HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's volleyball team opens the season Thursday in the annual Hawai'i-Alaska Challenge presented by Alaska Airlines in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Silverswords will open the Challenge, which is in its fifth consecutive year, against the University of Alaska at 2 p.m. where they will look to extend their seven-match winning streak in the field. On Friday, they will face host University of Alaska Anchorage then wrap up the tournament on Saturday against either the Nanooks or Seawolves.
Because of graduation, the 'Swords have just one returning starter back from 2024. Despite that, under the guidance of 14th-year head coach
Kahala Kabalis Hoke who has turned them into a national power, Chaminade has plenty of respect around the Pacific West Conference, enough for them to be chosen a close second behind conference favorite Point Loma in the preseason coaches poll.
As the defending conference champion, Chaminade earned the right to host the first-ever PacWest Championship tournament which will be held on Nov. 20-21 at McCabe Gymnasium.
Sophomore outside hitter
Malena Mihalik (Santa Fe, Argentina/San Eugenio), who put down 1.47 kills per set last year, is their lone returning starter. But a key returnee is looking to reclaim a role in the starting six with junior
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane), who was the Silverswords' starting setter in 2023, when she earned the AVCA National Freshman of the Year honor as well as All-PacWest First Team kudos as well as the conference Freshman of the Year.
Competing with Ama as the team's primary quarterback is returnee
Allexis Iramina (Honolulu/Moanalua) and freshman
Lilinoe Paschoal (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/Baldwin).
Returnees
Tabby Allen (Leander, Texas/Rouse) and
Mykelle Brainard (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge) will compete with newcomers
Lillie Hinton (Spicewood, Texas/Lake Travis),
Audrah Johnson (Nampa, Idaho/Utah State University/Nampa HS),
Maylynn Mitchell (Corona, Calif./Orange Lutheran) and
Alizaysha Sopi (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Tennessee State University/Kapolei HS) for the outside hitter spots.
Hinton joined Chaminade last spring and was a member of the beach volleyball team while Johnson and Sopi both have Division I experience at Utah State and Tennessee State, respectively. Mitchell was one of California's top high school attackers.
The right-side hitter position is seeing freshmen
Aliya Hofherr-Sanders (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hanalani) and
Beele Wieczorek (Wiesbaden, Germany/Elly-Heuss School) among those competing for the spot while competition at middle blocker include
Aliya Hofherr-Sanders (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hanalani),
Anna Karasinska (Nowa Ruda, Poland/Il Licem Ogolnoksztalcase IM),
Reina Krueger (Fort Collins, Colo./Liberty Commons).
The Silverswords will also need a new libero. Last year,
Sina Bauer (Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany/Maximillian-von-Montgelas Gymnasium Vilsbiburg) and
Kyra Pagud (Honolulu/Moanalua) each had opportunities as the team's primary passer.
Two more newcomers --
Imani-Malie Hargis (Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i/Baldwin) and defensive specialist
Ma'ila Stephens (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Siena College/Mililani HS) -- plan to redshirt this season.
Upon their return from Alaska, Chaminade will host a pair of tournaments – the Hawai'i Challenge and the Aloha State Showdown – played at both McCabe Gym and Hawai'i Pacific University's Shark Tank. The 'Swords will face west region powers Cal State Los Angeles in the first tournament, then another in Western Washington the following weekend.
The PacWest will have a unique schedule this season where teams who have home-and-home meetings will see just one of their conference matches count towards the standings. The other is deemed non-conference.
As for the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge, the athletic directors of all three local schools agreed that both matches will still count in the annual competition, despite having just one match between them counting in-conference.
The 'Swords' first match that will count in-conference is at home on Saturday, Sept. 20 when they put their 26-match PacWest winning streak on the line against Jessup University.
