Pahoa followed a simple rule: Don’t let the other team’s best player beat you, especially someone like Kohala’s Naai Solomon-Lewis, who can hammer a volleyball with the greatest of ease.
The Daggers played top-shelf defense, and swept the Cowgirls 26-24, 25-19, 25-17 in the BIIF Division II third-place match on Saturday at Hilo High’s Gym, claiming the league’s last berth to the HHSAA state tournament.
Solomon-Lewis, a senior middle blocker, had a match-high 16 kills, but worked hard for it, hitting against constant double teams. Freshman Shania Fuertes added six kills for the Cowgirls (1-18).
Pahoa (8-11) last went to states in 2013 while Kohala last advanced in 1999 before statewide classification in 2005.
Tapenga Orevilla slammed 10 kills, Jordyn Tagalicod had nine, Shyla Kutzen-Ribordy eight, and Faith Manuel-Kamakeeaina added five kills for the Daggers, who were smaller across the board than the Cowgirls.
Manuel-Kamakeeaina’s kills were a bonus. Her main task was to match up with Solomon-Lewis, who hit balls from every spot.
“We played with intensity,” Pahoa coach Precious Salazar said. “We tried to go at a quicker pace, with quick sets.
“Faith came in strong in every set. She knew where to place the ball on the other side of the court. Jordyn sees the other side of the court. She sees the holes and where to swing or tip or roll a shot.”
The value of Solomon-Lewis’ front-row play was obvious in the first set. With her in the front and Manuel-Kamakeeaina in the back, Kohala reeled off six straight points for a 19-17 lead.
But Tagalicod sneaked a shot around Solomon-Lewis’ block, and the athletic 5-foot-8 Cowgirl rotated to the back. From there, the Daggers did just enough to pull out the first set, ending on a Kutzen-Ribordy kill.
In the second set, Pahoa went on a five-point run with Solomon-Lewis in the back to grab a 22-15 lead.
By the time, Solomon-Lewis rotated to the front, the Daggers were comfortably ahead, 24-16. Pahoa made it a little exciting with three consecutive unforced errors, before Manuel-Kamakeeaina closed the set with a kill.
In the third set, Pahoa had seized all the momentum, and it didn’t matter where Solomon-Lewis was. The Daggers piled up seven straight points with Solomon-Lewis in the front row to take a 23-12 cushion.
It also didn’t help the Cowgirls that they had a bunch of giveaway points, 35 in all, from hitting, serving and ball-handling errors. The Daggers had just 21 unforced errors.
How does a short team chop down a taller foe?
Ball-control.
The Daggers served tough, made a ton of digs with libero Cheyenne Hocson, Tagalicod, Kutzen-Ribordy, Orevilla, and got enough clean sets from Daecee Subia.
“The key is the pass,” Salazar said. “If there’s no pass, it limits your offense. The pass is the key to everything.”
Salazar also pointed to Konawaena as a key for her team’s success.
“Konawaena is the defending two-time state champion,” she said. “It was good that we played them twice. We know what the top competition looks like up at states.”
