HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
Herring, Warriors deny Raiders
Kamehameha hands Iolani its first ILH loss
Perfection is relative, especially when the Kamehameha Warriors are on the court.
The No. 2-ranked Warriors weren't dominant, but they were perfectly balanced in a 25-21, 23-25, 25-14 win over Iolani last night at Kekuhaupio Gym.
Kamehameha improved to 8-1 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play and remained in striking distance of front-running Punahou. Junior outside hitter Kanani Herring led the Warriors with 16 kills, while Jordan Meredith tallied 13 kills, including four in the third set. Bekah Torres finished with nine kills, including three in the final game.
"We got a great team effort. Everybody picked it up for each other," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said.
Torres and Meredith dominated the final game with their serving.
Kamehameha broke a 3-all tie with an 8-1 run. Iolani got no closer than four points the rest of the way.
"Bekah and Jordan had a nice run to put some distance between them and us," Blake said. "We did a good job of feeding Kanani, and she did well in and out of the system."
Setter Kealohilani Kea had a match-high 29 assists.
"In the middle set, we let down a little bit, but we picked it back up in the third set. We had a lot of tough serves. That's what we've worked on in practice," the senior said.
Iolani slipped to 7-1 in league play despite jump-starting ahead of the Warriors in Games 1 and 2. Coach Jenic Tumaneng had prepared his team to start strong.
"Starting is different from finishing. We need to work on our passing. Their serve broke us down," he said.
Junior outside hitter Lauren Minkel paced the third-ranked Raiders with 12 kills, but she and her teammates were stymied by Kamehameha's serve in the final set. Minkel had just two kills in the third game. Kapua Kamana'o finished with 26 assists and a match-high three aces for Iolani.
Sophomore Chelsea Hardin added eight kills, including six in a pivotal second set.
"We needed a little bit more from her, but it's her first year working with Pua, so we'll be working more on her," Tumaneng said.
Iolani, he promised, isn't about to let up.
"We know we can play with them. We can work on our passing," he said. "Give 'em credit. Kamehameha came out fired up in that last game."
The Raiders stunned a crowd of about 400 by roaring to an 8-2 lead in the first game.
They played near-flawless volleyball, with Kamana'o spreading the ball around to Minkel, middle hitter Marya Kaminski and Leinani Keanini.
Iolani was up 11-7 when mental errors gave Kamehameha a run of easy points. The Warriors took the lead for good, 19-18, after a kill by Herring. Meredith closed out the game with her team's final three points on kills.
"We went a little flat. Iolani brought their 'A' game against us," Blake said.
A roof by Minkel on Herring gave Iolani a 5-2 lead to start Game 2, but service errors and hitting errors allowed the Warriors to regain momentum. Kamehameha was in control at 21-18 after a kill by Torres, but Minkel and Hardin combined for six kills and a roof as the Raiders went on a 7-2 run to win the set