Waiakea senior middle blocker Monique Apuakehau was a two-way weapon, but her biggest contribution against Kealakehe — in a must-win volleyball match — was the stuff that stats don’t track.
Waiakea senior middle blocker Monique Apuakehau was a two-way weapon, but her biggest contribution against Kealakehe — in a must-win volleyball match — was the stuff that stats don’t track.
Sure, the Warriors’ better balance, ball-control and setting trumped the Waveriders’ powerful but one-dimensional offense, which was well-scouted by Kamehameha on Wednesday night.
The old-young tandem of Apuakehau and freshman Kayla Kahauolopua had 10 kills each to spark Waiakea over Kealakehe 25-21, 25-18, 25-23 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I showdown at the Warriors Gym.
The game was seen as must-win because neither team wants to be the No. 4 seed in the four-team BIIF Division I playoffs and face unbeaten Kamehameha, the four-time defending league champs, in the semifinals.
Waiakea (9-3) has games left against Hilo on Monday and Honokaa on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Both are at home. If the Warriors get one win, they’ll at least secure the No. 3 seed.
The Waveriders (9-4) have only one game left against Keaau on Saturday, Oct. 18 at home. If Kealakehe and Waiakea finish with the same record, the Warriors hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and would get the higher seed.
Waiakea last went to Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament in 2010 and Kealakehe last made the trip to Oahu in 2006.
“The win was very important. Every win is very important, but this one especially, because it’s a head-to-head against Kealakehe,” Waiakea coach Ashley Hanohano said.
Apuakehau is a middle blocker and Kahauolopua is an outside hitter. Hi’ilei Ishii-Chaves, a setter/right-side hitter, added nine kills and outside hitter Alison Fuata also had nine kills. Kills from all three hitting posts is the definition of a spread offense.
Taniah Ayap is the other setter and helped balance the attack. The Warriors had far better firepower, 49 kills to Kealakehe’s 34 kills. That helped compensate for their 28 unforced errors; the Waveriders had 19 giveaway points (hitting, serving, ball-handling errors).
Despite being much shorter, the Warriors won the roofing contest, 4-2. They also served tough and piled up five aces with Ishii-Chaves getting three aces; the ‘Riders had zero aces.
Somehow, Waiakea outblocked Kealakehe without its most athletic middle, Kadara Marshall, who was on a family trip. The high-jumping junior will be back for the Hilo game on Monday.
Nika Paogofie-Buyten had 18 kills and Rashai Kailiwai, the other Waverider outside hitter, added 12 kills. That’s 88 percent of the offense coming from one spot on the floor.
And though the Warriors had more unforced errors (most of them hitting) their ball-handling was much cleaner. They knocked down three kills on Kealakehe over-passes. Waiakea didn’t give the visitors any freebie over-pass opportunities.
Mo bettah
Beyond Apuakehau’s contributions on offense and blocking at the net, Hanohano called her the glue of the team.
“From this summer to now, Mo has improved so much,” Hanohano said. “She’s a great leader. She does a good job keeping the team together. I loved our teamwork. Mistakes are fine, as long as we side-out on one (swing). Talking, communication and teamwork are the most important things.
“This week what we worked on most was blocking. Blocking is the first line of defense. All we’re asking for is some sort of touch on the block, so we can play it and ease into the ball. Our setting was very important as well. We teach our setters to work the middles and that frees up the wings.”
All of that stability and teamwork was necessary because Paogofie-Buyten was a constant threat, despite hitting against double blocks all night long. She’s a savvy shot-maker, and much like a control pitcher, sometimes relies on location rather than velocity.
Out of her 18 kills, Paogofie-Buyten put down four tip and two roll shots. When she saw a seam, the Waverider junior put heat on the ball to rack up cross-court kills. It was a fine display of hitting versatility.
What’s next
Should Kealakehe face Kamehameha in the BIIF semifinals, Paogofie-Buyten will face a much different and taller defense. Junior setter Kamalu Makekau-Whittaker is 6 feet 1 and opposite/right-side hitter Maraea O’Connor is 6 feet, and coach Sam Thomas’ talented Warriors will likely play a middle-up perimeter defense, closing the gap on those tip and roll shots.
Also, Zoe Leonard, who was on the USA Volleyball Junior A-1 team, is the state’s top ball-handler, and libero Harley Woolsey is one of the best in the league. Kamehameha’s transition game is much faster because of its high-level ball-control, and outside hitter Kaiulani Ahuna, another USA Volleyball A-1 member, will be waiting to launch rockets.
While Paogofie-Buyten and Kailiwai were Kealakehe’s one-two offensive punch, Waiakea had far more attackers. Apuakehau was a presence in the middle while Fuata, a hard-hitting senior, cranked four kills each in the last two sets, and Kahauolopua with a whiplash arm swing showed promise.
While the smooth ball-handling Makekau-Whittaker is the most accomplished setter in the league’s history (no other setter in the BIIF has been on the USA Volleyball Youth A-1 team), Ishii-Chaves is versatile like Konawaena setters Celena Molina and McKenna Ventura.
The Waiakea junior not only sets, but she’s a force swinging from the right-side, and a solid blocker like Molina, Ventura and Makekau-Whittaker. Ishii-Chaves came out gunning in the first set, and smashed five kills to set an early momentum.
Then later in the match, the Waveriders picked an improper time to go on a cold hitting streak. They had three consecutive hitting errors to end the second set, and another hitting error on match point.
However, the Warriors still need to take care of business, getting a win against Hilo or Honokaa, but at least they made their life much easier, taking down an old nemesis.
“It’s a great feeling and everybody is happy,” Apuakehau said. “For the past few years, we’ve struggled against Kealakehe, and to beat them this year is a great feeling.”