HONOLULU – For the second straight match, the Chaminade University women's volleyball team put together a strong attack at the net to give them a 25-20, 25-14, 25-18 win over Cal State East Bay in the second day of the Hawai'i Challenge at McCabe Gymnasium.
Lillie Hinton (Spicewood, Texas/Lake Travis) put down a match-high 11 kills for the Silverswords, who hit .253 in the match, just 24 hours after posting a .378 attack percentage against Cal Poly Humboldt.
Malena Mihalik (Santa Fe, Argentina/San Eugenio) added another 11 kills while
Leilani Ama (Spokane, Wash./Mt. Spokane) had another solid versatile performance with seven kills, 15 assists, three service aces and five digs.
Sina Bauer (Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany/Maximillian-von-Montgelas Gymnasium Vilsbiburg) posted a career-high 15 digs and
Lilinoe Paschoal (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/Baldwin) dished out 19 assists and seven digs.
The win was the second straight for Chaminade (2-4) after dropping its first four matches of the 2025 season.
Jada Stone and Fane Paua led the Pioneers (1-2) with six kills each.
The 'Swords built as many as a 20-11 first lead before East Bay got to within 23-20 before a Pioneers' setting error gave them a one-set lead.
Chaminade hit a whopping .500 to cruise in the second set with Hinton putting down six of her eight swings and helping the home team to a two-sets-to-none lead.
But CUH hurt itself to begin the potential close-out set, committing seven hitting errors – including a stretch of four straight – which saw the Pioneers open up a 10-5 lead. However, Paschoal made four straight trips to the service line where an East Bay hitting error put the 'Swords ahead, 12-11.
A Mihalik kill gave them the lead for good at 13-12 as Chaminade pulled away at the end with
Tabby Allen (Leander, Texas/Rouse) holding serve at the line for the final four points.
The 'Swords nearly doubled up the Pioneers in the kills column, 43-to-22, and out-dug them, 48-to-29. Despite being out-blocked, 7-to-3, Chaminade delivered 10 service aces to East Bay's one.
The Silverswords will wrap up the Hawai'i Challenge on Saturday against St. Mary's of Texas at 7 p.m. The University of Hawai'i Hilo and St. Mary's will open Saturday at 10 a.m. with the 2 p.m. contest pits the Pioneers against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
