[ HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL ]
Iolani, Kamehameha in ILH battle tonight
But both teams are still looking up at No. 1 Punahou
A champion will have her pride.
So it is with Kamehameha, the defending state girls volleyball champion. Following an upset loss to Punahou more than a week ago, the Warriors dropped in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, but still drew a few first-place votes.
Today, coaches and media gave all 10 of their No. 1 votes to Punahou. The Warriors, currently at No. 2, rolled over Le Jardin last week to regain some momentum. Tonight, Iolani makes the trek to Kekuhaupio Gym.
With an automatic state-tournament berth awaiting the first-round winner of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Kamehameha (7-1) and Iolani (7-0) are in elimination mode to some extent.
"It's looking to put ourselves in a good position. The kids want it," first-year Raiders coach Jenic Tumaneng said. "Even Punahou wants us to win."
Tumaneng wasn't at Iolani last season, when the Raiders had control of their destiny only to fall to Kamehameha in the second round and the playoffs. Along with a final loss to the Warriors at the state tournament, Iolani has dropped three straight matches to the team in navy blue.
The aura of invincibility that Kamehameha opened the season with has been shattered, though, since Punahou's victory. Tumaneng is not banking on any notion of lost confidence at Kapalama Heights.
"I think it allows them to possibly use it as a motivation," he said of coach Chris Blake's team.
"If you lose just by not playing well, you learn that you have to be on in every match. I'm approaching it as they'll be ready for us, especially playing at their place. We'd like to get their crowd out of it early."
A year ago, the longtime coach was still the mentor of Farrington's volleyball program. Now that he's in a merciless volleyball league -- five of the top seven teams in the Top 10 are from the ILH -- Tumaneng is enjoying the challenges.
"Oh yeah, I like it. It prepares you for big games. What I try to do with our practices is create that atmosphere. We try to have good practices to simulate that, have our second team simulate that. The girls take the challenge," he said.
Game time at Kekuhaupio is 6 p.m.