HONOLULU – The 10th-ranked Chaminade University women's volleyball team continued to roll through Pacific West Conference action Saturday with a four-set win at McCabe Gymnasium.
The Silverswords took down a short-handed Azusa Pacific squad in their 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, 25-17 victory to keep them undefeated at 8-0 the conference, keeping pace with Point Loma who is also 8-0 after their win at Academy of Art earlier Saturday. Chaminade is also 15-4 overall.
A well-balanced offense ran by 'Swords setter
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) allowed four players to pick up five or more kills.
Letizia Cammillucci (Padova, Italy/San Jose State/Liceo Amedeo di Savoia Duca D'asosta HS) and
Anna Stucchi (Roncello, Italy/Santa Clara University/I.I.S. Ezio Vanoni HS) combined for 34 kills on the afternoon with the former setting a career high with 21 successful attacks. Cammillucci also had five service aces, giving her 11 over a 24-hour span.
Stucchi's 13 kills, combined with her totals at Santa Clara University, pushed her past the half-millennium mark with 508 career kills. She also had an ace, giving her 99 in her career.
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) and
Lizanyela Lopez (Lima, Peru/Trinity Valley CC/Saco Oliveros HS) joined in on the offensive action with Ka'apuni picking up 11 kills and Lopez picking up six more. The two also had four blocks each.
Talpash set a new career-high with 49 assists, surpassing her previous high of 48, which she accomplished at Oklahoma against Kansas in Oct. 2020. She also had four kills, one shy of her career best, which she has done four times including Friday's win over Westmont.
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) led the defense with a season-high 21 digs while also serving up three aces.
Sarah Wilson had a team-high 13 kills for the Cougars (10-6, 6-3 PacWest), who were down to just seven players after non-COVID illnesses sidelined half the team.
Despite not having the ability to make any substitutions for the entirety of the match, APU made CUH work for every point and even managed to take a large lead to steal the second set. They also had a five-point run to make Chaminade sweat in the third set.
But in the end, the Silverswords were too much in the final set, hitting .440 and holding the Cougars to .125 attack percentage in the final stanza.
The 'Swords hit .380 and totaled 62 kills, 43 digs, 12 aces and eight blocks while holding the Cougars to a .216 hitting percentage with 40 kills, 38 digs and five blocks.
The Silverswords are next in action on Friday when they face in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific (1-13, 1-7 PacWest) at the Shark Tank with first serve at 7 p.m.
