Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Avery Perreira had a match-high 22 kills to go along with two blocks and four aces to fuel Maryknoll to victory over previously unbeaten Damien, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 27-25.

The win was just what the doctor ordered for the Spartans, who needed a bounce back game after losing its season opener to Hawaii Baptist just three days earlier, to level their record.

"It was very important because we knew from last year that Damien was one of the top teams (in the ILH) and we really wanted to get that win to redeem ourselves (from the HBA loss)," said Perreira. 

From the opening serve, Damien was simply relentless, battling back and staying withing striking distance with the home team in every set.

Down 18-11 in the first set, the Monarchs battled back to 20-18 before falling behind again 24-20 and needing a pair of points off of blocks to get back within two.

A Perreira kill put an end to the rally, as the Spartans took set one, 25-22.

Set two saw Damien lead for much of the way, with the largest lead of three enjoyed at 21-18. This time it was Maryknoll that battled back, tying the score at 23-all before getting a Perreira kill followed by an errant swing on the outside by Damien that gave the Spartans the set.

Damien dug deep in the waning moments of set three, tying the score at 22 on a Tiani Souza solo block then scored the final three points of the set to force a fourth, capped by a Kenna Wengler kill.

The final set of the match was as tightly contested as the first three, but ended a bit anti-climatically, with the home team getting the final two points off of unforced errors by the visiting squad to claim the win, 27-25.

Despite the absence of fans, the energy level displayed by the benches of the Spartans as well as the Monarchs, clearly had a positive impact on the play happening on the court.

"In this game, we wanted to continue to work on our energy," said Perreira. "Its what we've been working on since the HBA game and it helped us today."

Maryknoll got the bulk of its offensive punch off the arm of Perreira, but nine total services aces, including four from libero Rozalynn Cabuena helped turn the tide. But Damien actually outblocked the larger front line of Maryknoll, 17 to 12, and outassisted the Spartans, 43 to 40.

Kaila Kalama-Bajet led the Monarchs with 19 kills and two aces.