IRVINE, Calif. – The CUI women's volleyball team closed out the week in thrilling fashion delivering a statement performance against Chaminade. The Golden Eagles swept the Silverswords 26-24, 26-24, 25-16 earning their ninth sweep of the season. The victory marked the Golden Eagles first sweep over Chaminade since 2017 and their first win over the Silverswords since 2023.
The milestone-filled night extended beyond the court. Head coach
Eryn Leja-Martin reached another remarkable career achievement earning her 250th career victory as a head coach after sweeping the three Hawai'i PacWest teams this week.
Kayden Croy was a force at the net making an impact both offensively and defensively throughout the match. Croy powered home 12 kills while hitting an impressive .500 and teamed up with
Delaney Gregg to put a stop to the Silverswords attack with both players recording five blocks apiece.
Livia Eyre delivered another standout performance recording her second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs.
Emma Wegleitner added six kills while anchoring the back row with nine digs.
Freshman middle blocker
Sarah Guglielmana also made her presence felt in a big way. Guglielmana went 9-for-11 from the middle hitting an outstanding .818 for the match. She also teamed with Eyre for two block assists as the defense continued to make it more difficult for Chaminade.
Setter
Nevada Knowles orchestrated the offense with 36 assists while adding eight kills and nine digs of her own. Knowles also led CUI with a team-high two service aces providing another spark from the service line. Defensively
Kendyll Winn and
Halen Kiefer shared libero duties collecting 11 and two digs, respectively.
Avery Banaag stepped into the back row at right back and contributed four digs.
The first set was one for the books as Chaminade appeared to seize control late building a 20-13 advantage but CUI refused to let the set slip away. The Golden Eagles chipped away at the deficit behind timely kills from Eyre, Wegleitner and Gregg cutting the lead to 21-17.
From there CUI turned up the pressure. Three blocks from Croy and Gregg helped force another Chaminade attack error and the Golden Eagles continued to capitalize on defensive pressure at the net. With the set on the line Croy came through with another clutch kill to tie the score at 24-24. A Chaminade setting error gave CUI set point and Eyre delivered the kill to complete the comeback. After trailing by seven points late in the set CUI closed on a 13-4 run to steal the opener 26-24.
CUI continued its momentum into the second set jumping to an early 4-1 advantage in the second set. Chaminade quickly answered keeping the set tight as neither team was able to pull away. A service ace from Eyre sparked the Golden Eagles followed by kills from Knowles and Guglielmana to push CUI in front 19-17. Knowles then continued to make an impact on both sides of the ball setting up the offense while adding a pair of crucial kills of her own. CUI carried a 23-20 advantage late but CUH refused to go quietly tying the score at 24-24. With the set once again hanging in the balance Guglielmana and Eyre delivered back-to-back kills to close out the set 26-24 yet again.
The Green and Gold didn't let up in the third set with Wegleitner going on a long service run to extend their lead by a commanding 20-12 score. The Golden Eagles held the Silverswords from going on any sort of run towards the end and a final kill from Eyre sealed another three set sweep.
The Golden Eagles are going on the road as they will take on Jessup in Rocklin, Calif. Friday Sept. 25 with a 5 p.m. start time.
To see the full CUI women's volleyball schedule click
HERE.
