LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three members of the Chaminade University women's volleyball team were named Wednesday to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-America Teams while another received the AVCA's highest assistant coaching honor.
Outside hitter
Letizia Cammillucci (Padova, Italy/San Jose State/Liceo Amedeo di Savoia Duca D'asosta HS) and middle blocker
Anna Stucchi (Roncello, Italy/Santa Clara University/I.I.S. Ezio Vanoni HS) were named to the third team while setter
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) earned honorable mention honors.
Silverswords associate head coach
Kolby Kanetake, meanwhile, was named the AVCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year with all four helping Chaminade go a perfect 20-0 in the Pacific West Conference and capture its third Pacific West Conference championship in the past four years and fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth. The 'Swords are also currently ranked No. 4 in the AVCA poll, the highest ranking in program history.
In her only season in a 'Swords uniform, Cammillucci posted 3.03 kills per set and led the PacWest in service aces with 61, which is also a new team single-season record which stood for 27 years. A first team All-PacWest section, as well as all-West Region honors from the AVCA, the graduate transfer from San Jose State posted 16 kills, 13 digs and three blocks in her final match in the NCAA West Regional semifinal against San Francisco State, which helped her earn all-tournament team honors.
Like her fellow Italian, Stucchi put together a standout year with her school-record .433 hitting percentage leading the PacWest but was also third nationally. Included in her feats was a .917 attack percentage (11 kills, no errors, 12 attempts) on Nov. 13 at Azusa Pacific, which tied the single-match record. In addition to her All-America honor, Stucchi was also recognized on the AVCA and D2CCA (Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association) All-West Region Teams while also earning All-PacWest First Team and conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
With career stops including one year at the University of San Francisco and three at the University of Oklahoma, Talpash found a home at Chaminade. After being a reserve in 2023, the Temecula, California, native took full advantage of her sixth and final year of eligibility by putting together one of the finest seasons by a setter in school history with her 1,160 assists breaking Alexia Byrnes' single-season record of 1,049 set in 2021. Talpash was also a threat all over the floor, posting 101 kills, 322 digs while her 41 total blocks is the most by a CUH setter. Talpash's individual accomplishments included All-PacWest First Team, PacWest Setter of the Year and all-region honors from the AVCA and D2CCA. She was also named to the West Regional All-Tournament Team.
The Assistant Coach of the Year is the second time the AVCA recognized Kanetake, who was a AVCA 30 Under 30 recipient honoring coaches under the age of 30 in 2021-22. The former University of Hawai'i libero who still ranks third in the UH all-time digs list with 778, just wrapped up his fifth year on the 'Swords' bench. Since being elevated to the top assistant spot in 2021, the Silverswords are 118-32 including a staggering 73-7 record in the PacWest, a winning percentage of .913.
Chaminade ended the 2024 season at 28-5, recording the second-most wins in program history, trailing only the 30-win season from a year ago. They also reached the semifinals of the NCAA West Regional for the third straight season.
