It hasn't always been pretty, but head coach Glennie Adams has few complaints about the impressive season-opening run her Chaminade volleyball squad has compiled heading into this month's extended break.

With three heady, hungry seniors, two smashmouth outside hitters, one precocious freshman setter and a full complement of steadily improving reserves, the Silverswords have stormed to an impressive but not totally unexpected 7-1 run to start the season.

"It hasn't been the smoothest start, but I'll take winning ugly," Adams said.

Leading the charge has been the senior triumvirate of middle blocker Evelyn Bluthenthal, defensive specialist Krista Catian and opposite hitter Lila Sapolu.

"They all bring such different dynamics," Adams said. "But they all want so badly to experience some success."

Bluthenthal is the intimidating physical presence. Sapolu, who willed her way into the starting lineup, is the organizer. Catian is the vocal leader and a steadying influence.

The trio's on- and off-court leadership has eased the transition of freshman starter Tanya Alvino, a 5-foot-8 setter who has already garnered recognition as MVP of the Hawaiian Style Classic and PacWest Volleyball Player of the Week.

"Tanya was coached well in high school and at the club (level)," Adams said, "so she comes in with experience and, even more so, a great attitude. She's very coachable."

Adams has also leaned hard on outside hitters Samantha Miller, a freshman, and junior Trina Kauliakamoa, whose reputation as a workhorse was cemented when she took 92 swings in one match last week.

After going 3-1 over a three-day period last week (a loss to UC San Diego and wins over Sonoma State, Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington), Kauliakamoa and her teammates get some much needed rest before they begin conference play against Hawai'i Pacific Sept. 21.

Adams said there is still much work the team needs to put in before it can achieve the sort of season of which it's capable.

"We seem to lack confidence in serve-and-receive and there are a few too many unforced errors," she said. "But the kids are playing hard and they're beginning to make their own identity separate from the teams of the past. For the most part, they've been focused on task. They're not getting ahead of themselves, and they're humble."

Adams said she will limit the amount of jumping her athletes do in practice, preferring instead to concentrate on technical execution.

Chaminade's hot start stands in stark contrast to the fortunes of preseason favorite Brigham Young-Hawai'i, which fell out of the Top 25 after posting a 4-4 record against tough preseason competition. Hawai'i Hilo (3-4) and HPU (3-5) have also struggled early.

Adams said the less-than-perfect records are a result of strong preseason schedules that may ultimately benefit each team as the conference season begins.

"We work together with BYUH and HPU to get strong teams over here, which brings a level of respectability to our conference," Adams said. "We all played against strong competition from Division II and NAIA teams. We all have losses but I think we'll all be better in the long run."

SEBEN HONORED

The bright side: Hawai'i-Hilo sophomore middle blocker Fabiane Seben earned PacWest Volleyball Player of the Week this week after racking up 31 kills, 10 block assists, and nine service aces, and was an all-tournament selection at the Nanook Classic hosted by Alaska-Fairbanks.

The other side: The Vulcans lost all three matches of the tournament, falling to 3-4 for the season.

SOCCER PREDICTIONS

In a tight vote that featured four teams divvying seven first-place votes, BYUH was tabbed as the PacWest favorite in women's soccer.

BYUH, Dixie State and Hawai'i Hilo each received two first-place votes; the other first-place vote went to defending conference champ Notre Dame de Namur.

Dixie State placed second in the poll, followed by Notre Dame de Namur, Grand Canyon, Hawai'i Hilo, HPU and Chaminade.

Seasider senior forward Jill Haar, a first-team All-PacWest selection last season, was voted the conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Haar on the offensive team were teammate Emily Mearns, Hawai'i Hilo's Karen Weatherby, Notre Dame de Namur's Amy Armijo and Catherine Ponce, Dixie State's Nicolette Trickey and Grand Canyon's Vanessa Young.

The preseason defensive team includes Hilo's Healani Leite-Ah Yo, BYUH's Sarah Norton and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Tessa Chesser of Grand Canyon. The preseason goalkeeper selection was Suzanne Hunt of Dixie State.

In men's soccer, Hilo sophomore Drew Geis was selected as the conference's Preseason Offensive player of the Year. The Kapolei graduate earned freshman of the year honors last season.

Joining Geis on the offensive team were teammate Ryan Neill, HPU's Akihide Adachi, Grand Canyon's Andrew Bailey and Tony Judice, and Notre Dame de Namur's Andres Caballero and Dorian Virrueta.

HPU's Michael King was selected Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, joining Chaminade's Chad Nishikuni and Grand Canyon's Bosko Jovicevic on the preseason defensive team.

Grand Canyon's Franco Carotenuto was picked as the preseason top goaltender.

Grand Canyon received all six first-place votes in the preseason poll. Notre Dame de Namur ranked second, followed by HPU, BYUH, Hawai'i Hilo and Chaminade.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Hawai'i Pacific ranked 19th among NCAA Division II universities in this year's National Collegiate Scouting Association's Collegiate Power Rankings.

The rankings evaluate colleges and universities based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength, and athletic accomplishment.

YESTERDAY'S ACTION