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Hawaii Baptist aces win
A letdown after a tough loss would be expected of an average volleyball team.
Hawaii Baptist, however, is far from average. The Eagles carved up Word of Life's defense for 12 service aces en route to a 25-17, 25-13 win last night at McCabe Gym.
HBA, which lost in three sets to Kamehameha on Saturday, remained in third place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Punahou (10-0) and Kamehameha (10-1) are the only teams ahead of the Eagles. With the regular season coming to a close, every win helps them secure the highest possible seeding.
HBA is ranked No. 5 in the Star-Bulletin Girls Volleyball Top 10.
Word of Life slipped to 5-5. The Firebrands share sixth place in the standings.
"HBA plays steady volleyball. The girls tried hard, but we made too many mistakes," Word of Life coach Leeann Satele said. The Firebrands, she added, have plenty of work to do as they battle for a chance for a state tournament berth.
"They serve tough, but at the same time, we practice against jump serves," Satele said.
Kimberly Mow tallied seven kills, and Rayna Kitaguchi added five to lead HBA's balanced attack. Tricia Yoshimura had four aces, while Kristine Miyasato tallied three, and Kara Kamikawa added two.
HBA spends just 3 minutes per day on serving, but it's an intensive drill. "We get a lot of reps," Yoshimura said.
Careena Onosai led WLA with nine kills and a roof, but never quite caught fire. Playing proper defense against the Firebrands' top offensive weapon was mandatory.
"We played with our head right on Careena, but she wasn't going for the line at all," senior setter Brandi Higa said. "So we played for the angle."
Firebrand errors and HBA's precise serving marked both sets. HBA trailed 5-4 when Miyasato went to the service box for her team. The Eagles scored four points in a row with her at serve, sparking a run that gave them a 10-6 lead.
WLA rallied with Dariess Wright at serve. Shayna Onosai pounded a kill, and Chanteal Satele added two more as the Firebrands tied the game at 10. Mistakes, however, cut into WLA's momentum.
HBA went on a 6-2 run thanks to three errors by the Firebrands. The Eagles led 19-15 when Miyasato returned to serve. A hitting error by Satele and a kill by Brittany Burkhalter preceded three aces in a row by Miyasato, and HBA led 24-15.
Mow, a sophomore, came alive in the second set with six of her seven kills. The game was tight at 7-6 when Mow pounded two kills and teammate Tiffany Chang added a dink shot for another point. Jayme Lee's ace helped the Eagles open an 11-6 lead.
Word of Life cut the margin to three, but with Yoshimura at serve, HBA went on a 9-0 run. Yoshimura, a junior, had three of her four aces during the blitz as HBA took a 20-8 lead. At that point, HBA rested two starters, including Higa.
In all, HBA had more aces than errors (11). WLA committed 23 errors in all. The Eagles played their brand of volleyball and wore the Firebrands out in most of the night's rallies.
"We didn't really swing to put away," Higa said. "We were looking for roll shots and tips."
Coach Satele was disappointed with the finish, but is looking forward to getting back in the gym to work on her team's weaknesses. "I'm gonna first count to 10," she said, just half kidding. "We'll take a good look at the video."
