Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Le Jardin pulled off he biggest upset of the HHSAA Division II state volleyball tournament on Thursday, stunning No. 1 seed Konawaena 17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20 at Kaimuki High.
The two-time BIIF defending champion Wildcats (19-1) not only suffered their first loss of the season, but also lost the chance to defend their state title.
Konawaena loses eight seniors, including key players Chanelle Molina, McKenna Ventura, Ihi Victor, Taiana Tolleson, Alissa Nahale-Blanco and Rashai Kailiwai.
In a Wednesday first-round sweep against Maui’s Hana, Le Jardin’s Natalie Piper slammed 12 kills and it .423 and Kassidy Naone had 11 kills and hit .318.
Piper is a 5-foot-9 sophomore outside hitter, and Naone at 5-11 junior outside hitter for the ILH runner-up Bulldogs.
Last year, Le Jardin didn’t reach states. Hawaii Baptist Academy was the ILH champion and La Pietra the runner-up, a team Konawaena swept in the quarterfinals.
Konawaena plays University High (12-4) in a consolation match at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Farrington High.
No stats were available for the match.
• Hawaii Prep def. Pahoa 25-17, 25-15: In a consolation match at Farrington High, sophomore Madi Lee smashed 11 kills on a .381 attack percentage and Ka Makani outhit the Daggers, .261-.000.
Seniors Kaui Taylor and Haley Dow each added five kills and freshman Gemma Palleschi had three kills on a .429 hitting clip for HPA (11-11), the BIIF runner-up.
Tapenga Orevilla and Jordyn Tagalicod each had five kills to lead Pahoa (8-13), the BIIF’s No. 3 team.
The Daggers lose three seniors, all starters, in Tagalicod, Shyla Kutzen-Ribordy (zero kills on three swings) and libero Cheyenne Hocson (four digs).
HPA plays KIF champion Kapaa (12-4) for seventh place at 4 p.m. Friday at Farrington.
Division I
• Kahuku def. Waiakea 25-17, 25-20, 25-13: The OIA runner-up Red Raiders had too much firepower for the BIIF champion Warriors, and drilled far more kills, 48-20, at McKinley High.
Kadara Marshall had six kills and hit .267 to lead Waiakea (15-4). Lindsey Maikui and Brianna Ridgway had four kills each while Cassie Emnase and Kryssie Okinaka added three kills each.
Jordyn Hayashi had 14 digs and Maikui had seven for the Warriors, who play OIA No. 3 Kalaheo (12-5) in a consolation match at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Moanalua High.
Cheyenne Te’o had 12 kills and Carey Williams added 11 for Kahuku, which outhit Waiakea, .283-.038.
The Red Raiders scored four straight points to close the first set, serving an ace on the last point.
In the second set, Waiakea led 14-13, but Kahuku went on a four-point run and never lost the lead.
Kahuku took a 24-18 lead, but had a service error and a hitting error, before Brittani Blake put down set point.
In the third set, the Red Raiders scored seven straight points to grab a 17-8 cushion, and finished the match with three straight points.
• Mililani def. Kamehameha-Hawaii 25-22, 25-20: In a consolation math at Moanalua High, the Trojans eliminated the BIIF runner-up Warriors (13-8), who lose four seniors, including starters Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker and Hiwa Kaapuni.
No stats were available for the match.