HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Vanguard women's volleyball tangled with No. 9 Chaminade at McCabe Gym on Friday, with the Silverswords taking a 25-22, 25-13, 25-19 victory in PacWest Conference action.
The Lions had some competitive moments throughout the match, but the Swords hit .280 overall to VU's .087 mark. Chaminade collected 42 kills, while VU had 27 to go along with 19 hitting errors.
Junior Adeline Galvanoni and graduate student Bailey Olbur had a team-high tying six kills with Olbur hitting .385 (6-1-13) and adding a match-high tying four blocks.
Sophomore Kayla Robinson added five kills on .500 hitting efficiency. Senior Blair Dodge led all players with 15 digs from the back row.
The setter tandem of Rachel Lim and Madeline DeLucia handed out 14 and 11 assists, respectively.
Chaminade received eight kills apiece from Mahala Ka'apuni and Letizia Cammilucci.
VU fell to 7-8 on the season and 4-7 in PacWest play. The Swords improved to 18-4 and remained undefeated in conference at 11-0.
What Happened?
Set 1 – With the Lions owning an early 3-2 lead, the Swords took control with a 6-0 run, getting three kills from Ka'apuni.
Chaminade reeled off another six straight points to open up a 16-6 advantage, and held its biggest lead at 21-10.
The Lions would not go away quietly, utilizing a 6-2 run to pull within 23-16. Galvanoni pounded a pair of kills, while service aces from Olbur and Morgan Cole aided the VU cause.
A kill from Heavenly Campbell brought the Swords to set point, but VU dug in even further. Six straight Lion points whittled Chaminade's lead down to 24-22 as the Swords suddenly struggled on their attack. Olbur and Delaney Hill combined on a block of Cammilucci to get the Lions within two.
But after scoring 12 of the last 15 points, the Lions could not muster the complete comeback. Cammilucci put a kill down to give the Swords the 25-22 win.
Set 2 – Chaminade dominated to the tune of .448 hitting while the Lions managed just -.033.
The Lions stayed close early on after Robinson's kill made it 5-3 Chaminade. The Swords held a slight 8-5 lead, but sped away courtesy of a 7-1 run. VU had five attack errors during that stretch, digging a hole that saw the Swords take a 15-6 lead.
Unlike the first set, the Lions could not mount a comeback, managing to get only as close as 20-12. Chaminade led by as many as 12 points, and reserves Brooklyn Poling, Tabby Allen and Reina Krueger combined for the last four points in the 25-13 triumph.
Set 3 – Three early ties hinted at a much tighter third set. With the score knotted at 4-4, Chaminade scored five of the next seven points to take a 9-6 lead.
Olbur and Galvanoni teamed up to stuff Malena Mihalik to keep the Swords within three points at 11-8, but suddenly the home team doubled the margin to 15-9 as more errors plagued the Lions.
But the Blue and Gold responded with a 5-1 burst to creep within 16-14. Cole had a pair of kills, Alister Borabo added another, and the Swords had a pair of attack errors to insert some drama into the set.
Chaminade scored back-to-back points to briefly extend the lead to four, but the Lions fired right back with three of their own, trailing just 18-17.
Cammilucci downed a pair of kills to give her side a three-point advantage. The Lions stayed within three at 22-19 as Olbur and Galvanoni rejected Mihalik again.
However, Chaminade scored the final three points with an ace from Kendall Rios sealing the match.
What's Next?: The Lions stay on the islands to face Hawaii Pacific on Saturday. First serve from the Shark Tank is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (PT).
