HONOLULU. – After dropping the first two sets, MSUB volleyball came back and won the third set, but Chaminade pulled away late, handing the Yellowjackets a 25-23, 25-14, 21-25, 25-19 loss at McCabe Gym Friday.
 
After an opening set battle, Chaminade cashed in on the momentum to run away with the second set before the Yellowjackets regrouped in the third frame. Tied at 15, MSUB drew away on a kill from Casey Rich and stayed ahead the rest of the way to force another frame. With an early 12-9 lead, MSUB looked to be in good position to force a final deciding set, but Chaminade was able to close down the match by finishing on a 5-1 run.
 
"We have to give a lot of credit to Chaminade," MSUB head coach Casey Williams said. "They worked really hard on offense and made our defense work really hard in return. I thought we played really well with the exception of the second set and hopefully next time we can come out on top."
 
MSUB's Ashlynn Ward was just two kills shy of her career record, finishing the match with 21 kills on a .594 attack percentage (21-2-32). Stormy Siemion finished with 13 kills while Lexa de Jesus added eight.
 
Senior Kylee Cornelio matched Ward in digs with 21 in the match. Freshman Angala Jensen dished up a match-leading 38 assists. The St. Vincent Healthcare Athlete of the Match added five digs and a service ace to her total.
 
"Ashlynn came out ready to play," Williams said. "She was swinging really hard at the ball and was confident in her decisions. The defense did a good job of telling her what was open and then she responded. Kylee did a good job on defense. She reads really well and is someone everyone looks to on defense and rallies behind."
 
The Yellowjackets finished the match with a .205 attacker percentage with Chaminade leading at .284. The Silverswords combined for 57 kills on the day, 10 more than the Yellowjackets. Daisia LaBrie led CUH with 13 kills and six block assists. Chaminade was bigger at the net, ending the match with 11.0 blocks to 4.0 from MSUB. Natashya Enos led the 'Swords in assists with 32 while Waihilo Chartrand posted a team-high 15 digs.
 
With the loss, MSU Billings moves to 1-1 on the season. Chaminade University stands at 2-0 after defeating No. 14 Alaska Anchorage last week at home.
 
In the first set, both teams traded points from 0-9 until Chaminade broke free with a run of three straight. A kill from Ward stopped the 'Swords and a second point from de Jesus pulled MSUB to within two. The 'Jackets took the lead at 17-16 on a CUH error, but both teams committed back-to-back errors to knot the score again.
 
A kill from Kim Springs gave CUH a 21-17 lead, but back-to-back points from Siemion and Ward kept MSUB in the set. Down 24-20, MSUB battled back to within three before Chaminade took the first set 25-23.
 
Building on their momentum, the Silverswords fired out to a 6-0 lead in the second set. Ward came through again with a kill on an assist from Jensen. Miranda McConnell struck a ball down the middle to pull MSUB to within four at 11-7, but Chaminade continued to build on the lead. A kill from Spring pushed the CUH advantage into double digits and the 'Swords ran away with the set from there.
 
Looking to punch back strong, the 'Jackets held the lead for most of the fourth set. MSUB allowed Chaminade to get back in the set with a 5-point swing in the middle of the set, but a six-point run pulled the 'Jackets ahead. Siemion gave MSUB the edge for 20-18 on a set from Jensen. A big kill from de Jesus pushed the 'Jackets to two points from the set and a big-time service ace from Jensen provided MSUB a set point. Siemion delivered a kill for a 25-21 third set win.
 
MSUB had chances in the fourth set to even the match. A service ace from Mataia Robinson opened up a 6-4 lead for the 'Jackets. The Silverswords tied the match at eight with a kill from Emma Tecklenburg. A block from McConnell and de Jesus pulled the 'Jackets to three back, 22-19. A timeout from Chaminade allowed the 'Swords to regroup, and back out on the court the team punched through the last three points for the win.
 
"We saw a very good team today," Williams commented. "Anytime we are able to compete against a team at that level is good preparation for conference. I hope that we can learn from it and tomorrow turn around with passion, confidence, and two more wins."
 
THE BUZZ: MSUB hit .308 in the final set…Robinson and Faith Taylor both had two service aces in the match…this is the ninth straight meeting between the two teams that has gone to four or more sets.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB finishes up its Hawaii trip with two matches tomorrow. The Yellowjackets face Hawaii Pacific at 1:30 PM HST/5:30 MST and San Francisco State at 4 PM HST/8 PM MST.