KEAAU — Kamehameha senior Isaiah Nakoa-Oness was on fire from the start, hammering rockets and looking unstoppable, and his teammates followed along in an overpowering sweep against Hilo.
The Warriors blitzed the Vikings 25-15, 25-21, 25-16 in the BIIF Division I semifinals on Monday night at Koaia Gym, securing their 13th straight berth to the HHSAA tournament.
In the other semifinal, Kealakehe swept Waiakea 25-14, 25-22, 25-22 at the Waveriders Gym, qualifying for states for the first time since 2004.
Kamehameha (12-2), the four-time defending champion, plays Kealakehe (12-2) for the BIIF crown at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Konawaena High’s gym.
The BIIF champion will earn a first-round bye to the state tournament, which will be held May 3-5 on Oahu. The league runner-up will host a first-round match on Monday, April 30.
The season is over for Hilo (10-5) and Waiakea (11-3), which will stay at home from states for the first time since 2015.
Nakoa-Oness knocked down 13 kills on 25 swings, made just four errors and hit .360. When he rotated to the back, Nalu Kahapea took his turn and put down 16 kills on 34 attempts and hit .235. Both hit over, through and off the block with regularity.
“I was feeling pretty confident, and the sets were really good and on the money,” Nakoa-Oness said. “I liked how all my teammates were finishing. It was not just me and Nalu hitting, but everyone was able to get kills. It was a collective win.”
Setters Davin Masanda (31 assists) and Gavin Galimba (eight assists) spread the offense and fed opposite Kamau Maka’ike (five kills, .308) and middles Chyston Loa (eight kills, .500) and Chase Bridges-Hunter (three kills, 1.000).
It’s not every day that someone hits balls at a perfect rate, even if was only three attempts. Bridges-Hunter, a 6-3 freshman, started in place of junior Teva Reynolds, who was under the weather.
“We were more steady, and Maka’ike added some kills, and our two freshmen middles put a charge into the ball when we needed them,” Kamehameha coach Sam Thomas said. “Chase doesn’t know how good he can be. But that will come with more playing time.”
The Warriors blasted balls at a .322 hitting clip and racked up 44 kills, much better numbers than the Vikings, who hit just .192 and had only 29 kills.
Kamaha’o Kawelu stabilized Kamehameha’s passing, both in serve-receive and against attacks for a match-high 11 digs. The junior libero also served tough, dropping two aces, to throw Hilo out of system, which led to a host of free balls or off-balanced swings.
Masanda led the way with four aces. The Warriors had eight aces and five service errors while the Viks had zero aces and four service miscues and served too many lollipops.
Despite Hilo’s ball-control issues, which included two kills by Kamehameha on overpasses, sophomore outside hitter Kaala Deitch looked like a powerful force. He smashed eight kills on 17 swings and hit .412.
In Game 1, Nakoa-Oness pounded his team’s last three points, and the Warriors hit .500 (18 kills, just five errors and 26 attempts). Hilo hit just .222, which made the first set feel really lopsided.
The competitive second set was tied 20-20. But Hilo had a service error, Bridges-Hunter had a kill, Masanda got an ace, and Kahapea ripped two kills, including game point.
In Game 3, Hilo gave away too many freebie points, 10 in all. During a seven-point run, the Warriors scored four points on Viking unforced errors and led 18-9. Kawelu dropped an ace for aloha ball.
One of the best moments came when Nakoa-Oness was pulled late in the last set. The fans applauded his good work on the night. It was the last time he’ll play at home unless the Warriors finish as the BIIF runner-up.
“It was great that the crowd recognized him when he walked off the floor,” Thomas said. “That was nice to see.”
