HONOLULU – Year 2 of the Chaminade University beach volleyball program gets under on Friday when they face Hawai'i Pacific University at Hunakai Park.
The Silverswords, coached by
Kahala Kabalis Hoke, will look to follow up on their inaugural year when they finished 7-9. All victories were against HPU while their nine losses came against more established and seasoned teams whose programs are in the Division I level.
The 'Swords' top tandem a year ago was
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane) and
Grace Talpash (Temecula, Calif./University of Oklahoma/Great Oak HS) who had seven wins as a duo. Meanwhile,
Kanoelehua Misipeka (Pago Pago, American Samoa/Liberty North, Mo.) also had seven wins, five of them while being partnered with
DeLaney Poling (Gilbert, Ariz./Park Univ./Perry HS), including a four-match winning streak to end the season.
Nanna Inoue (Kula, Maui, Hawai'i/Tyler JC/King Kekaulike HS) and
Mahala Ka'apuni (Hilo, Hawai'i/Alaska Anchorage/Hilo HS) posted a 3-1 mark in 2024 as a team with the latter being responsible for four wins, tied with
Malena Mihalik (Santa Fe, Argentina/San Eugenio) for the sixth most for a returnee.
This season's schedule includes six matchups against HPU as well as matches against the University of San Francisco (twice) and the University of Nebraska.
The 'Swords will also participate in the Heineken Queens Cup, where they will face Saint Mary's, Washington, Tulane and the host University of Hawai'i Manoa.
