HONOLULU, Hawai`i--It took two hours and 30 minutes to accomplish, but really it was nearly four years in the making.

Playing their second straight five-set match in less than 24 hours, the Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans killed two birds with one stone during a 25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 25-27, 15-12 win over host Chaminade at McCabe Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

After falling in five heartbreaking sets to Hawaii Pacific on Saturday night, the Vulcans needed a win to stay close in the hunt for the Pacific West Conference title. They did so, and also broke the hex that the Silverswords have had over them. Chaminade had won the last seven meetings between the two teams, meaning that it was the first time that any of the current Vulcans have experienced a win over the Silverswords.

UH Hilo improved to 18-6 overall and to 13-3 in the PacWest. Chaminade remains in first place at 13-2 (19-4 overall), one-half match ahead of the Vulcans. Also in the logjam at the top of the pile is Azusa Pacific (12-2) and Hawaii Pacific (12-3). Only one game separates the top four teams in the standings.

Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific play each other on Wednesday, and then all three Hawaii teams head to southern California the following week for more critical matches. 

Bria Beale had another outstanding effort, leading the Vulcan stat column with 21 kills and 17 digs. Alexandria Parisian added 12 kills, and Amber Tai had 10 and four service aces. But the Vulcans may have won the match at the net, where they outblocked their island counterparts 16-9, which included two solos and nine block assists by Emily Wade. 

Emma Tecklenburg had 19 kills to lead Chaminade.

The Vulcans played nearly five hours of volleyball in 21 hours of time. It was their fourth five-set match of the season, and they are now 4-3 in those marathon games.

The Vulcans didn't show any fatigue in the first or second sets. They never trailed in the opener, jumping out to a 4-1 lead that they would increase to 16-7 on a Beale ace. Their lead would be ten on a Beale kill (23-13) and Beale then finished it off with a spike (25-16). As a team, the Vulcans had 15 kills in the first set, and Beale had five of them.

In the second set, Chaminade had a 17-13 lead before UHH scored ten of the next 12 points. Three of those came on service aces by Tai, and three more came on Beale kills. Two kills by Parisian helped close out the 25-20 win, giving the Vulcans a 2-0 lead.

In the third set, it was Chaminade's turn to go on a long run, pulling away from a 9-8 Vulcan lead to a 14-9 margin of their own. They wouldn't trail again in the set (25-20). In the fourth, the home team built a 16-10 lead, only to see the Vulcans come all the way back to tie it at 20-20. After another block, UHH had a 23-21 lead, but Chamiinade answered with three straight scores. (23-24). Both team had set or match points, before CUH scored the last three points of the set (27-25). 

In the do-or-die fifth, UHH took a 3-1 lead,  but Chaminade scored the next three points to take a 4-3 lead. At 6-6, a Beale kill gave the Vulcans a 7-6 lead, and although the Silverswords would be within one point three more times, the Vulcans would never trail again. The closed the match with a Parisian kill and two blocks, and finally a Tai kill. 

The Vulcans will now take a much deserved breather, returning home for a week of practice before heading out to southern California for four matches, Nov. 11-16.

  Read Full Article