Kapolei came in with a reputation as one of the better blocking volleyball teams in the state, but the Hurricanes couldn’t figure out how to build a roof against Waiakea senior Kolby Aiona and his teammates.
Kapolei came in with a reputation as one of the better blocking volleyball teams in the state, but the Hurricanes couldn’t figure out how to build a roof against Waiakea senior Kolby Aiona and his teammates.
The senior outside hitter smoked 21 kills on 40 swings and posted a .300 hitting clip as Waiakea defeated the OIA’s No. 3 team 26-24, 25-20, 25-16 in a HHSAA Division I first-round match Monday at the Warriors Gym.
The BIIF runner-up Warriors (12-3) advance to play No. 4 seed Kamehameha-Maui (12-3) in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m.Thursday at Moanalua High’s gym.
In another quarterfinal, No. 2 seed and four-time BIIF champion Kamehameha (14-0) plays Waipahu (11-4), which swept King Kekaulike in its first round match, at 5 p.m. Thursday at Radford High’s gym.
The Warriors and Hurricanes finished with six blocks each, but Waiakea had better firepower, including more kills, 42-28, and a higher hitting percentage, .242-.106.
“We played smooth, well-rounded volleyball,” Waiakea coach Napua Canda said. “Our communication was there, and I feel our block was more solid than it usually is. We had a little advantage being able to watch them on OC16.”
When Aiona wasn’t pounding balls over, around and through the block, Santana Madrid, a senior outside hitter, provided the other half of Waiakea’s 1-2 hitting punch with 10 kills on 23 swings for a .174 hitting percentage.
“It was really fun. We played a great team and that’s a big reason why it was fun. You get to challenge yourself,” Aiona said. “We had great passing, and our setter was able to set the middles and that pulled everybody and gave me one-on-one swings.”
The Warriors passed so well, in both serve-receive and transition attacks, that setter Nakana Labrie was able to feed middles Damien Merseburgh (three kills, nine attacks, .222) and Purtin Robinson (four kills, six swings, .500) to open the outside.
Merseburgh had two blocks, opposite Makana Kaehuaea-Credo recorded 1 1/2 stuffs, Aiona had one and Robinson was credited with a block assist. They did a solid job getting over the net and turning balls inside. If they didn’t get a stuff, balls got deflected, and Waiakea often finished with a kill in transition.
As for Kapolei, Willie Tupua Richardson can best be described as a heavy hammer. The senior Hurricane rams everything hard. But Waiakea limited his damage: 13 kills on 36 swings and an .083 hitting clip, and he really didn’t have a hitting partner.
Meanwhile, Kapolei coach Moani Nahulu-Mahelona was scratching her head and trying to guess who the six strangers in black uniforms on the court were.
“We’re one of the better blocking teams,” she said. “We go up against Willie all the time at practice and figure out a way to stop him. We just couldn’t close that block, and that threw off our back court with their movement.
“The team Waiakea played is not our team. It was like what’s going on. We had spurts but couldn’t take the lead. Our tail was on fire, and it was frustrating. We didn’t show who we are.”
At 6 feet 3 and with springs for legs, Aiona just jumped over Kapolei’s block, and he has the whole package of shots. He’d smoke balls line or angle and display his roll and tip shots. When the Hurricanes anticipated a fastball rocket, he threw an offspeed soft shot.
But also frustrating for the Hurricanes was their ball-control, not sharp at all, especially on transition passing off attacks.
In the first set, Kapolei rallied back from a 24-20 deficit for a 24-24 tie. But the Hurricanes had a hitting error, and Madrid sent a changeup from the back row that found the open floor for game point.
In the second set, Santana hit a ball from the behind the 10-foot line, and Kapolei had an overpass that Purtin smashed for an easy kill and 16-9 lead.
Senior defender Cheldyn Kekaualua-Nacis closed Game 2 with an ace, drawing huge cheers from the Waiakea faithful.
In the third set, Caleb Roque got in on a stuff for a block assist against Tupua Richardson and a 16-11 lead. That drew another loud ovation from the home team’s crowd, acknowledging the contributions of another senior.
For the first point, Aiona sent over a ball from the back row, a wobbly overpass followed, and Robinson took a healthy swing for a 1-0 lead and early jump on the set’s momentum.
Waiakea scrambled for more digs than Kapolei, 32-25. Madrid led the blanket coverage with eight digs, Aiona had seven, and senior libero Marcus Kenui added five. The Warriors even had more aces, 4-1.
In pretty much every phase, from first-touch ball-control (serving and passing), hitting, setting and blocking, the Warriors outplayed the Hurricanes, who were on the wrong end against a team that had its toes stepped on.
Waiakea lost in four sets to Kamehameha last Friday for the BIIF championship and emptied its frustration by blasting balls through Kapolei’s block.
“We had a hard-fought battle against Kamehameha,” Aiona said. “We wanted to come back and play a better game, and we did. Now, we get to go to Oahu. We’re excited, and we have to keep our head up, have fun and play our game.”