HONOLULU — Kamehameha-Hawaii proved it could blow out a big-name opponent in the state tournament. On Thursday night, the Big Island Warriors showed they have moxie with their backs against the wall, too.
The BIIF champions pulled off an incredible five-set comeback over OIA champ Kahuku via reverse sweep at Moanalua’s gym, 24-26, 14-25, 25-23, 25-5, 15-11, after coming within two points of elimination in the third set.
The magical run that began with a sweep of Punahou in the quarterfinals has culminated with another marquee matchup against an Interscholastic League of Honolulu powerhouse. For the first volleyball title in program history, the third-seeded Warriors will have to go through top-seeded Iolani, which dispatched OIA runner-up Mililani with ease in Thursday’s nightcap.
They experienced only one four-set game in their 17-0 run through league play.
“We won really good the other night,” KSH coach Guy Enriques said of putting away the Buffanblu. “It’s so easy to sit back and say, ‘Wow, we’re good.’ We had to prove it tonight. We haven’t been in that situation hardly at all the entire season. Adversity is a welcome opportunity to show some resilience, and I’m so glad we did.”
KS-Hawaii and Iolani are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center or 30 minutes following the Division II championship between Le Jardin and Hawaii Baptist Academy. The Raiders are going for their fourth all-time title and third in the last six editions of the tournament.
Count Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey among the impressed with the upstart Warriors from the Keaau campus.
“We play Punahou often, and we never take for granted when you can get a win against a Punahou team. Any year, they’re tough,” Obrey said. “So, you gotta be pretty good to pull that off and to come out and play a tough five-set match where they were down 2-0 and didn’t stop fighting and gave themselves an opportunity … they’re a tough team.
“Coach Guy always does a good job. I’m excited to play someone different.”
The last BIIF team to win the top-tier state title was Hilo in 1974. This is the first HHSAA Division I final that isn’t an all-ILH affair since 2002.
Warriors junior hitter Maela Honma, who had the deciding swing for a kill off the block on match point, said the team’s chemistry is vastly improved from last year’s group, which made the quarterfinals.
“(A title would) mean everything in the world for us,” said Honma, who had 17 kills on 65 swings (.154 hitting) and 19 digs. “We want to make history with this team. I feel that we’re very special and we can do it. We have to believe in ourselves, and it’s ultimately for our fans, our supporters and our families. We want to make them proud.”
Middle Taina Kaauwai overcame a slow start to finish with 13 kills and five blocks, including four solo.
Kahuku was mere moments away from its first state finals appearance since it won it all in 2002, dominating in Set 2, when it hit .500, and leading by a few points in Set 3. But the Red Raiders could not close in their third straight dramatic five-setter — they prevailed in such fashion in the OIA championship against Mililani and a state quarterfinal duel with Moanalua.
“We weren’t pressing on our blocks in the first couple sets,” Honma said. “We managed to delay more, press more, and it amped our middles up, which is why our middles got more swings.”
Set 4 was a tidal wave that was over seemingly in moments. After Kahuku led early in Set 5, the Warriors steadily would not be denied and Honma and Kaauwai made the plays to end it.
Kahuku libero Hehea Pulotu was a defensive black hole with 28 digs; no other Red Raider had more than eight.
“Their libero is all-world. She was doing some magnificent things,” Enriques said. “She kept them alive. … She was all over the place. She literally kept them in the game.”
Cha’lei Reid led Kahuku offensively with 13 kills and five aces, while Mele Taumoepeau added 11 kills and middle Sidney Keni also had 11.
“I think we broke down on some of the basics that made us successful, and we couldn’t recover,” Kahuku coach Tuli Tevaga said. “But we fought to the end and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls to keep that fight.”
In the nightcap at Moanalua, Iolani steamrolled Mililani 25-14, 25-9, 25-15 to reach their first state final since the Raiders last won it in 2018.
The Raiders dominated in all phases to hit .444 for the match to the Trojans’ minus-.011. Dominant left-side senior hitter Serra Roberts-Navarro tallied 21 kills on 33 swings with just one error (.606) and middle Brooke Naniseni added 13 kills on .458 hitting, while recording five stuffs of Mililani.
Spectrum OC16 Impact Player of the Game libero Tessa Onaga dug 16 balls.
“Back row was doing really well, so that set us hitters up really well to score,” Roberts-Navarro said. “We were really excited for (Onaga). I feel like it’s super hard for a libero to get Impact Player, so we’re so happy for her and she definitely deserves it.”
Mililani star hitter Alexis Rodriguez led her team with 10 kills, eight digs and two blocks.
In Division II, top-seeded Le Jardin swept Maryknoll 25-19, 25-21, 25-20, at Kalani High behind 18 kills from Reese Diersbock, who hit .441. The Bulldogs, who won the 2016 and 2017 D-II state titles, will face Hawaii Baptist Academy for the championship.
HBA edged Damien in five, 20-25, 25-21, 25-17, 18-25, 18-16, behind a whopping 36 kills on 92 swings (.261) and 20 digs from Marisa Nakata. Caitlin Wong added 22 kills and 16 digs for the Eagles.
HBA last won the D-II state title in 2015 and has four to its name.
Some more photos of the two Division I semifinal matches:
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.