HONOLULU — As the drama escalated between longtime volleyball rivals Iolani and Kamehameha on Tuesday night, the head official turned around on his dais and motioned for the rowdy Raiders student section to move back from the court.
They complied, but only for a few moments.
Upon Iolani’s 25-20, 24-26, 25-13, 25-22 victory over the defending state champions, many of the hundred-plus students, decked out in all kinds of colorful garb for homecoming week, rushed the court and swarmed their classmates.
Throughout the match, the raucous group, many of whom were players on other Raiders teams, demanded as much attention as the on-court action with their bleacher-shaking antics, chants and cheers.
It was like that last week against Punahou, too, Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. They were Iolani’s first Interscholastic League of Honolulu home girls volleyball matches with a full crowd allowed in the pandemic era, which only added to the fervor.
“Amazing energy every time,” Obrey said. “Especially today, we didn’t have so much on our own, so it definitely added to our level, keeping us engaged and moving forward. But they’re amazing. They’re here late. They finish their practices, and hopefully finish their homework.”
Kamehameha coach Chris Blake made mention of the environment without being asked a question about it.
“Hats off to Iolani, their players doing their thing. Their crowd was great,” he said. “For us to come in here and play the way that we did, it was a good step for us, but we’ll definitely have to be better the next time we see them.”
With the win, Iolani improved to 3-1 in the gauntlet that is the ILH. The Raiders have beaten Kamehameha twice and split a pair with Punahou. They face Mid-Pacific twice later this week, then have one more meeting against each opponent to cap the first round of league play. Punahou leads the pack at 4-1.
Senior-laden Iolani went to a steady dose of sets to the left pin, where Senna Roberts-Navarro and Brooke Naniseni unloaded swing after swing.
Roberts-Navarro led the way with 17 kills, 10 digs, an ace and a block. Naniseni added 15 kills, five digs and two blocks.
“We have really good hitters out there, so I’m just trying to get them the best opportunities,” said senior setter Maya Imoto-Eakin, who supplied 45 assists and 10 digs. “Whatever set I get them, they can really hit it.”
Once they were established, the Raiders slipped in balls to the middle and the right, where opposite Eryn Hiraki put down 10 balls on .421 hitting. Iolani’s size — Naniseni is 6-1, and Roberts-Navarro and middles Mari Laton and Callie Pieper are 5-11 — made an impact. The middles combined for five blocks.
Kamehameha topped Punahou for the 2021 title to cap a marathon season last December behind college-bound senior stars Devin Kahahawai (Texas) and Maui Robins (Portland). With them gone, the Warriors (2-3) have gone to an up-tempo pace and attacks coming from multiple angles, and Tuesday they were game in hostile territory. They jumped out to an 8-1 lead in Set 2 and, after losing the lead late in the frame, rallied to take it in extra points on hitter Kalei Watson’s tapped shot to a back corner.
But Iolani intensified its defense in the back row and dominated Set 3, leading by as many as 12 points. Senior libero Tessa Onaga had a match-high 20 digs.
Kamehameha was forced into 19 hitting errors in the third and fourth sets, including a few among the final handful of points that effectively prevented the match from going the five-set distance.
Obrey credited his team’s tougher serving late in the match, forcing the Warriors out of system and into predictable attacks more frequently.
“When they pass the ball well, they have a fast tempo, so they move it around to their hitters," he said. "Their hitters are tough; they hit left and right. It’s tough to stop. If we can get them to be a little more one-dimensional, then it helps us play better defense.”
Watson led Kamehameha with 15 kills and 14 digs. Warriors middle Adrianna Arquette added 12 kills and five blocks and setter Marley Roe had 10 kills, 10 digs and 20 assists.
Some more photos from the night:
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.