Defending Pacific West Conference volleyball champion Chaminade will occupy that same top spot in the standings

2022 PacWest Volleyball Poll
1.	Chaminade (8)	118
2.	Azusa Pacific (1)	100
3.	Biola (1)	94
4.	Concordia (1)	92
5.	Point Loma	78
6.	Hawai`i Hilo	76
7.	Hawai`i Pacific	53
8.	Academy of Art	43
9.	Holy Names	31
10.	Fresno Pacific	28
11.	Dominican	13
First-place votes in parenthesis

come the end of November, according to the conference's coaches.

Announced today by the conference office, the 2022 PacWest Volleyball Preseason Poll, special awards and All-PacWest Team had a lot of Chaminade color to it. 

The Silverswords were the clear leader in the coaches poll with 118 points, followed by 2018 and 2019 PacWest champion Azusa Pacific (100). Biola (94), Concordia (92), Point Loma (78) and Hawai`i Hilo (76) rounded out the top six. 

'Sword head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke's team won the 2021 PacWest title with a 17-3 record, clipping Biola (16-4) by one game. The Silverswords advanced to the NCAA tournament and finished the season 27-6 overall.

Chaminade was also represented by Preseason Setter of the Year Alexia Byrnes, who was the PacWest Setter of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2021. She doubled up again today, also earning the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year honor.

Byrnes, a 2021 transfer from Youngstown State, was an AVCA and D2CCA All-West Region setter. The 5-foot-11 left-handed talent had a triple double in one match last season (13 kills, 32 assists, 15 digs) and set a Chaminade school record with 1,149 assists on the season. The Chicago native led her team to their first PacWest title since 1996, an NCAA tournament berth and was named an AVCA honorable mention All-American.

Point Loma's Courtney Dyer is also a PacWest award repeat winner. Dyer was named the PacWest Preseason Libero of the Year, after also winning the same award in 2021 and 2020. She met expectations by earning the vote from the same coaches in the 2021 postseason with the Libero of the Year honor. The 5-foot-8 fifth-year starter had 667 digs in 2021 and now has 1,719 for her career. Her 6.47 digs per set last year is the second highest average in PacWest history. The Gilbert, Ariz. native had over 40 digs in a match twice last Fall and also had 40 service aces on the season, the second highest total in the conference.

Byrnes and Dyer were also named to the All-PacWest Preseason Team, and they were joined by Biola's Madison Beebe, Fresno Pacific's Corinne Acosta, Annaka Jorgenson of Azusa Pacific and Chaminade's Brooklen Pe`a and Greta Corti. 
 

(1) Chaminade had eight of the conference’s first-place votes on the strength of winning the PacWest title in 2021 on the final day of the regular season. The Silverswords finished the year 27-6 after an NCAA tournament loss to Central Washington. Head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke has four returning starters in Alexia Byrnes, Greta Corti, Lataisia Saulala and Brooklen Pe`a. Byrnes and Corti were all PacWest selections last year with Pe`a, who was also the PacWest Player of the Year. In addition, Kabalis Hoke added transfers Sasha Colombo and Sophie Schilling. Colombo is a 6-2 grad middle blocker who played four years at Colorado State and twice earned All-Mountain West honorable mention. Schilling is a 6-1 middle who as a freshman last season was an honorable mention All-GNAC selection at Alaska.

(2) Azusa Pacific was the 2018 and 2019 PacWest champion and led the conference for most of the 2021 campaign before a brutal back end schedule dropped them to fifth in the standings. Head coach Chris Keife is in his 19th season and has 392 career wins (392-180). Keife welcomes back seven players with starting experience including First Team All-PacWest pick Annaka Jorgenson, who was also an honorable mention All-American last Fall. Also back are Second Team All-PacWest picks Katarina Radisic and Kyra Palmbush. Northern Arizona grad transfer Aubrea Bandfield (setter) is big pick-up for the Cougars after having played four seasons for the Lumberjacks, leaving their program eighth all-time in service aces (112) and tenth in assists (2,121).

(3) Biola finished in second place last year (16-4), just one match behind Chaminade. The Eagles were 20-8 overall under coach Aaron Seltzer, now in his 21st season (505-162). Seltzer welcomes back 2021 First Team All-PacWest pick Madison Beebe, who from her outside hitter position put down 339 balls last Fall. Three other starters return in Abigail Copeland (MB), Emily Smith (OH) and Abby Brewster (S). Division I transfer Anna Aubele (OH) from Lipscomb will also help, after playing a key role for the Bison last year during her freshman season. Biola had one first place vote in the 2022 preseason poll. 

(4) Concordia also had a first place vote in the 2022 coaches poll. Head coach Paula Weishoff's team finished tied for third place last season (20-7 overall and 15-5 PacWest). The veteran coach now has 339 career victories (Concordia and UC Irvine) and she also has 11 returning players. Among those 11 are five starters, including Second Team All-PacWest picks Kirra Schulz (OH) and Jalyssa Sanchez (MB). Cassidy Gelacio (L), Julia Wilson (L/DS) and Daniela Poles (OH/OPP) also started in 2021. The Golden Eagles also have three graduate transfers that should help immediately in Alexandria Parisian (Hawai`i Hilo), Michelle Feliciano (Denver) and Gabrielle Barcelos (Cal State Fullerton).
 
(5) Point Loma is picked fifth on the preseason poll for the second consecutive season. Head coach Jonathan Scott will lean heavily on Courtney Dyer, who has dominated the PacWest preseason and postseason libero award for the past two years. The Sea Lions have five other starters back including Torrina Hommes (OH), Anna Massari (MB), Lauren Phillips (S), Claire Smith (MB) and Alexis Soncrant (OH). Transfer Gabby Hicks (SMU) will also help PLNU, who finished 14-13 overall last Fall and 10-9 in the PacWest. Hicks was a redshirt for the Mustangs.
 
(6) Hawai`i Hilo went 17-7 last season and was 14-6 in the PacWest. Fourth-year leader Chris Leonard welcomes back four-year setter Kendall Kott, who needs just 14 assists to become the all-time Vulcan leader in that category (2,820). Libero Tani Hoke was third in the PacWest last Fall in aces (33) and was sixth in digs (437). Outside hitter Samara Cruz is a third returning starter, but Leonard lost five players with starting experience, including four-year standout Bria Beale. Four freshmen and two transfers will attempt to fill the void.

(7) Hawai`i Pacific is also in rebuilding mode after losing seven players who played significant time in 2021. Seventh-year leader Jenic Tumaneng does have returning starters Ella Dotson and Demi Winters to rely on, and he also added seven freshmen and six transfers. The transfer list has a PacWest flavor, with three of the veterans having been in the league before—Maile Powell (UH Hilo/Iona), Riley Gill (Concordia) and Kianna Swingle (Chaminade). Three other transfers are also expected to help immediately—Lachelle Sikes (North Florida), Kalina Obrey (San Jose State) and Pua Beazley (North Texas).

(8) Academy of Art is slotted eighth in the preseason poll, the same spot they occupied at the end of the 2021 season. New leader Breann Robinson has three returning starters to work with in Katherine Von Kraut (OH), Isaura Santos (OH) and Jillian Wheaton (MB). The Urban Knights lost four key players and will attempt to replace them with three transfers and a handful of freshmen. The transfers include Amalie Rupertova (OH, North Carolina A&T State), Elly McInerney (S, Jr., Polk State College), and Maya McClellan (OH/RS, Gr., Eastern Washington). McClellan played two seasons at Nevada and two at Eastern Washington, leading the Eagles last Fall in kills.

(9) Holy Names has eight returnees, including six starters for fifth-year head coach Michael Gomez. The starters include Lauren Sera (OH), Saupuni Mavaega (MB), Jasmine Yun (S), Lille Tuivailala (OPP), Camille Rivers (S), and Ayanna Barham (OH). The Hawks went 9-19 last season, finishing the season on a three-match winning streak.

(10) Fresno Pacific returns one of the top players in the PacWest in the highly decorated Corrine Acosta. Acosta was named the PacWest Player of the Year for the 2021 spring season, was the 2021 Preseason Player of the Year and is now on the 2022 PacWest Preseason team. In three seasons, the outside hitter has 845 career kills. Head coach Mike MacNeill just arrived to campus earlier this month and has ten returnees to work with including Chloe Melis (MB), Makenna Ogas (MB/P), Catie Speas (S), and Anatassiya Barakhoyeva (S/DS).

(11) Dominican won just one match in 2021 but has a veteran crew back for third-year head coach Fred Lin. The Penguins return Gabi Maiocco (5-9, OH, Sr.), Sophia Hull (5-7, DS, Jr.), and Edee Leslie (5-11, OH, Sr.) and will also mix in eight freshmen and one transfer.
 

2022 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
Player of the Year	Setter of the Year	Libero of the Year
Alexia Byrnes Chaminade	Alexia Byrnes Chaminade	Courtney Dyer Point Loma

 

2022 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Corinne Acosta	Fresno Pacific	OH	Sr.	Exeter, Calif./Exeter
Madison Beebe	Biola	OH	Sr.	Mission Viejo, Calif./San Juan Hills
Alexia Byrnes	Chaminade	S	Sr.	Chicago, Ill./Youngstown State
Greta Corti	Chaminade	OH	So.	Varese, Italy/Univ. of San Francisco
Courtney Dyer	Point Loma	L	Sr.	Gilbert, Ariz./Valley Christian
Annaka Jorgenson	Azusa Pacific	OH	Jr.	Eastvale, Calif./Ontario Christian
Brooklen Pe`a	Chaminade	OPP/OH	Sr.	Woods Cross, Utah/Youngstown State