HONOLULU – While a lot of attention in recent weeks was drawn to the new Chaminade University baseball team, another new program is quietly putting together work as their first-ever season draws near.
The Silverswords' beach volleyball team gets their debut season underway Saturday when they face fellow first-year squad Hawai'i Pacific University in a dual meet at Queen's Beach in Waikiki.
"Our ladies have been working hard on the sand and in the weight room to prepare for our beach season debut," said head coach
Kahala Kabalis Hoke, who hopes that her success on the hardwood floor of McCabe Gymnasium will carry over to the sand courts.
Beach volleyball has been a part of Chaminade since 2015 as an emerging sport, defined by the NCAA as helping to "provide more athletic opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship for institutions while helping the sport achieve NCAA championship status."
Unlike the other 11 athletic programs at CUH, beach volleyball is not sponsored by the Pacific West Conference and, like a majority of the 19 other Division II programs who have it, operates as an independent.
The NCAA also does not split beach volleyball into its traditional divisions so a majority of Chaminade's opponents can be from the Division I ranks. It also means all members can compete for an opportunity to play in the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship which has been held annually in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Eighteen Silverswords from the fall indoor program help to comprise the 20-member first-year team including the three departing seniors.
Fans who bid aloha to
Greta Corti (Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco/Alessandro Manzoni Liceo HS),
Hula Crisostomo (Honolulu/Univ. of Texas El Paso/Moanalua HS) and
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungsportszentrum Berlin HS)
on Chaminade's Senior Night last Nov. 17 will see them in action one more time, this time on the sand court.
Also on the team are
DeLaney Poling (Gilbert, Ariz./Park Univ./Perry HS) and
Elli Tsukano (Austin, Texas/James Bowie). Poling is a transfer from Park University in Arizona and is the sister of
Brooklyn Poling (Gilbert, Ariz./Western Carolina Univ./Perry HS), who is also a member of both the indoor and beach teams. Tsukano played on the indoor team for three years, last in 2022 and was a member of that year's squad that advanced to the NCAA West Regional title match.
Following Saturday's HPU match, the Silverswords will compete in their first major tournament at the University of Hawai'i-hosted Heineken Queens Cup at Queen's Beach from March 7-9. Among their opponents are Pepperdine, which finished 19th in the final AVCA Beach Poll in 2023, Saint Mary's, Nebraska and Boise State.
The 'Swords will also face UH on April 13 and Grand Canyon, which ended 2023 ranked No. 9 in the AVCA poll, as well as two more duals with HPU (March 26, April 27).
"We're gaining more experience and knowledge about the game in every practice," Kabalis Hoke said. "Although the game is new to some, the coaches and I can already see the progress the team is making. The goal is to continue to make positive gains this season to learn and grow in the game. The players are eager to learn and embark on this new adventure."
