DIVISION I STATE VOLLEYBALL
Punahou sweeps Kalani in opener
STORY SUMMARY »
Of the eight matches in the opening round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships, only one went more than two games.
In Division II at McKinley, Castle started slow, but rallied back for a three-game victory over University.
The Knights and three other Division II squads moved into tonight's quarterfinals against the four seeded teams.
In Division I games at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo, four teams ranked in the top six of the Star-Bulletin's Top 10 poll moved on -- Kahuku, Punahou, Iolani and Roosevelt.
Tonight, top-seeded Kamehameha, the two-time defending state champion, opens in the quarterfinals against Roosevelt, which eliminated Waiakea last night.
Baldwin, Kalani and Mililani were also eliminated from the Division I title chase.
STAR-BULLETIN
FULL STORY »
By Wayne Joseph
Special to the Star-Bulletin
HILO » Anuhea Keanini had nine kills and Diana Hiromoto added seven with five aces to lead Punahou to a 25-20, 25-12 win over Kalani in the first round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Championships Division I tournament.
Division I Schedule
At Hilo Civic Auditorium
YESTERDAY
Match 1: Kahuku def. Baldwin 25-16, 25-13
2: Punahou def. Kalani 25-20. 25-12
3: Iolani def. Mililani 25-15, 25-22
4: Roosevelt def. Waiakea 25-20, 25-22
TODAY
5: Waiakea vs. Baldwin, 1:30 p.m.
6: Kamehameha-Maui vs. Iolani, 3 p.m.
7: Kamehameha vs. Roosevelt , 4:30 p.m.
8: Moanalua vs. Punahou, 6 p.m.
9: Kamehameha-Hawaii vs. Kahuku, 7:30 p.m.
TOMORROW
10: Kalani vs. Mililani, 1:30 p.m.
11: L-7 vs. L-9, 3 p.m.
12: L-8 vs. L-6, 4:30 p.m.
13: W-7 vs. W-9, 6 p.m.
14: W-8 vs. W-6, 7:30 p.m.
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Punahou, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu third-place team, controlled the match behind the power hitting of Keanini, a versatile 5-foot-6 junior, and Charlotte Fonua, a 5-10 junior.
In Game 1, Kalani came out challenging the Buffanblu, taking a two-point lead on several occasions in the match at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
"We were like statues on the court," said Fonua after the match. "We had a 10-game layoff and we were not executing. I was too excited in Game 1 and started to relax in the second game," she said.
Fonua finished with six kills, while Hiromoto ignited the Buffanblu in Game 2 with four consecutive service aces and nine straight points.
"This was the first time I've ever strung nine consecutive service points together," said Hiromoto. "I think we were rusty at the start of the game and our coach explained to us about settling down and relaxing."
Kalani opened Game 1 with the strong hitting of Rhianna Farm and Tina Pulu, who each had four kills for the night. Chelsea Suzumoto aided the Falcons' effort with her nine assists, but it wasn't enough to hold off a potent Buffanblu attack.
"Our girls were very tight at the start of the game," said Punahou coach Jim Iams. "We made way too many hitting errors and we need to play better defense."
Punahou committed 13 errors, including a 5-seconds serving violation that ended Hiromoto's string.
Kalani stayed in the first game and was up 19-17 before Punahou began its rally.
"Shaena (Kuehu) made a great play when we were down by two, to rally us," said Iams. "It was that play that turned things around and got us going."
Punahou went on an 8-1 spree to take control and win the opener.
"Coaches rarely turn games around," said Iams. "It's the players' ability to loosen their emotions that make the difference."
Punahou's hitting percentage was .194 in Game 1, compared to a lackluster Kalani performance of .074.
In Game 2, Punahou increased its percentage to .235, while Kalani struggled at minus-.071.
In Game 2, Hiromoto, a 5-6 senior, put the match away with her nine consecutive points.
Punahou (15-5) advances into the quarterfinals today to face the tournament's No. 2 seed Moanalua (11-4) at 6 p.m.
"Moanalua is a very good team," said Iams. "They are a very solid team with several outstanding players and very good coaching. I expect Moanalua to give us a tough match."
Kahuku 2, Baldwin 0
Leilani Tafuna put down six kills and had 10 digs as the Red Raiders defeated the Bears 25-16, 25-13. Taeja Afalava added six kills for Kahuku and Kathy Satele had seven to lead Baldwin.
Iolani 2, Mililani 0
Leinani Keanini had a team-high nine kills to lead the Raiders past the Trojans 25-15, 25-22. Candace Soares had 10 kills for Mililani.
Roosevelt 2, Waiakea 0
Jacey Tagavilla had seven kills and Meleana Yamashiro added six to go with 12 digs as the Rough Riders beat the Warriors 25-20, 25-22.
Chelsey Buyuan had nine kills in the loss.
Yesterday
Kahuku |
25 |
25
|
Baldwin |
16 |
13
|
Roosevelt |
25 |
25
|
Waiakea |
20 |
22
|
Punahou |
25 |
25
|
Kalani |
20 |
12
|
Iolani |
25 |
25
|
Mililani |
15 |
22
|
Waimea |
25 |
25
|
Hawaii Prep |
17 |
20
|
Molokai |
25 |
25
|
Honokaa |
20 |
22
|
Castle |
18 |
25 |
25 |
University |
25 |
22 |
19
|
Word of Life |
25 |
25
|
McKinley |
20 |
19 |