HONOLULU – For nearly two years, the Chaminade University women's volleyball team ran roughshod through Pacific West Conference opponents.
But as the saying goes, "All good things come to an end."
On Friday, the Silverswords opened a stretch of seven straight matches on O'ahu with a stunning 25-22, 25-22, 25-19 defeat to Biola University at McCabe Gymnasium, suffering their first conference defeat since Oct. 28, 2023.
The loss snapped the 'Swords' 31-match PacWest winning streak, the third longest in conference history, two wins shy of the mark set by BYU-Hawai'i from 1998 to 2000 and Hawai'i Pacific University from 1999 to 2001.
Lillie Hinton (Spicewood, Texas/Lake Travis) and
Alizaysha Sopi (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Tennessee State University/Kapolei HS) had a team-high seven kills each while
Tabby Allen (Leander, Texas/Rouse) added another six for Chaminade, which fell to 11-8 and 5-1 in the PacWest in seeing its current eight-match win streak stopped.
Reina Krueger (Fort Collins, Colo./Liberty Commons) and
Beele Wieczorek (Wiesbaden, Germany/Elly-Heuss School) added five kills each. Krueger and Hinton each posted two blocks.
Allexis Iramina (Honolulu/Moanalua) picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 17 assists and 13 digs with
Sina Bauer (Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany/Maximillian-von-Montgelas Gymnasium Vilsbiburg) scooping up 11 more digs.
Kendall Vandertuig put down a match-high 16 kills for the Eagles (10-5, 1-1 PacWest), who also ended a streak of five straight losses to Chaminade.
In front of a vocal McCabe Gym crowd decked in pink for "Dig Pink Night" and playing their first home match in nearly three weeks, the Silverswords bolted out to a three-point lead early in the first set. But an 8-0 Eagles' run was a harbinger of things to come the rest of the evening. The home team scrapped back, closing to within 23-21 but was unable to complete the comeback to fall behind by a set.
Chaminade seemed to right the ship in the second set, jumping out to a 16-9 lead but another big Biola run caught the 'Swords at 19, then scored four straight to close the second set and take a two-set lead.
With the humid weather turning McCabe Gym into a virtual sauna, the Eagles used a 10-4 surge to hand CUH its first home sweep to a PacWest foe since Azusa Pacific in October 2019.
Chaminade hit .104 in the match while Biola had a .263 attack percentage. The 'Swords posted 34 kills, 33 assists, 46 digs and six service aces. Their formidable block, which went in the double-digits in seven of their previous 10 matches, was not there with just three total team blocks.
The Eagles countered with 44 kills, 38 assists, 49 digs, five aces and eight total blocks.
The Silverswords return to action Saturday when they face Vanguard University in a non-conference match at 3 p.m.
