ATHERTON, Calif. – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team on Tuesday got a season-high 14 kills from freshman
Erica Roberts (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) and 10 from
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) as the ninth-ranked Silverswords defeated Menlo College, 25-14, 18-25, 25-13, 25-18, at Haynes-Prim Pavilion.
Anna Stucchi (Roncello, Italy/Santa Clara University/I.I.S. Ezio Vanoni HS) added eight more kills with
Malena Mihalik (Santa Fe, Argentina/San Eugenio) added seven to help the 'Swords improve to 12-4 overall and 4-0 in the Pacific West Conference and sweep the season series.
Ka'apuni also had three of Chaminade's 10 service aces along with five digs and three blocks.
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) dished out 26 assists with eight digs and
Kyra Pagud (Honolulu/Moanalua) tied her career high with 12 digs.
Hannah Torres led the Oaks, one of the three PacWest newcomers, with 11 kills to fall to 4-8 and 1-4 in the conference.
Chaminade wasted no time in getting down to business, opening up a 15-3 lead from the get-go.
Kendall Rios (Tustin, Calif./Foothill), who reached the career century mark in aces two weeks ago, added to her career total with two more at the end of the first set. The 'Swords held Menlo to five kills against eight attack errors in the frame.
But the Oaks made just one attack error and had four aces to help them tie the match.
But that seemed to reawaken the 'Swords who outscored Menlo, 6-1, in the opening moments of the third set highlighted by two of
Reina Krueger's (Fort Collins, Colo./Liberty Commons) career-high three blocks during the surge. Ka'apuni put down five kills during the frame while Chaminade outscored Menlo, 13-3, in natural points to take the lead.
Leading 19-18 in the fourth, the Silverswords put the match away on a 6-0 run with Mihalik slamming down three kills during the stretch.
Chaminade hit .231, amassing 50 kills on 39 assists, 44 digs and five blocks. Menlo was held to a .138 percentage with 31 kills, 28 assists, 37 digs and seven blocks.
The Silverswords continue their road trip Tuesday at another PacWest newcomer, Jessup University, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. First serve is at 3 p.m. Hawai'i time.
