Chaminade reduced their magic number in the PacWest volleyball race to four with two more wins, but Point Loma and Concordia kept pace with 2-0 weeks of their own. CUI’s Kirra Schulz had a pair of double-doubles to earn the PacWest Player of the Week and PLNU’s Anna Massari blocked and hit her way to Defender of the Week honors.

2022 Results/Schedule
2022 Standings
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Oct. 26 NCAA Division II West Region Listing
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Concordia’s Kirra Schulz, OH, 5-9, Sr., San Clemente, Calif.
Kirra Schulz continued her stellar play with two more double-doubles last week for 2-0 Concordia. The former Gonzaga player totaled 35 kills and 30 digs in seven sets of action, giving her five kills per set and 4.29 digs. In a 3-1 victory over Holy Names, Schulz had 24 kills and 16 digs, and in a sweep of Dominican she added 11 kills and 14 digs. On the season Schulz ranks second in the PacWest in kills (3.58) and points (4.09) and is sixth in digs (3.84).

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Point Loma’s Anna Massari, MB, 6-1, So., Las Vegas, Nev.
Sea Lion second-year player Anna Massari had ten total blocks last week in PLNU’s wins over Holy Names and Dominican, with one solo and nine assisted. Those numbers came in just six sets, giving Massari 1.67 blocks per set for the week. That number was tops in the PacWest, and she was second in the league with a .550 hitting percentage with just two errors in 20 attempts (13 total kills).
 
CHAMINADE STARTS ANOTHER STREAK: The PacWest Team of the Week is the CHAMINADE SILVERSWORDS, who swept two southern California teams in Honolulu last week with 3-0 wins over Biola and Azusa Pacific. The Silverswords, who had lost the week prior to Point Loma to snap a 13-match winning streak, started another with a victory versus Concordia and have now won 16 of their last 17 matches. With five matches remaining, the ‘Swords have a 1.5 match lead on Point Loma and a two game lead on Fresno Pacific. With a 14-1 record in the PacWest and a 19-7 mark overall, the ‘Swords have reduced their magic number for a second straight conference title to four.
 
POST-SEASON PROGNOSIS: The first “listing” for NCAA Division II west region team in the mix for postseason play was released last Wednesday. This was not a ranked order of teams, but an alphabetical list of ten squads. This coming Wednesday (Nov. 2), a ranking will be released, and the top eight squads will have the inside track to postseason play. In the Oct. 26 listing, Chaminade was the only PacWest team to make the grade (see link to complete listing at the top of the page).

RECORD BOOK REWRITE: Holy Names Saupuni Mavaega had three solo blocks in the loss to Point Loma to break the PacWest single season record in that category. By the end of the day on Saturday, she had 53 total solos, breaking the previous mark of 49 set by Grand Canyon’s Ashley Bright.

PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: Academy of Art’s Maya McClellan had a big week for the Urban Knights. The 5-10 graduate outside hitter had 16 kills and 12 digs in a 3-0 win over Dominican and had 11 kills and 12 digs in a 3-0 loss to Fresno Pacific…ART U’s Amalie Rupertova had 20 kills in that win over the Penguins…Chaminade had 12 service aces in the three-set victory over Biola…It was a slugfest on the Big Island when Azusa Pacific edged Hilo, 3-2. Anna Jorgenson had 18 kills, 15 digs, and four aces for the Cougars and Hailey Patino added 28 digs. UH Hilo’s Samara Cruz had 16 kills, 19 digs and three aces and libero Tani Hoke dug out 27 balls…Abigail Nua had a double-double in just three sets in Point Loma’s 3-0 win over Holy Names with 14 kills and 16 digs…Biola’s Madison Beebe had 13 kills and no errors (.520) against HPU. Beebe also had 11 kills and hit .400 against the Vulcans…Fresno Pacific’s Makena Ogas and Corinne Acosta both had double figures in kills and digs against ART U, with 14/10 and 10/12 respectively…APU’s Kyra Palmbush had 13 kills and no errors (.813) against the Sharks.

LOOKING AHEAD: Three matches top the PacWest slate this week as teams head into the final two weeks of the regular season. Point Loma hosts Concordia on Thursday, and the Sea Lions also welcome Fresno Pacific on Saturday. On Friday, the Sunbirds will be in Irvine as the pack behind Chaminade in the standings battle it out.