It was the Kawai and Jordyn show on the volleyball court, which doubled as an entertainment center as Hilo and Waiakea engaged in their annual crosstown rivalry.
It was the Kawai and Jordyn show on the volleyball court, which doubled as an entertainment center as Hilo and Waiakea engaged in their annual crosstown rivalry.
Hilo senior outside hitter Kawai Ua and Waiakea senior libero Jordyn Hayashi reminded the Viking Gym fans why they were the BIIF Division I co-players of the year last season.
Ua smashed a match-high 20 kills and Hayashi cleaned the court with a match-high 20 digs, but it wasn’t enough as the Vikings defeated the Warriors 25-17, 25-21, 19-25, 25-12 on Monday night to remained unbeaten.
Hilo (3-0) was balanced and had firepower in all six rotations. Junior opposite Taina Leao added 14 kills, clobbering fastballs from the right side, while Lexi Paglinawan had 11 kills from the other left-side spot.
Hayashi gave the Warriors (3-1) a fighting chance because everything Hilo served she put a pass on the money. That allowed Kayla Kahauolopua to return fire.
Kahauolopua, a senior hitter, drilled 18 kills to supply most of the offense for the visitors. Her sister, junior opposite Cadelynn Kahauolopua, knocked down four kills and Melina Devela had three kills.
Hilo had much better production with 61 kills against 33 unforced errors while Waiakea had just 37 kills and 29 giveaway points, a positive of just eight points and a sign of a lack of offense.
Too often when Kayla Kahauolopua rotated to the back row, the Warriors struggled to find any type of offense.
However, the Warriors had better efficiency from the service line with six aces and only one service error while the Vikings compiled three aces against six service errors. Waiakea’s Makena Hanle dropped four aces.
In the 25-17 first set, Hilo setters Kailee Kurokawa and Makena Ahuna distributed the ball with precision, especially to Paglinawan and Leao, who each pounded six kills.
Ua sparked a six-point run with hard top-spin rips behind the service line, including an ace. When she wasn’t serving tough, she slammed rockets and finished with four kills in the first set.
In the 25-21 second set, Ua, Paglinawan, and Leao provided the offense with five, four, and four kills each. That was a balanced theme of the night.
Hilo’s firepower kept coming from all angles, even after dropping the third set.