KEALAKEKUA – Konawaena’s boys volleyball team may look impressive, but even after a three-set sweep over Hawaii Prep, their head coach knows they still have work to do.
“We still haven’t peaked yet,” said Konawaena head coach August Dias. “This is the eighth lineup I’ve used in eight games. We’re just trying to figure it out and hopefully we peak at the right time.”
After a relatively slow start – by the Wildcats’ standards, at least, winning the first set 25-21 – Konawaena showed why they’re atop the BIIF D-II standings, taking the second set in dominant fashion by a score of 25-10 and then completed the sweep 25-19 in the third, clinching the regular season title and an automatic berth in the HHSAA tournament.
“I’m not sure what happened in the first set,” added Dias. We just made mistakes that we don’t normally make and let them in the game… After the first set, everything was much better; they played together. They played how they’re supposed to play”
Konawaena was led by the senior trio of Tevita Lavaka, Aidan Allred and Exon Pimentero, who recorded a combined 23 kills, paced by Lavaka’s 12. Pimentero also notched a pair of aces, second on the team only to Kalamanamana Dias-Elderts’ three. Junior Fabian Ruiz set the tone on defense, leading the team with 15 digs.
Though the Ellison Onizuka Gym was far from full capacity, the Wildcats certainly were able to feed off the energy from a favorable home crowd.
“Great crowd support tonight,” said Dias. “My bench was really great as well.”
The Wildcats’ final contest before the BIIF playoffs begin will come Wednesday, when they host Christian Liberty.