Kamehameha needed a good strong test on the road and got one at Hawaii Prep, where volleyball victories there late in the season have to be extracted by tooth and nail.
On Monday night, the Warriors outlasted HPA 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 25-20, 16-14 in a BIIF roller-coaster at Castle Gym, where the best match of the season took place.
The Division I Warriors (8-1) haven’t been pinned against the ropes lately. In their previous six wins, they swept five times, including on March 12 against Waiakea, which beat them in four sets a week earlier.
Kamehameha is the four-time defending BIIF champion, but it’s a new look without the Enriques brothers, who are all in college: Evan (Stanford), Emmett (CSUN), Avery (Grand Canyon), and Addison (Concordia).
Coach Sam Thomas’ team is doing just fine, as long as enough sets find the boom brothers, Isaiah Nakoa-Oness and Nalu Kahapea.
Nakoa-Oness pounded 24 kills and Kahapea drilled 21 kills from the left pin while Kamau Maka‘ike added nine kills from the right side. Jesse James Crivello led the defense with 13 digs.
Thomas praised Ka Makani coach Sharon Peterson’s player-development program. HPA (4-5) usually has green rookies who develop into solid starters.
“HPA did a very good job. They’re the most fundamentally sound team we saw this year,” he said. “Coach Peterson is doing a great job once again. They had a great block. Their hitters kept the ball in play to stay alive and have a second chance to put it down and score points. They had good servers, good passers. They covered the court well, and I was really impressed.
“Our passing was not as crisp as it has been the last couple of weeks. We just got lucky in the fifth set. We dug a few balls, and that gave us a chance to come back. Both teams played really tough. It was a good game, and I’m sure the volleyball fans loved it.”
One key to maintaining a BIIF dynasty is to make sure the cupboard is always full.
The Warriors always had that with the Enriques brothers, who were all hitters but even better were collegiate-level liberos.
Kahapea and Nakoa-Oness waited for their turn to swing from the left post. Maka‘ike, who plays club ball for Pilipaa, is next in line.
“Kamau playing opposite has been a big help,” Thomas said. “He’s helped balance our offense a little more. He’s a sophomore who’s in his second year on the varsity. He’s been to the (USA Volleyball) High Performance camp the last few years.
“He’s 6 feet 1, lanky and can jump out of the gym. He’s very strong and made a couple of defensive plays in the fifth set. He was in the right place at the right time, popped balls up, and that gave us a chance to get kills.”
The Warriors are still in the hunt for the BIIF regular season title, which includes an HHSAA state berth, but they need help.
Waiakea (9-1) faces Konawaena on Friday and close with HPA and at Kealakehe next week. The Warriors previously swept the Wildcats and Ka Makani and beat the Waveriders in four sets.
Kamehameha hosts Konawaena on Wednesday, HPA on Friday and Kealakehe and Kohala next week.
Unless there’s an upset, Kamehameha and Waiakea will be looking for a state berth at the four-team BIIF playoffs, which start Tuesday, April 24 at home sites.
On Friday, HPA comes to town for the rematch, and Kamehameha is expecting another thriller.
“Volleyball fans will really enjoy that game,” Thomas said. “It was a war on Monday night. I’m assuming it’ll be the same thing come Friday.”
Net notes: Stanford senior libero Evan Enriques is 25th in the nation with 2.22 digs per set while Cal State Northridge junior Emmett Enriques is 36th at 1.95 dps.
Concordia freshman Addison Enriques and the Eagles host Grand Canyon and freshman Avery Enriques in the first round of the MPSF Tournament on Saturday.
Stanford plays at No. 2 UCLA in the MPSF tourney first round on Saturday.
CSUN has matches against UC San Diego before the Big West Tournament, which starts Thursday, April 19. (Hawaii is a member of the Big West.)
