HONOLULU – In one of their closest matches against a veteran program, the Chaminade University beach volleyball team on Monday dropped a 3-2 decision to the University of Portland at Queen's Beach in Waikiki.
The Pilots, in their ninth year of existence, completed the first three flights to capture the match. The Silverswords, in their inaugural season, won the final two in Pairings 3 and 4.
Portland won Flights 5, 1 and 2, the latter clinching the match. In Flight 3,
Elli Tsukano (Austin, Texas/James Bowie) and
Sophie Schilling (Berlin, Germany/Alaska/Schul- and Leistungsportszentrum Berlin HS) defeated Taylor Helle and Maui Robins, 21-16 and 21-17, to give Chaminade a win.
Then in the fourth flight,
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) and
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane) rallied from a set down to earn a 14-21, 21-14, 15-13 victory.
The 'Swords fell to 3-9 while the Pilots improved to 9-10.
