The Saint Martin’s volleyball team made it interesting against Chaminade in Honolulu Thursday, but the Saints lost the opener of the Hawaii Challenge in five sets (15-25, 19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 11-15).
Chaminade rolled to a 9-2 start in the opening set and never looked back, leading by as many as 10. The Silverswords scored the final five points off of four kills.
Saint Martin’s held a brief lead in the second set before the Silverswords rattled off a 9-2 run to jump ahead by six. Emily Garten and Leila Quinn combined for eight kills in the frame, but the Saints fell 25-19.
After surrendering the first four points to Chaminade, Saint Martin’s eventually scored seven unanswered, including three Quinn kills, to take a 9-5 lead. Another 7-1 run turned a 13-13 tie into a 20-14 advantage for the Saints. Chaminade pulled within three at 24-21 until Garten slammed the door shut with a kill.
The fourth set saw Saint Martin’s pull away with an early 12-5 start, yet the Silverswords came back to take a 16-15 lead. Down 24-23 and a point away from defeat, the Saints scored the next three points to force a fifth set.
A brief 2-1 lead for Saint Martin’s in the fifth stanza didn’t last, as Chaminade’s ensuing 4-0 run gave it a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in a 15-11 victory.
Garten led the Saints with 15 kills, while Quinn was close behind her with 14. Zoey Crimin recorded seven kills and seven blocks, and Sophie Fast piled up 34 assists and 11 digs.
Saint Martin’s (2-3) will take on Hawaii Pacific at the Shark Tank in Honolulu Friday afternoon.
