Behind a blanket back-row defense, Kamehameha stifled Waiakea’s hard-hitting in a BIIF Division I showdown, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16, on Thursday night at Koai’a Gym.
Behind a blanket back-row defense, Kamehameha stifled Waiakea’s hard-hitting in a BIIF Division I showdown, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16, on Thursday night at Koai’a Gym.
Instead of offense, it was defense that sparked Kamehameha (11-1) to the sweep. Libero Seizen Alameda and Kiki Troy each had 14 digs while Summer Ah Choy and Keani Akui chipped in 10 digs each.
Alameda comes from the household of liberos. Her older sister is Hilo graduate Angel Alameda, who recorded 47 digs in a match at Eastern Arizona, and her brother is Kekaulike Alameda, a libero at Barton College in North Carolina.
There is no need for motivation for Seizen because 47 is the number both she and Kekaulike are chasing. But the Kamehameha junior will likely need a five-set marathon to reach that total.
Considering that a dig is a point saved, the four defenders shined just as brightly as Naniloa Spaar, who drilled 11 kills, and Kailee Yoshimura, who added eight kills. Makenna Mahuna added seven kills, Akui had six kills while middle blocker Tehani Kupahu-Canon had five kills, including four in the second set.
Lindsey Maikui had 10 kills, Cassie Emnase six and junior middle Melina DeVela added five kills for defending BIIF champion Waiakea (11-1). Junior libero Jordyn Hayashi had 13 digs.
Kamehameha produced more kills, 44-31, and had more unforced errors, 26-24, but gave away 14 free points in the first set to the visitors.
Showdown week continues on Saturday when Hilo hosts Waiakea after the 1 p.m. JV match at the Vikings Gym, and Kamehameha hosts Konawaena after the 5 p.m. JV match.
In the 25-23 first set, Kamehameha won despite committing far more unforced errors, 14-9. The home team dug a ton of balls, and had balanced firepower with Yoshimura, Spaar, and Mahuna each putting down four kills.
On game point, Mahuna was on serve-receive, turned her back to the net and bumped the ball over. It brushed the net and no one from Waiakea could dig a ball that fell to the floor.
Kamehameha had 15 kills in the first set while Waiakea had only eight, slamming balls but only watching them get popped back up.
In the 25-19 second set, Kamehameha reeled off 11 straight points, including six from Waiakea unforced errors, to seize a 24-14 cushion. The run ended when Troy served into the net.
The amazing part was Yoshimura and Spaar, Kamehameha’s two big guns, were on the bench the entire time.
However, they did enough work earlier with three kills each, and Keane Farias, a 5-foot-6 junior middle blocker added a bit of offensive diversity with three kills.
In the 25-16 third set, Akui knocked down consecutive kills to polish off Waiakea in the first of a home-and-home series.