DENVER – Saturday's Colorado Premier Challenge Gold Bracket championship was a matchup pitting one of NCAA Division II's most successful women's volleyball programs against a relative newcomer to the national scene.
On one side, there was No. 9 West Texas A&M which boasts four national championships and 30 NCAA regional appearances. On the other, 13th-ranked Chaminade University which has six all-time regional playoff appearances, four in the past five championship seasons.
When the dust settled at MSU Denver's Auraria Event Center, the Silverswords took the Lady Buffs to the limit but came short in five sets, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 4-15, in just the second meeting all-time between the two programs.
Despite falling shy of the title, it was a rather successful weekend for the 'Swords (7-3), who advanced to the Colorado Premier Challenge championship match in their first-ever appearance in what is considered to be Division II's best pre-conference tournament.
Letizia Cammillucci (Padova, Italy/San Jose State/Liceo Amedeo di Savoia Duca D'asosta HS) put down 16 kills and had 17 digs for the Silverswords and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after totaling 61 kills, 38 digs and five service aces in her four matches.
Anna Stucchi (Roncello, Italy/Santa Clara University/I.I.S. Ezio Vanoni HS) also had 16 kills with four blocks against the Lady Buffs and was named to the all-tournament team.
Setter
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS), who had 45 assists, six digs, five blocks and four kills in the finale, also garnered all-tournament team honors.
Saturday also concluded one of the brutal two-week stretches in program history for Chaminade, which saw them topple the AVCA's Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 8-ranked squads in Cal State Los Angeles, Wayne State, MSU Denver and Cal State San Bernardino, respectively, and all of which were either road or neutral site matches.
The Lady Buffs (6-2), who won the 2022 national championship and were NCAA runners-up last year, demonstrated their pedigree in the first set, bolting out to a 10-3 lead. The 'Swords managed to tighten the deficit to 10-7 before WTAMU pulled away late.
Behind a 6-1 run in the second set, the Silverswords erased a 16-14 hole, taking a 20-17 edge where Cammillucci's kill squared the match.
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) played a big role in the frame, putting down six of her 14 kills while making just one attack error.
Behind Ka'apuni's five kills and seven from Stucchi, it allowed Chaminade to take the third set and grab a 2-1 set lead.
West Texas A&M's 9-2 run midway through Set 4 broke open an 11-all deadlock which helped them force a decisive fifth set.
But like in the opening set, the Lady Buffs raced out to a 10-1 lead in the final to which the 'Swords could not recover. WTAMU hit .733 and did not commit a hitting error in the fifth to secure their fourth Colorado Premier Challenge title, but first since 2012.
Chaminade hit .147 in the match to West Texas A&M's .272 and totaled 57 kills, 51 assists and 55 digs to the Lady Buffs' 62 kills, 59 assists and 63 digs. Despite West Texas A&M ranking in the top 50 in team blocks, the 'Swords managed to amass nine team blocks to their 10.
With the murderer's row of non-conference opponents behind them, the Silverswords will open Pacific West Conference action for a two-match home stand starting Thursday when they host conference newcomer Menlo at McCabe Gym. They will also face Dominican University of California on Friday. First serve for both matches are at 7 p.m.
Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team
| Letizia Cammillucci, Chaminade - Most Valuable Player |
| Anna Stucchi, Chaminade |
| Grace Talpash, Chaminade |
| Annika Helf, MSU Denver |
| Alayna Santel, Missouri-St. Louis |
| Kryssa Moerman, MSU Denver |
| Natalie Stefanski, Lewis |
| Riley Kindall, Wheeling |
| Riley Anderson, MSU Denver |
| Taya Beller, Wayne State |
| Teagan Starkey, Concordia-St. Paul |
| Emma Becker, West Texas A&M |
| Bryli Contreras, West Texas A&M |
