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Warriors’ powerful middle
too much for Eagles to handle
Kamehameha moves on to ILH final
against rival Punahou
The vibe of a state tournament match filled Kekuhaupio Gym last night.
Unfortunately, for Hawaii Baptist, it was the end of a good, but not-good-enough Interscholastic League of Honolulu season.
Kamehameha, behind a powerful middle attack, overwhelmed Hawaii Baptist 20-25, 27-26, 25-12, 25-18 to advance to the finals of the ILH girls volleyball tournament.
"They came back the way every coach would want. Their serving was strong and they were attacking everything," HBA senior setter Brandi Higa said. "We could've played better."
Kamehameha, ranked No. 2 in the Star-Bulletin top 10 poll, improved to 14-1. The Warriors will meet regular-season champion Punahou tomorrow for the tournament title. The Warriors also secured a state tournament berth.
"Our middles did a great job," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said of junior Deven Bukoski and freshman Beckah Torres. Setter Doris Kometani was fluid in the flow of the Warrior offense.
"Doris did a great job of making the right adjustments," Blake noted. "All the points you make from HBA are earned."
Kometani, one of just a few seniors on the Warrior squad, beamed with confidence. "We went to the middles first and opened up the outside."
Hawaii Baptist, ranked No. 5, finished the season 12-3. Rayna Kitaguchi pounded 10 kills and Kimberly Mow added nine to lead the way. Kitaguchi played despite a severe ankle sprain that sent her to the emergency room Monday night.
"I'm proud of her," Higa added.
The Golden Eagles are the highest ranked team in the state to not qualify for the state tournament. The ILH is permitted just two state tourney berths.
"Throughout the season, we told 'em all we wanted was an opportunity. We had that opportunity tonight," HBA assistant coach Keith Sugiura said. "Kamehameha made plays. We did our best. We tried to address their middles, but we couldn't stop them. They kept our defense off balance."
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Kamehameha started the season young, facing the losses of Mounia Nihipali and Kristen Ponce to graduation. However, the Warriors could be a serious darkhorse contender at the state tourney Nov. 10-13 at King Kekaulike gym.
"They served us tough and limited our attack," Sugiura said. "And maybe our girls were a little tight."
The visiting Golden Eagles attacked the edges of the court to win Game 1.
"A lot of it was nervous mistakes. We came out tight, and we weren't being aggressive," Blake said. "But HBA is a great team. They don't make mistakes. We focused on (Kitaguchi) and Mau in the first match, but this time they were diversified."
In the second game, there were six lead changes before Kamehameha opened a 21-18 lead. HBA came back to tie the game at 24, 25 and 26. That's when Kometani went to Torres for a kill over the middle to end the game.
"Their outside hitters did a good job of finishing. They tooled our block," Sugiura said. "We knew we had to contain, at least get a touch. They did a good job of running their offense."
Kamehameha dominated Game 3, roaring to a 14-2 lead, thanks in part to six HBA errors. The Golden Eagles never seriously threatened, but they bounced back in Game 4.
With Kitaguchi and Tiffany Chang coming alive, HBA led 10-9 and seemed poised to even the match. However, Kamehameha's power and consistent defense came through.
The Warriors went on a 7-1 run to take a 14-10 lead when HBA called timeout.
The Warriors were still hot after the timeout, vaulting ahead 18-12 with kills by Logan Keala, Leslie Aki and an ace by Alexis Robins. HBA got no closer than six points the rest of the way.
"Our team was really on fire," Bukoski said. "We got momentum off each other even though some of us might have had the jitters at first."
Kometani is optimistic about the remainder of the postseason. "I definitely say we're more of a team now. We've built trust with each other," she said.
HBA has a number of returnees next season, but the Golden Eagles will remember this year fondly. "This is a great group of girls," Sugiura said. "We as a coaching staff have the deepest respect for them."
Buffs defeat Iolani 2-1
Larissa Nordyke slammed 18 kills as top-ranked Punahou defeated Iolani 20-25, 25-20, 25-17 last night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
Nordyke, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, got plenty of help from her teammates. Kaui Robello added nine kills and 17 digs. Middle blocker Michelle Luxton and junior Elizabeth Ka'aihue tallied eight kills apiece.
Punahou (15-0) advanced to the finals of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball tournament. The Buffanblu will face Kamehameha on Thursday. The time and location will be announced today.
Lauren Minkel, a freshman, led Iolani with eight kills.
Iolani, ranked seventh in the Star-Bulletin top 10 poll, closed the season 11-4 in league play.
The Raiders, one of the younger teams in the league, threatened to upset their hosts despite the sweep. Iolani led 10-8 in Game 1 before Punahou stormed back.
The Buffanblu took an 11-10 lead they never relinquished. A 9-3 run left Punahou ahead 17-14. Iolani rallied to tie the game, but Punahou took control and finished the game with an 8-3 blitz.
In Game 2, Iolani led 9-4, but again, Punahou hustled back for an 11-10 lead en route to victory.
The host Buffanblu used a 6-0 run to regain an 8-4 lead in Game 4 and won going away.
