SAN FRANCISCO – In a rare doubleheader during the middle of the conference season, the Chaminade University women's volleyball team opened their first Pacific West Conference road trip Sunday against conference rival Academy of Art, then dived back into their final conference tilt of the year at San Francisco State.
The Silverswords, ranked No. 6 in the AVCA Division II Poll, took care of PacWest business against ART U with a 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14 win at Kezar Pavilion to start the afternoon.
They then packed their gear and made the short drive to Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza – otherwise known as The Swamp – at San Francisco State University. But the 'Swords came up short in a 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 25-16 loss to the Gators, a quality opponent who are not only receiving votes in the poll but are the No. 2 squad in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings.
Chaminade is 10-4 overall and, with their victory over Academy of Art, improved their PacWest mark to 3-0.
Match 1: CUH 3, ART U 1
Behind a match-high 12 kills from
Anna Stucchi (Roncello, Italy/Santa Clara Univ./I.I.S. Ezio Vanoni HS), the Silverswords were able to overcome a feisty Urban Knights squad who just two weeks earlier won at both Hawai'i Hilo and Hawai'i Pacific to open PacWest action.
Letizia Cammillucci (Padova, Italy/San Jose State/Liceo Amedeo di Savoia Duca D'aosta HS) added 10 kills, 13 digs and three aces in the only meeting between the two teams this season. In addition to her kill totals, Stucchi also paced the 'Swords in blocks with five while
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) had 41 assists, 12 digs, three aces and three blocks.
CUH was able to overcome an early 19-17 deficit in the opening set thanks to a 4-1 run, paced by a pair of
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) kills. Tied at 23,
Malena Mihalik (Santa Fe, Argentina/San Eugenio) and Stucchi put down consecutive attacks to take the opener.
The 'Swords managed to grab a 2-0 lead, keyed by a 6-0 run midway through Set 2.
The Urban Knights forced an extra set but Chaminade closed the door in the fourth, surrendering just two natural points in the set.
The 'Swords hit .253, put down 56 kills with 53 assists, 65 digs, seven aces and six blocks. ART U was held to a .129 attack percentage but managed to get eight blocks. Alohi Garcia led the Knights (3-9, 2-2 PacWest) with 11 kills.
It was Chaminade's 14th straight win over Academy of Art, the team's longest active winning streak against a single opponent.
Match 2: SFSU 3, CUH 1
The Silverswords didn't have much time to catch their breath, making the 15-minute trip to SFSU and were back on the court four hours after defeating the Urban Knights. The match, which was added in mid-September, was another opportunity for the 'Swords to improve their in-region RPI and strength of schedule when the first region rankings are released in early November.
However, the Gators, which upended Cal State East Bay on Saturday, had other ideas.
San Francisco State, which snapped a five-match losing streak to Chaminade which included last season's NCAA West Region first round, got 16 kills from Izzy Issak and 14 from Aidan Goodrich to improve to 9-3.
Ka'apuni and Stucchi had 11 kills each for the Silverswords while Mihalik and
Lizanyela Lopez (Lima, Peru/Trinity Valley CC/Saco Oliveros HS) both had 10. Mihalik also had four of the 'Swords' five aces and 19 digs while Lopez had four blocks. Talpash dished out 44 assists while
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) matched Mihalik's dig total with 19 of her own.
The first set saw Chaminade hit .325 while San Francisco State hit .317 as the latter took the first set. CUH, which opened Set 2 on a 7-1 run, capped by three consecutive Mihalik aces, posted a .394 attack percentage in the frame while holding the Gators to .167.
But in the pivotal third set, the Gators used a 12-4 run and did not commit a hitting error to take a 2-1 lead.
Looking to send the match into a fifth set, the 'Swords owned a 10-8 edge but SFSU scored the next seven points to virtually secure the win and defend its home turf.
The match, which featured several long rallies and backrow saves by both teams, was well-played with Chaminade hitting .235 while San Francisco State hit .246. The 'Swords had 67 digs to the Gators' 66.
The Silverswords continue their conference road trip Tuesday when they visit Menlo College in a rematch of the Sept. 19 meeting in Honolulu, won by Chaminade. First serve is at 3 p.m. Hawai'i time.
