Chaminade, UH Hilo, Hawaiʻi Pacific play round-robin women’s volleyball tournament on Maui

Courtesy: Hawaiian Style Volleyball Club

More than 800 Maui fans were treated to a rare chance to see NCAA Division II women’s volleyball on Saturday at the Jon Garcia Gym on the Baldwin High School campus. The event was sponsored by Hawaiian Style Volleyball Club.

Chaminade University of Honolulu, the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and Hawai’i Pacific University played a round-robin spring exhibition tournament on Maui for the first time. 

It was a homecoming for Chaminade setter Lilinoe Paschoal, a rising sophomore who never lost a match in the Baldwin gym before graduating from the school in 2025. The Silverswords won both of their matches and all six of their sets.

“It was amazing, just having a completely new team from what I had just a year ago,” said Paschoal, a three-time Maui Interscholastic League Player of the Year and a four-time MIL champion. “It was just a special homecoming. It made me really happy.”

The Silverswords swept UH Hilo 25-12, 26-24, 15-8 in the second match of the three-match tournament. Paschoal served three straight aces to end the second set. 

“I did not expect that, honestly. I was just like, ‘all right, I’m in. We’re down one set point to them. I’m just going to give it my all and hope for the best,” Paschoal said. “And it worked. I’ve never done that before.”

HPU setter Jordyn McCutcheon, a redshirt senior, is a 2022 Molokaʻi High School graduate who played her first college matches in Maui County since her prep career ended in the fall of 2021. McCutcheon, who is 5-foot-6, had a highlight solo block to stave off set point at 24-15 in the second set of a 26-24, 25-16, 25-20 loss to Chaminade in the final match of the day.

“It felt nice to be here because I feel like a lot of kids playing in Maui County don’t always get to see the Oʻahu schools — the competition level is just so much higher there,” McCutcheon said. “So being able to come here instead of all the kids coming to Oʻahu, being able to showcase what the schools are like and how competitive volleyball can be in college, I felt like it was a good thing for the community to see.”

McCutcheon added, “it’s easier to bring our teams here instead of everyone having to go to Oʻahu, because I know things are expensive right now.”

UH Hilo swept HPU 25-22, 34-32 in a match limited to best-of-3 sets due to a pre-set time limit.

All three coaches said the first-time event was a success for their spring practice seasons. The event was coordinated with young players in mind — 30 players from Lahainaluna High School attended and the ball shaggers were all from Hawaiian Style Volleyball Club that is run by Al and Sheryl Paschoal, Lilinoe’s parents.

“Cool is an understatement. It was absolutely incredible,” Chaminade head coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke said. “Hawaiian Style, Al and Sheryl, just unreal hospitality taking care of us. So, we’re so appreciative.”

Kaballis Hoke added, “the Maui community coming out to watch and support us,  seeing the kids be the shaggers and ball girls and boys, it was just amazing to see them put together this really great event. We want to do it again and again and again. It was so amazing.”

Many of the athletes, including both Lilinoe Paschoal and McCutcheon, are also in the midst of the official beach volleyball season, often practicing twice during a school day while still maintaining their course work. McCutcheon is a psychology major with the goal of being a sports psychologist as a career goal and Paschoal is a sports and event management major.

“This is so cool, we’ve been talking about it for awhile, but nobody has really anchored this opportunity for us, so hats off to coach Al for putting this together,” UH Hilo assistant coach Ecko Osorio said while filling in for head coach Reed Sunahara who was away on a recruiting trip. 

Osorio summed up the idea of the day precisely.

“This is for the kids. We want to showcase our athletes to the kids,” Osorio said. “We want them to know that there is something after high school to look forward to or at least set their goals on, give them opportunities to go for it. Who knows how many future Vulcans, Sharks and Silverswords are in the stands today?”