It started out as the competitive volleyball match most expected.
It ended as a rout.
Along the way, it became clear Chaminade was well on its way to wrapping up its first Pacific West Conference title since 1996. The Silverswords were firing on all cylinders in the final two sets Friday night, sweeping UH-Hilo 25-23, 25-12, 25-17 at its gym.
Finishing the regular season with its eighth consecutive win, Chaminade (27-5, 17-3 PacWest) will await Monday’s selection show to find out its seed in the West Region of the NCAA D-II tournament.
The Vulcans (16-7, 13-6) didn’t have a player in double figure in kills for the first time this season. They will hold senior night at 7 p.m. Saturday when they finish the season by hosting Hawaii Pacific, honoring Bria Beale, Ashton Jessee, Amber Tai, Kamilla Marinas and Alexandria Parisian after the match.
UHH began conference play by beating Chaminade in four sets on Oahu, but the rematch was no match after a first set that included 12 ties and nine lead changes.
The Silverswords were overpowering at the start of the next two sets, hitting .254 for the match. Annah Rivera put down 12 kills, and five players were in double figures for digs.
With seven attack errors, Beale missed double figures in kills for the first time in seven matches, finishing with eight, her second-lowest total of the season. Samara Cruz collected seven kills and Jessee had five. UHH hit just .085