Under head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke, the Chaminade women's volleyball team has seen sustained success in recent years. The Silverswords have been to four straight NCAA Tournaments and are looking to make it five this week.
McCabe Gym, located on the Chaminade campus, will be the host of the 2025 Pacific West volleyball tournament, the conference's first tournament since 2000. The Silverswords earned hosting rights by virtue of winning the outright league title in 2024.
Chaminade went 28-5 in 2024, including a perfect 20-0 in PacWest matches. After losing eight seniors, the Silverswords began their 2025 campaign 0-3 but rallied to finish 16-13 overall, including 9-3 in conference play. Only four teams make the PacWest Tournament, and Chaminade didn't punch its ticket until the final day of the regular season with a sweep over Menlo on Nov. 14.
"We're very fortunate and blessed to be able to host the tournament," Kabalis Hoke told Aloha State Daily. "So appreciative of our staff and administration for supporting that initiative. Thankful that we did some amazing things in 2024 and we hope to keep that legacy alive. We are learning and growing and getting better with our new squad. We're getting better, and it's just such a wonderful opportunity that we have a conference tournament in a season where we weren't perfect, and we can still have this chance to fight for a championship title."
The tournament begins on Thursday with top-seeded Point Loma taking on No. 4 seed Hawai‘i-Hilo in the first semifinal at 4:30 p.m.
Chaminade, the No. 3 seed, will face Fresno Pacific in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The championship match then will take place on Friday at 6 p.m.
"It's a huge benefit to not have to travel and settle in a hotel. They're all in the comfort of their own beds," Kabalis Hoke said. "There's also definitely a home court advantage with just understanding this gym, the heat, the humidity, the lighting, the atmosphere and being comfortable in that atmosphere."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
