There would be no comeback for Kealakehe, known for its dramatic rallies on the volleyball court last season.
Hilo made sure of that and swept the Waveriders 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 in a BIIF Division I match on Wednesday night at the Vikings gym, shocking the defending champion.
Last year, the Waveriders had 2-0 set deficits and twice beat Kamehameha, including in the BIIF championship for their first title since 2003.
Kealakehe graduated the player of the year in Anthony Trevino but returned a pair of All-BIIF first-team picks in outside hitter Isaiah Hooper and setter Ikaika Pali.
But the Vikings returned talent as well. Outside hitter Kaala Deitch and Cy Alicuben were honorable mention selections last season.
The sweep caught Deitch by surprise. He wasn’t expecting it to be a quick night, especially against a hard-hitting hammer like Hooper.
“We were nervous in the beginnings, but at the end we figured things out,” he said. “We knew they had one big hitter in Isaiah, and we had to defend against that.”
The Waveriders couldn’t get out of their own way and finished with 37 unforced errors, giving away too many free points. Hilo had just 27 giveaway points.
“We knew Kealakehe would be tough,” Hilo coach Cy Alicuben said. “I also knew our boys would be ready. We didn’t want Isaiah to beat us. We practiced our triple blocks for him. Our libero, Lester Walker, did a job keeping balls in play. Our libero had to pick up his roll shots and take that away.
“Like any game, it’s about sideouts. I think we had a little more unforced errors than I would have liked. But a win is a win.”
In the first two sets, Kealakehe had more unforced errors. In the third set, Hilo had nine giveaway points while the Waveriders had just seven.
But in Game 3, Deitch, who plays club ball for Pilipaa along with Hooper, blasted 10 of his 14 kills. MJ Vento Rowe added 11 kills.
Deitch remembers Kealakehe’s comeback ability from last season. So when he had open shots, he hammed nails to slam the door shut on the Waveriders.
“I was nervous in the beginning,” Deitch said. “But I knew we had to pick it up in the end to close that game.”
Hooper slammed 20 kills, eight in the first set and six kills each in second and third sets. Tyler Frasier added five kills and Navy Mareko had four kills.
The Vikings won the first set, 25-22, despite eight kills from Hooper, who was pretty much unstoppable from the front and back rows.
The Waveriders were their own worst enemy with 14 unforced errors. Hilo had just seven giveaway points.
Keanu Quranitsas-Hayes put the Viks ahead 23-22, a Kealakehe hitting error followed, and Quranitsas-Hayes and Kelii Moku Maikui combined on a block to close Game 1.
In Game 2, the Waveriders again squandered a strong showing from Hooper, who had six kills, with 16 unforced errors, including six service miscues. Hilo had 11 giveaway points.
Rowe came alive down the stretch. He had Hilo’s last three points, including set point.
Kealakehe had one terrible stretch. Seven of Hilo’s eight points came on Kealakehe unforced errors. That led to an 18-14 Waverider lead.
In Game 3, Vento Rowe put down a tip shot, a Kealakehe error followed and Rowe closed the match with another kill.
The Vikings have another monster match around the corner. They play crosstown rival Waiakea on the road on Saturday.
“These high school kids, they have a practice swing and a game swing,” Alicuben said. “Once Kaala figures out what shot to use from a set, there aren’t a lot of teams that will stop him. We’re going to be back in the gym and look to get better every day. We’ve got a big one on Friday.”