Loma was Coach of the Year after guiding the Sea Lions to their first conference volleyball title.
The Silverswords will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in the past five championship seasons (excluding the 2020 season which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The No. 1-seeded 'Swords will face San Francisco State next Thursday at the West Region first round in San Bernardino, California.
