(HONOLULU) Since Point Loma and Chaminade played on Sep. 30 as the lone remaining unbeaten volleyball teams (6-0) in PacWest play, the Silverswords have firmly established themselves as the prohibitive favorite to repeat as conference champions.
 
However, PLNU sent a message to the rest of the conference on Wednesday night, giving Chaminade its first loss in conference action. After dropping the opening stanza, the Sea Lions won the next three sets to win the match in four (18-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-20).
 
"We had a last-minute lineup change, and the girls just went with it and battled," Head Coach Jonathan Scott said. "We played with a lot of heart tonight. It's going to be a long week."
 
PLNU started the match well but with a 15-14 lead, CUH scored nine-straight points to run away with the first set.
 
The second stanza followed a similar script, with a bright start by Point Loma appearing to be spoiled by a late streak by Chaminade, with the Silverswords using a 4-0 run to tie the set at 19 apiece.
 
However, PLNU responded with four-consecutive points of their own on the backs of Courtney Dyer's serving, before Abigail Nua finished off the set with a kill to even the match at one.
 
Then in the third set with the Sea Lions holding a slim 13-11 advantage, a solo block and a pair of Torina Hommes kills sparked a 5-0 streak that gave Point Loma a comfortable lead. PLNU's advantage was then extended to as many as nine, before another Nua kill clinched the set and put Chaminade on the brink.
 
The Sea Lions then sealed the victory by never trailing in the fourth set. The win improves to Point Loma to 14-6 overall (9-3 PacWest), moving the Sea Lions into a tie-for-second in the conference standings with Fresno Pacific, two games behind Chaminade. A loss on Wednesday would have dropped PLNU into fifth place.
 
Nua (20 kills), Hommes (11 kills) and Izzy Reisinger (10 kills – career high) all recorded more kills than any Chaminade player. Lauren Phillips (22 assists) and Maggie Wolf (19 assists) took turns orchestrating the offense, while the defense was led by Courtney Dyer (24 digs) and Anna Massari (five blocks).
 
Point Loma has a quick turnaround before its next match, with the Sea Lions set to play Hawaii Pacific on Thursday night at 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. PT) in Honolulu.