Kamehameha senior Addison Enriques caught fire, jumped on a hitting streak and didn’t finish until he racked up 31 kills against Waiakea, which searched in vain for a defense against him.
Behind a wealth of firepower, Kamehameha defeated Waiakea 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-18 in a BIIF Division I showdown Wednesday night at the Warriors Gym, where fans were entertained with power-hitting volleyball.
Avery Enriques added 12 kills, Chase Carter 10, and Jarvis Benito had five kills for Kamehameha (9-0), which pounded 58 kills.
Kolby Aiona worked hard for his 24 kills against a defense designed to stop him while Santana Madrid added nine kills, and freshman Makana Kaehuaea-Credo had five kills for Waiakea (8-2), which finished with 43 kills.
The two teams not only share the same nickname, but also had the same amount of unforced errors (hitting, serving, ball-handling) with 34 each.
With the win, Kamehameha is in the drivers seat for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the first berth to the HHSAA tournament.
The four-team BIIF playoffs start Wednesday, April 26 at the higher seed’s home site.
In the first set, Addison Enriques displayed his shot-making ability with 10 kills, including three from the back row, but his teammates struggled with their ball-control.
The visitors committed 14 unforced errors while Waiakea had only eight giveaway points.
Kamehameha put its two best blockers, Jarvis Benito and Chase Carter, on Kolby Aiona, who had five kills in Game 1. But Waiakea didn’t really need a whole of offense, not with the visitors giving away free points.
Waiakea senior middle Damien Merseburgh got a solo stuff for game point, pinning Kamehameha’s 14 unforced error.
In the second set, Kamehameha stopped trying to play home-run derby and cut its unforced errors in half, and Carter led the smart hitting with nine kills, drilling shots with power and finesse.
Again, Waiakea gave away only eight points and had better balance with Aiona and Madrid racking up four kills each.
But Carter was a handful, especially down the stretch. He had three kills during a four-point run for a 22-16 lead. Waiakea had a hitting error for game point.
In the pivotal third set, Kamehameha setter Kameron Moses stabilized the offense and posted its best numbers: 18 kills and seven unforced errors.
Besides the firepower part, the biggest difference was Kamehameha’s ball-control. The visitors have two NCAA Division I liberos in Addison (Concordia) and Avery (Grand Canyon). The defense also received a boost from regular libero Tristan Cross.
For most of the night, either Addison or Avery would pancake a dig to either Moses or the other setter, Jai Makuakane, take a healthy swing or watch their twin knocked down a shot.
More often than not, it was Addison Enriques doing the honors, creaming 31 kills on a hot hitting night.
