It looked like a mismatch on the volleyball court with Hilo in first place at 6-0 and Keaau in last at 0-6.
It went pretty much as expected. Hilo swept the Cougars 25-11, 25-15, 25-15 in a BIIF match Friday night at the Vikings Gym in under an hour.
The Vikings (7-0), who last won a BIIF title in 1999, are looking like the front-runner for the championship and a strong candidate to return to states for the first time since 2015.
Hilo has already swept defending BIIF champion Kealakehe, defeated Waiakea in four sets, and swept Konawaena, the two-time BIIF Division II runner-up.
The Vikings host Honokaa next Tuesday and welcome Kamehameha, the other undefeated Division I team, on April 6 in a battle for the BIIF regular-season title, which includes the league’s first berth to the state tournament.
The Vikings relied on firepower from their two outside hitters. MJ Vento Rowe smashed 11 kills, and Kaala Deitch soared for eight kills. Middle blocker Keanu Quranitsas-Hayes added five kills and setter Cy Alicuben had four kills.
JD Nethon had four kills while John-Gunny Ramirez, Branden Pagala, and Orlando Juan had three kills each for the Cougars (0-7).
Hilo coach Cy Alicuben Sr. was a little worried because four of his players, Quranitsas-Hayes, Deitch, Keawe Kaapuni, and Lester Walker, didn’t practice this week. They go to Nawahiokalaniopuu, which had a school camping trip.
The second-year coach didn’t need to worry.
Hilo shot out to a 7-0 lead in the first set and never slowed down. The Vikings also played pretty efficient ball with 24 unforced errors. The Cougars had a tough time and had 33 giveaway points.
The Vikings closed Game 1 on a Keaau service error and back-to-back blocks.
In the second set, Hilo scored six straight points to grab 22-11 lead. Deitch later served consecutive aces for a 24-13 cushion, and Vento Rowe put down game point.
Vento Rowe was steady down the stretch in Game 3. He had a kill for a 23-13 lead and another for a 24-14 advantage. The Cougars had a service miscue on match point.
Vento Rowe and Deitch took turns blasting ball past Keaau’s block. Rowe is the grandson of the late Raymond Rowe, a volleyball legend in Keaukaha. His parents are Mike Vento and Evalynne Rowe.
He grew up around volleyball. That’s the family passion, and he’s lived up to the advice of his relatives. His uncle is Jay Rowe, an assistant for the Cougars.
“I started when I was 5 years old and never stopped playing,” he said. “I was told to play from the heart and show what you’ve got.”
He hits around the block with a variety of shots: going off the block, through seams or over tall roofs. That type of aggressiveness is something that impresses his Hilo coach.
“He’s not scared of anything,” Alicuben said. “That’s from playing in open gyms and open courts.”
Vento Rowe knows his BIIF history well. He immediately recalled the last time Hilo won a BIIF title. No one expected Kealakehe to take it last year, and maybe the Vikings can be a surprise winner this year.
“We’re knocking on wood to get to the BIIF championship,” he said. “Then we’ll take our chances at states.”