StarBulletin.com

Kamehameha beats Punahou in return to islands


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POSTED: Wednesday, September 24, 2008

When it mattered most, Kamehameha turned to its Warriors in the middle.

Alex Akana and Talia Jardin combined for seven kills and two blocks in the final game as No. 1 Kamehameha outlasted second-ranked Punahou 25-19, 20-25, 25-17 last night before a festive crowd of about 900 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

“;It's a good win coming off a long trip,”; Warriors coach Chris Blake said, referring to his team's Silver bracket title at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas.

“;It's a critical part of the season. Our girls are physically and mentally fatigued, but they really responded,”; Blake added.

The 5-foot-11 middles took command in a match that ebbed and flowed. Akana finished with seven kills (.500), 2.5 blocks and an ace. Jardin, a sophomore, had eight kills (.545) and teamed with Akana to lead a consistent Kamehameha block.

“;We're the lucky ones,”; Akana said. “;Our passing in the third set was on it. If we do our job, our passers and setters did, too. (Jardin) is so young. She did really good.”;

Whitney Viveiros had team highs of 11 kills and 13 digs for Kamehameha (9-0), which took sole possession of first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Punahou (7-1) got nine kills from freshman Tai Manu-Olevao, but had trouble getting the ball down. The Buffanblu hit .158, including .097 in the final game.

“;Kamehameha is obviously a good team. We were self-destructive. We gave them a lot of easy points in the third game,”; Punahou coach Jim Iams said.

Punahou had five aces, but four service errors and was outblocked 7-3. Senior Anuhea Keanini had 13 assists and seven kills.

“;We lost our momentum. It kind of shifted,”; said Keanini, her voice barely audible after a bout with the flu. “;We gave up easy plays.”;

The Buffanblu stayed in the match with tough defense. Courtney Lelipali had 11 digs and Kristina Kam added 10.

Punahou roared to a 7-2 lead after an ace by Malia Patterson, but Kamehameha found its footing with Lela Matsunaga at serve. The senior delivered three aces in a row to bring the Warriors back.

After a net violation by Punahou and a block by freshman Misty Ma'a, Kamehameha led 16-14 and never lost the lead.

Consecutive hitting errors by Punahou and a block by Jardin ended the first game.

Three aces by sophomore Ali Santi helped the Buffanblu in the second set. Down 14-12, Manu-Olevao hammered three kills as Punahou went on a 6-0 run.

Kamehameha tied it at 20-all on a kill by Viveiros, but Warrior errors and a kill from the right side by Lelipali gave Punahou the second set.

“;They came out firing and we were going through the motions a little bit. But we kept focusing and saw open shots,”; Kamehameha setter Caitlyn Andrade said.

The open shots came from everywhere. Akana had a kill and teamed with Andrade for a roof as the visitors rallied to take an 8-5 lead.

Punahou spent the rest of the game chasing. The Buffanblu were within 12-11 before Jardin slammed two more kills down the middle. Kamehameha closed the match with a 13-6 blitz.

Ma'a finished with six kills and Taylor Akana added five.

Andrade finished with 36 assists. “;Our middles are great middles. Our passing allowed me to do that,”; she said.

Keanini, like the rest of her team, hopes they can improve as the second round arrives.

“;I'm a little disappointed. We could've done better, but I'm proud of our team, too. We put our all into it. That last set, (Kamehameha) made us crumble,”; she said.

 

No. 4 Hawaii Baptist 2, St. Andrew's Priory 0

In the early match at Hemmeter Fieldhouse, the Eagles improved to 7-1 with a dominant performance against the Pride. C'era Oliveira and Sarah Palmer each had nine kills to lead HBA, the defending Division II state champion, to a 25-12, 25-15 win. Palmer added 3.5 blocks and hit .400.

Oliveira, who had a team-high five digs, hit .615. Kayla Kawamura tallied 14 assists.

Ayesha Hein led St. Andrew's (5-4) with five kills. Kallye Higa hustled for eight digs.