KEAAU — Kamehameha can count on Kaiulani Ahuna to put on a highlight-reel performance, but it was a junior who stole the show, even though she doesn’t hit the ball, on Senior Night against unbeaten Hilo. ADVERTISING KEAAU — Kamehameha
KEAAU — Kamehameha can count on Kaiulani Ahuna to put on a highlight-reel performance, but it was a junior who stole the show, even though she doesn’t hit the ball, on Senior Night against unbeaten Hilo.
As usual, Ahuna put up double-digits with 18 kills, setter Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker played with a steady pair of hands, and Kamehameha swept Hilo 25-15, 25-23, 25-21 in a Big Island Interscholastic girls volleyball match Tuesday night at Koaia Gym.
It was an early Senior Night for the Warriors (8-0), who already beat Kealakehe and Waiakea in Division I. Their next tough challenge is at Konawaena on Oct. 17.
Senior Night was held early in the season, in part, because it’s also Kamehameha’s homecoming week, when the football team hosts Waiakea on Friday at Paiea Stadium.
Taylor Alicuben smashed nine kills to lead the Vikings (6-1), whose next toughest Division I games are at Kealakehe on Saturday, Oct. 4, and at Waiakea on Monday, Oct. 20, to close the regular season.
Makekau-Whittaker spread the offense and fed her middle blockers early. Right-side hitter Maraea O’Connor had four kills, and middle blocker Iliana Nakamoto and sophomore middle Cienna-Lei Daog added three kills. Makekau-Whittaker also had three kills on dump shots.
The seniors are Zoe Leonard (two kills), libero Harley Woolsey, Keala Watson (ace), Pua Wong (one kill), Jeyci Kaili (two kills), Nakamoto, O’Connor and Ahuna.
Raevyn Kaupu, Kawai Ua and Keola Katayama each added four kills for Hilo, which just couldn’t match Kamehameha in two all-important areas: ball-control and firepower.
For the firepower part, there’s no one in the league, with the possible exception of Konawaena athletic junior Chanelle Molina, who can duplicate Ahuna’s hitting skill-set, a reason she’s getting looks from several Division I colleges.
She didn’t really use her tip and roll shots much. The 5-foot-9 Ahuna also gave her cut shot, where the ball slides to the right inside the block, the night off. Still, when Hilo was late in closing a block, she powered balls through seams, and bounced balls off defenders — even when they were in position to dig her.
For the ball-control part, Leonard, Makekau-Whittaker and Woolsey shine with their steady play. They make ball-handling, even on tough balls, look routine. Kamehameha plays like a well-oiled machine when they touch the ball.
Here are two examples of that spectacular ball-control: In the third set, Leonard, from the back right corner, made a very long bump-set to Ahuna, who drilled a rocket for an 18-14 lead. In the second set, Makekau-Whittaker faced the right post, and did a backward bump-set to O’Connor, who rifled a shot down to cut Hilo’s lead to 7-5.
Both sets go down as an assist in the stat book. But both deserve a golden star because the balls couldn’t have been placed any better. Makekau-Whittaker did a blind or feel set while Leonard displayed her unique touch, a reason she’s the state’s best libero. (She, Ahuna and Makekau-Whittaker are USA Volleyball A-1 players.)
“Volleyball, basically, all comes down to serving and passing,” Makekau-Whittaker said. “Passing is the key and I’ve had a lot of different coaches and they’ve all told me to develop a connection with the middles early. That opens things up for everybody.”
Leonard starts at the L2 (the No. 2 left-side hitting spot). That’s because Woolsey (14 digs) is also a poised ball-handler, too, who blankets the back row.
“Harley is like a vacuum cleaner. She had a whole bunch of digs,” Kamehameha coach Sam Thomas said. “We actually work on that (deep corner bump sets) at practice. We want to get a swing on deep balls. Kamalu is a great setter. She has good hands and moves her feet really well. When she moves her feet, she gets in a nice setting position.
“Kaiu, game in and game out, she gives 100 percent. She’s supportive to her teammates and coaching staff. She’s definitely a Division I college candidate.”
All match long, the Vikings struggled with their ball-control. They didn’t really shank balls in serve-receive, but they didn’t put passes on a dime either. They don’t really have a jump-serving weapon such as Leonard (three aces), and that lack of serving pressure turned into a fast-paced Warrior offense.
Makekau-Whittaker worked fast, low sets to her middles. The timing wasn’t always perfect, but the strategy paid off when the right-side was wide open for O’Connor, who’s got a quick trigger arm swing.
And, of course, Ahuna, with her high-jumping athleticism and hammering arm swing, set the tempo early when she drilled six kills in the first set. The Warriors erased a 7-6 deficit and never looked back.
In Game 2, the Warriors sprinkled in a few backups, and trailed 19-13, but scored seven straight points on freshman Kiani Troy’s serve and took a 21-19 lead.
In the third set, Kamehameha trailed 13-11 before Leonard served back-to-back aces on her sinking top-spin jump-serve, and eventually went up 17-13.
Hilo also searched all game long for an L2, behind Alicuben, who attacks the ball with authority when she gets a clean set. Ua is only a freshman, but she takes a solid rip at the ball, same thing for Katayama, a junior. Ma’alahi Remmers, a junior, came in Game 3 and smoked a few balls for two kills.
“Kamehameha has power,” Hilo coach Drew Fernandez said. “We relaxed too much when we were up. We need more work on our ball-control. To run something, we need to pass the ball. All in all, the girls did a great job.”
The Viks had consecutive blocks before Makekau-Whittaker put down her third kill to end the match, and start Kamehameha’s senior celebration.
And, perhaps, it was only fitting that the master of ceremony was Makekau-Whittaker, who spoke of all the good things about her seniors, assisting them once again.
