By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
With the playoffs around the corner, the road mission for Kohala was to experiment with its versatility while Hilo tried to assemble some sort of hot streak for the one match that will make or break its season.
The Cowboys’ arsenal of Swiss-knife talent won over the Vikings’ search for momentum in a 25-17, 25-16, 25-21 Big Island Interscholastic Federation volleyball sweep on Wednesday night at Hilo Armory.
Kohala (8-3) inches closer to securing the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the 10-team BIIF Division II tournament, which starts Tuesday, April 24.
The league will have three berths to the eight-team Division II state tournament, after having only two schools last season in defending BIIF champion Kohala and Hawaii Prep.
“We had fun, but we had fun and still got the job done,” Kohala coach Chai Wilson said. “We were able to move around some players to see where they could play and give us other options.”
DJ Wong, the reigning BIIF Division II player of the year, took a few swings off at outside hitter and moved to setter, so did libero Jory Ayoso-Fernandez, two veterans on a senior-laden squad.
Other senior starters include Elias Hood, Popo Roxburgh and Kekoa Werner, and regular setter Kulia Aveiro-Kalaniopio on a team that took third at states last season. Junior outside hitter Devin Cadiente is the other starter.
Wong walloped 14 kills, Roxburgh — the BIIF Division II basketball player of the year — followed with eight kills, along with Werner, while Cadiente had four and Aveiro-Kalaniopio had three kills to offer the Cowboys well-oiled balance.
That was in stark contrast to the Vikings, who were led by a one-man wrecking crew named Makoa Tandal. The 5-foot-7 junior outside hitter soared over blocks to pound 14 kills, including an impressive eight in the final set.
However, he had little help. No one else had more than four kills. His brother, senior setter/hitter, Makana Tandal put down four kills.
Hilo (4-7) is in line to land the No. 3 seed and face No. 2 seed Waiakea in the four-team BIIF Division I tournament, which starts Wednesday, April 25. That semifinal would be for a state tournament berth.
The league will have two berths to the 12-team Division I state tourney. Waiakea, the defending BIIF champ, and Kamehameha have monopolized the league’s two state spots for the last six years.
The Vikings play Waiakea on Friday, a match that is meaningless in the seedings, but would serve as a confidence boost for either team and a scouting report as well.
“Waiakea is a good all-around ballclub,” Hilo coach Bubba Baldado said. “If we can keep our boys all together and stay steady, we can give them a good game.”
The Cowboys had a nice size advantage over the shorter Vikings, who don’t have anyone in the 6-2 range like Wong, Roxburgh and Werner, a formidable brickwall when they rotate to the front row.
Here’s a riddle: Kohala also has a fourth 6-2 player in the 5-8 Hood, who used his running jump-serve to record three aces. Wong, who hits seams instead of firing fastballs, added a pair of aces. That combination of tough serving and height gave Hilo problems all night.
“We’ve got some height this season,” Wilson said. “Height helps us out, but we’ve got a fourth player at 6-2 in Elias. He has the best approach and jumping ability and plays like he’s 6-2.”
No surprise, Hood was behind the service line every time Kohala dropped a scoring run on Hilo. He served six straight points in the first set, five consecutive in the second when he had his three aces, and four in a row to help the Cowboys grab a 15-8 lead in Game 3.
The Cowboys had a long two-hour bus ride home to Kapaau, but at least they had fun, making short work of the Viks in a business-like sweep. They’ll put more miles on the bus when they play at Keaau on Saturday.
Then they host Waiakea next Thursday and Pahoa, a fellow Division II title contender, on Saturday to close the regular season in the tiring but beneficial Blue bracket, where the stronger teams reside.
“I thought it was tough for us to have two games on the road, but the end of the season is preparing us for the playoffs and states,” Wilson said.