BYUH in full swing
for quarters

The Seasiders look impressive
in the NAIA National Tournament

Star-Bulletin staff

KANKAKEE, Ill. -- The heart-to-heart talk Brigham Young University-Hawaii women's volleyball coach Wilfred Navalta had with his team after Wednesday's matches in the NAIA National Tournament produced the desired effect yesterday.

The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Seasiders (28-0) grabbed big leads early in the first two games and rallied in the third to down Dickinson State (N.D.), 15-2, 15-4, 15-9, and secure a spot in the quarterfinal round.

BYUH, undefeated in pool play at 4-0, will start quarterfinal play tonight after concluding preliminary action this morning with a 15-5, 15-1, 15-8 win over Biola (Calif.).

Arlete Silva sparked the Seasiders against Biola today with 20 kills.

"They are scrappy, play great defense, run a quick offense and handle the ball well. That's why they are here," Navalta said.

Yesterday, the Seasiders took 7-0 and 12-0 leads in easily winning the first two games, and came back from a 7-4 deficit in the third game. Six consecutive points put BYUH ahead, 10-7, and after the Lady Blue Hawks (38-2) scored twice, the Seasiders closed out the match.

"We played better in every aspect," Navalta said. "The emphasis was to terminate technically correct, to focus on more precision with our blocking and hitting, to be 100 percent all the time."

Silva hit .600 and led the Seasiders with 13 kills and four blocks. Ana Alves and Vanessa Valansi each had 10 kills.

"I was pleased with our play today. I told the team our challenge is to keep our performance at this level for the rest of the tournament," Navalta said.

BYUH hit .370 for the match and held Dickinson State to a .089 hitting percentage.

"We're glad we played the best team to see how we compare," Dickinson State coach Dave Moody said.