HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team was looking to rebound from Friday night's sweep against Biola University.
Instead, the short-handed Silverswords found themselves on the short end for the second straight match, falling to Vanguard University in four sets, 21-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21.
Freshman
Maylynn Mitchell (Corona, Calif./Orange Lutheran), summoned to the lineup because of injuries and other circumstances, made the most of her first career start by hammering down 26 kills, the most by a Silversword since Keani Passi's 28 on Nov. 14, 2015. Mitchell also hit .429 on the afternoon.
Audrah Johnson (Nampa, Idaho/Utah State University/Nampa HS) added 12 kills in defeat as Chaminade fell to 11-9 overall. Because of the unbalanced schedule, it was a non-conference match and does not affect their Pacific West Conference record, which remains 5-1 on the season.
Alizaysha Sopi (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Tennessee State University/Kapolei HS) put down another eight kills for Chaminade.
Lilinoe Paschoal (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/Baldwin) had 24 assists while
Allexis Iramina (Honolulu/Moanalua) got another double-double with 22 assists and 12 digs.
Tabby Allen (Leander, Texas/Rouse) added six service aces and three blocks.
Morgan Cole had 19 kills for the Lions (12-3), who salvaged a series split after Chaminade defeated them in the conference matchup two weeks ago in Costa Mesa.
The 'Swords appeared to have shaken off the disappointment of the previous evening, roaring out to a 15-9 lead from the jump before cruising for the first set win.
CUH took an early Set 2 lead of 10-6 but committed four straight attacking errors in one stretch to help Vanguard rip away the frame and tie the match.
The pivotal third set saw 14 ties and seven lead changes but Chaminade could not take advantage of Set 3 point at 25-24 which helped the Lions take a 2-1 edge.
The wheels came off in the fourth with Vanguard opening up as many as a seven-point lead. The 'Swords did show plenty of fight, staving off five match points before falling.
The 'Swords could not match the Lions' efficiency, hitting .211 to their .342. Although they outdid Vanguard in kills (59-55), assists (56-48) and aces (11-5), Chaminade was out-blocked, 10-to-4.
The Silverswords will have a "road" match on Wednesday when they venture a few short miles into Manoa Valley and face in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University at the Shark Tank. Although the match is designated non-conference, by agreement with the athletic directors from each school, it will still count as a PacWest Hawai'i Challenge contest. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
