By MATT GERHART
Tribune-Herald sports writer
PAHALA — It was easy for Honokaa’s Kawaika Aurello to trace some of the ups and downs that the Dragons boys volleyball team went through Saturday against Ka‘u.
“The second set we won because we were communicating so much,” Aurello said. “The fourth set came along and we just stopped talking and that’s why we lost that set.”
Aurello and his teammates weren’t as quiet in the fifth set. They made plenty of noise in earning what their coach called their best victory of the season.
Aurello and Wayne Vaoga combined for 34 kills, and they led a decisive spurt as Honokaa fought off Ka‘u 23-25, 25-13, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II match.
In avenging their only loss of the season, the Dragons (10-1) moved ahead of the Trojans (10-2) to the top of the Red Division standings.
“This is the first time I’ve seen us play this well,” Honokaa coach Steven Kalilikane said. “This is a tough team, Ka’u. Everybody passed well. That’s how we end up (with a victory).”
Aurello, a senior outside hitter, posted a team-high 18 kills, but only one came as Honokaa dropped Game 4. After the Trojans tied the fifth set 6-6, however, Aurello said, “Something clicked. Our passes starting getting good, everybody started swinging. Our coach told us if we started swinging we were going to win, so that’s what we did.”
He pounded home three consecutive points to give his team the lead for good, and sparked by Vaoga’s serve Honokaa reeled off seven consecutive points to seal the match.
Ka‘u lost despite 21 kills by junior Donald Garo Jr., including six in the fourth set as the Trojans pulled away from a 21-21 tie. Sophomore Franklin Orcino posted 11 kills and Holden Galigo, Ka‘u’s only senior, added five.
“(Donald’s) been carrying us the whole year,” first-year coach Joshua Ortega said. “Honokaa came to play. We played our game, but we have a young team and there are a few things that hopefully through the season we would have learned.”
Kalilikane said he used Vaoga as a “decoy” at opposite hitter Saturday, and the sophomore responded with 16 kills. Junior Keanu Freitas, a first-year player, added 11.
As the Dragons started communicating better in the fifth set, so did their passes, providing setter Makana Loo with crisper opportunities
“Makana was big,” Vaoga said. “We picked each other up and started working as a team.”
With three games remaining in their regular season, the Dragons are in line to grab the second seed at the 10-team BIIF Division II tournament. They face another hurdle at 6 p.m. Monday when they visit Christian Liberty (8-2) at Wainaku Gym, and a Canefire victory could create a seeding logjam. If Ka‘u, Honokaa, and the C-Liberty all finish with two losses, and Hawaii Prep (7-5 Blue Division) splits its remaining games with winless Keaau and undefeated Kamehameha, the BIIIF would hold a draw to break the four-way tie for the No.2 spot. Aurello would just as soon avoid that scenario.
“Same we did here. As long as we can work hard, we’ll win,” he said.
Note: Teams from the tougher Blue bracket will have their winning percentages multiplied by 1.5 when the regular season is over. At 9-3, Kohala is on track for the top seed.
