ATHERTON, CA – Hosting a tough Chaminade team inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion, Menlo Women's Volleyball competed step-for-step with the Silverswords, evening the match two sets in and nearly forcing a fifth frame before dropping a 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 21-25, 23-25) non-conference decision on Wednesday.

Oaks Highlights
-Fuka Kikuchi's 14 kills and 12 digs were both match highs
-Ruby Santos paced all competitors with 24 assists
-Maya Saole-Su'e finished with four block assists to give her 221 in her career
-Ava Wennerstrom & Emily Licon combined for 22 of the Oaks' 72 digs

Menlo Makes Moves
As a sign of the battle to come, the two sides went back and forth until settling even at 9-9 in the opening frame. From there, a 7-0 Chaminade run allowed the visitors to eventually take the first set 25-17. The second, however, saw senior middle blocker/opposite Maya Saole-Su'e put down three kills as part of a 6-3 start before the two teams found themselves once again knotted at 14-14. Kills by junior outside hitter Fuka Kikuchi and freshman outside hitter Dayjah McFadden powered a 10-4 burst that ultimately pushed the Oaks to prevail 25-23 on another put-away by Kikuchi.

The third set took an early turn in favor of the Silverswords, but a steady Menlo comeback kept the home team within striking distance. Down by six in the late stages, junior setter Ruby Santos found success assisting kills from senior middle blocker Janet Moala and Saole-Su'e, but a three-point margin was as close as the Oaks would come, falling 25-21.

Unanswered runs of 4-0, 5-0, and 3-0 featured a plethora of Kikuchi kills as Menlo built a 15-10 advantage in the fourth set, but Chaminade worked their way back in, trailing 23-21 after Moala added two more kills to her total. In the end, however, four straight points for the Silverswords dodged the threat and resulted in the visitors walking away with the 25-23 victory.

Up Next
The final home game of the season is on the horizon at 6pm Friday, Nov. 7 and will feature a Senior Night celebration of Kanani Packer, Amia Silva, Maya Saole-Su'e, Janet Moala, and Giulia Marinelli.