By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Evan Enriques’ versatile hitting and Kamehameha’s sharp serves — especially Daniel Aina Jr.’s deadly top-spin sinker — were simply too much for Waiakea.
Enriques clobbered 22 kills from everywhere on the court in Kamehameha’s sweep over Waiakea 25-17, 25-15, 25-16 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation volleyball match on Monday night.
“That was the most level-headed game of the season we’ve played,” Kamehameha coach Guy Enriques said. “It didn’t matter if we were neck and neck, or eight points behind, we stayed steady.
“With our tough serves, they couldn’t run their middles. They’ve got the best middles in the league (Ian Witten and Donovan Hoohuli). If I had to point to one area that was key for us, it was our serving. That’s why we did so well.”
It was the first meeting of the season between the private-school Warriors (4-0), the BIIF Division I runner-up last season, and public-school Waiakea (6-1), the defending league champion.
Each season, the two measure themselves against each other. They’ve got the longest running streak for sharing BIIF championships, dating back to the last six seasons. (Konawaena and Waiakea, for girls basketball, is next with five straight BIIF seasons.)
The private and public school Warriors have traded league titles the last four years. Last season it was Waiakea, the year before Kamehameha, Waiakea in 2009 and Kamehameha in 2008.
Enriques, a 6-foot-1 sophomore outside hitter, also added two aces, six blocks and four digs. He had 22 kills with just four errors on 41 swings for a .439 hitting percentage, and he accounted for 56 percent of Kamehameha’s offense.
“Braddah (Aina) and our backcourt and (libero) Ryan Thomas did a pretty steady job,” Enriques said. “I was just looking for seams, and on the off-sets I swung high to hit off hands. I still want to be aggressive, but keep it in play. I felt pretty calm. That’s what we took from our mainland trip.”
Aina added 10 kills. Kaipo Woolsey and DJ Grant-Johnson each had three kills.
The visiting Warriors had more kills, 39-28, and made less unforced errors (hitting and serving), a potent combination of firepower and clean play. The home team had more giveaway points, 28-19.
“They were too steady. They had a lot of good serves,” Waiakea coach Ecko Osorio said. “They dug way more balls than us, and we had a ton of setting and passing errors. We’re still trying to figure out how to read balls. Once we do that, we should have more opportunities.”
The most important stat was aces. Kamehameha had a little more, 5-1, but not recorded were all the tough serves that had Waiakea setter Mano Thomson scrambling near the 10-foot line, which limited his options to his dangerous middles, the athletic 6-0 Hoohuli and 6-4 Witten.
They had 10 kills and six, respectively. Mamane Namahoe added eight kills, cranking five in the second set when he got into a nice hitting groove.
That couldn’t neutralize Enriques, who smoked 10 kills in the first set, seven in the second, and five in the final game. He ripped kills from the left and right spots, and also the back row, where he finished with six kills beyond the 10-foot line.
“Hitting from the back row is my favorite spot,” he said. “Outside hitter (on the left) and the right side are fun and all, but not too many teams expect it, hitting from the back row. When I get a pass from Ryan and there’s one blocker up, I have all over the court to hit. If there’s a triple block, I have the tip shot.”
Tied 12-12 in Game 1, Enriques grabbed all of the momentum, pounding seven kills, including set point from the back row.
In the second set, Aina’s high-velocity jump serves sparked a six-point run and a 19-9 cushion. That was pretty much the biggest highlight.
Unforced errors hampered Waiakea late in the third set. There were five straight giveaway points — four hitting and one serving error — that handed Kamehameha a 23-15 lead.
Then Enriques served and ace, and his brother, freshman defender Emmett Enriques, got a brief look at setter and delivered a clean ball to Aina, who smashed match point.
“Daniel’s a really big factor for us. If he’s not providing defense, he’s setting. If he’s not setting, he’s doing a dang good job on offense,” Kamehameha coach Enriques said. “For the season, he’s hitting over .400. Evan is hitting over .300. That’s like a batting average.”
The word of the night was steady, something the coach mentioned several times. His sophomore son provided that through all three sets.
“He was steady and that’s what he brings to the team,” Enriques said. “We want the whole team to operate on that level. We want to create that into a routine.”