HHSAA D1 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Krystle Manguba-Glover, 14, and Camilla Ah-Hoy, 6, blocked Kalani's Krystie Vea. Kahuku faces Iolani today.
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Iolani beats the blahs to advance in state tournament
Kamehameha-Maui fails to take advantage of Iolani's lackluster play early in the quarterfinals
JUST AS the Iolani Raiders were hitting the snooze button, the Kamehameha-Maui Warriors were waking up.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Iolani's alarm clock went off in time for a 25-14, 25-22 win last night in the quarterfinals of the HHSAA/NewCityNissan.com Girls Volleyball State Championships.
Iolani (17-2) will battle second-seeded Kahuku (15-1) at 6:30 tonight in the first championship semifinal at Kekuhaupi'o Gym. In the second semifinal, Roosevelt (13-2) faces Kamehameha.
Leinani Keanini and Meghan Burton supplied Iolani's offense with plenty of fuel from the outside and middle. Keanini, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, pounded 11 kills and had two service aces. Burton, a towering senior, had nine kills and three roofs, all in the middle.
"Leilani was on fire, especially from last night," Iolani setter Kapua Kamana'o said. "That boosted our energy."
Sayble Bissen led Kamehameha-Maui with seven kills. Kisha Kaya added four kills and two aces, all in the second game.
"They're very scrappy. They picked up a lot of balls that I thought would drop," Kamana'o said.
A pensive crowd saw Iolani completely dominate Game 1. Three Raider aces set the tone, including one by Kamana'o to open the match.
"We just couldn't get started. Once that first serve shanked off our player, that was it," Kamehameha-Maui coach Donald Kealoha said.
"We had good serving. That's
what lowered their morale," Kamana'o said. "We started a little slow, but we got focused. Coach (Luis Ramirez) said to be patient on our blocking and to take more balls overhead."
Kamana'o controlled the floor, dishing consistently to Burton for uncontested swings over the middle. The Raiders jumped to a 5-0 lead and were never threatened in the Game 1.
Burton had five kills and two roofs in the opening game, while Keanini had four kills and two aces.
"Being nervous and falling behind that much, our players just weren't focused on what they were supposed to do," Kealoha said.
Kamehameha-Maui (12-1), champion of the Maui Interscholastic League, finally came to life in Game 2. Bissen, Eleu Novikoff and middle blocker Kaya helped the Warriors surge ahead. Kaya's roof of a Lauren Minkel attempt gave KS-Maui a 15-14 lead.
The Warriors extended the lead to 19-16 thanks to a kill and another roof by Kaya.
Iolani regained the lead with a 5-0 run. Keanini drilled three kills in a row as the Raiders took a 21-19 lead.
Bissen slammed a kill to help her team tie the game at 21-all. A left-handed reach by Bissen off a tip shot by Burton turned into a miraculous kill to tie the set at 22-all, but the Warriors didn't score another point.
Roofs by Burton and Miyoko Pettit stymied the Warriors, and Burton put the match away with another kill over the middle.
"At the end of the second game, we were kind of tense," Kamana'o admitted.
The draw of Iolani, which was ranked No. 1 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10 for much of the regular season, was a tough quarterfinal matchup. Still, the Warriors expected more of themselves.
"They see these (Iolani) girls in club ball," Kealoha said. "They thought they'd do better. They felt like they could play with them."
Kamehameha 2, Moanalua 0
Sophomore Rebekah Torres had eight kills to lead the Warriors past the Menehunes 28-26, 25-21.
Another sophomore, Kanani Herring, helped with five kills and two roofs, and senior middle Deven Bukoski had five kills and an ace.
The Warriors overcame Moanalua sophomore Kaleinani Kabalis, who ripped 15 kills from all over the floor. The Hilo transfer also had a roof and an ace.
Kahuku 2, Kalani 0
Camilla Ah-Hoy pounded seven kills and directed the Red Raider offense in a relatively easy 25-15, 25-21 win over their Oahu Interscholastic Association East foe.
Sophomore Leilani Tafuna picked up from where she left off in last week's OIA title match. She tallied eight kills, two service aces and a roof, combining with senior Ane Vea to give Kahuku a formidable, balanced attack.
Vea, a powerful left-hander, had five kills, two aces and a roof. Lily Latu, Kahuku's 5-7 sparkplug at the net, added six kills and two blocks.
Roosevelt 2, Kamehameha-Hawaii 0
The seventh-ranked Rough Riders eliminated the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Warriors 25-21, 25-18 .
Justiana Kalilimoku drilled 11 kills to lead Roosevelt (13-2). Emily Maeda added nine digs.
Lia Enos paced the Warriors with six kills and two blocks. Leonanahenahe Aina hustled for seven digs.
Kamehameha-Hawaii drew the fourth seed as a league champion, but was only a slight favorite against Roosevelt. The Warriors, who suffered their first loss after 16 wins, were ranked No. 6 in the latest Star-Bulletin Top 10 poll.
CONSOLATION
Aiea 2, Maui 0
Senior Lelani Kleman-Maeva pounded 18 kills to lead Na Alii over the Sabers 25-19, 25-16. Kleman-Maeva and Tasha Johnson came up with nine digs apiece to lead the Aiea defense.
Tasha Kuailani and Janet Ugaitafa led Maui with three kills apiece. Kristy Inamasu hustled for 10 digs, while Ugaitafa collected three blocks.