For most of the crucial volleyball match between Kamehameha and Waiakea, it felt like a football philosophy was in play: the team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win.
Waiakea outlasted Kamehameha 26-24, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23 in a BIIF Division I showdown at Koaia Gym, getting a good grip on hosting the league’s semifinals in a few weeks.
In every game, except for the last, each team had more unforced errors (hitting, serving, ball-handling, and aces surrendered) than kills.
As expected, the numbers were the same for the two teams nicknamed the Warriors. Waiakea and Kamehameha each finished with 39 kills and 42 unforced errors.
Kayla Kahauolopua and Jordyn Hayashi were, again, powerful offensive and defensive forces. Kahauolopua clobbered 21 kills and Hayashi picked up 26 digs. Melina Devela added 10 kills and her middle-hitting partner Jazzy Alston had eight kills.
Nani Spaar led Kamehameha with 16 kills while Tiani Bello had nine and Tehani Kupahu-Canon added five kills. Seizen Alameda collected 17 digs.
The last time the two teams played, Waiakea won in four sets and featured a better combination of firepower and ball-control with Kahauolopua’s 21 kills and Hayashi’s 29 digs
The next time the two meet will likely be in the BIIF semifinals at Waiakea’s gym. The winner will likely clinch an HHSAA tournament berth, unless the No. 4 seed upsets Hilo in the other semifinal, and the loser’s season will be over.
Hilo (13-1) is still the front-runner for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the league’s first berth to states. Waiakea (12-2) is a safe bet for the No. 2 seed and Kamehameha (12-3) the No. 3 seed.
Waiakea outblocked Kamehameha, 11-4, often picking up easy points, a theme of the night.
The match also served as Kamehameha’s senior night, honoring Alameda, Kupahu-Canon, Kiani Troy, Summer Ah Choy, Keane Farias, Hiilei Wong Yuen, Keani Akui, Makenna Mahuna, and Makenzie Kalawaia.
In the 26-24 first set, Kamehameha was its own worst enemy, handing Waiakea 16 giveaway points. For the visitors, a bunch were easy points, too, including five from service errors and four on blocks. Waiakea had 11 unforced errors.
Waiakea held a 21-14 lead but committed seven straight unforced errors, the last to tie it 22-22. Then the visitors got a break with a Kamehameha service error to regain the lead at 25-24.
Bello smoked a ball that Hayashi dug, and Kahauolopua ripped the return for set point.
In the 25-22 second set, Kamehameha prevailed despite more freebie points surrendered than Waiakea, 14-10.
The key was an eight-point scoring spree that turned a 3-7 deficit into an 11-7 lead that Kamehameha never lost.
It also helped that setters Troy and Ah Choy were able to set the middle to Farias, who had three late kills to open the left post for Spaar, who also had three kills.
In the 25-18 third set, Kahauolopua and Devela were a formidable 1-2 punch with five and four kills, respectively. Devela smashed her team’s last two points.
Kamehameha’s offense dried up in Game 3 with only five kills. Spaar had three kills, Bello two and Mahuna one.
Even though both finished with the same number of unforced errors, Kamehameha’s came at harmful times. The last point was on a Kamehameha hitting error.
