With two openings in the lineup, Waiakea senior setter Nakana Labrie made the most of a rare opportunity to hit the volleyball, and freshmen Davin Arkangel and Elijah Blankenship did the same.
Despite missing power hitter Peter-Kalani Suiaunoa and outside hitter Cole Shiroma, Waiakea swept Konawaena 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 in a BIIF match on Thursday night at the Warriors Gym.
Makana Kaehuaea-Credo drilled 14 kills while Labrie had 11 kills, and Arkangel and Blankenship had added four kills each for Division I Waiakea (7-1), which had 40 kills against 41 unforced errors.
Nalu Frias slammed nine kills and Ben McKinley added seven kills for the Division II Wildcats (5-3), who finished with just 23 kills against 28 unforced errors.
The Warriors served tough with seven aces against 15 service errors. Most of the serves made Konawaena wobble in serve-receive with too many bump-over passes, and the offense couldn’t find any type of rhythm.
The Wildcats served neither tough nor accurate. They had zero aces and 11 service miscues, including six in the third set. On a good note, they outblocked Waiakea, 6-1. Alan Cancino Magana was in on five stuffs.
Suiaunoa was on a class trip to New Zealand, but Labrie and Arkangel, who both set and hit, picked up the slack. Blankenship is better known for playing basketball.
The two setters spread the ball to all three front-row attack points: left, middle and right. Sophomore middle blocker Samson Thomas punished the block when double teams camped on the outside with five kills.
The reason for Waiakea’s high kill total was the on-the-money passing of junior libero Kaylen Nihau, who was not only sharp in serve-receive but also on scramble digs.
“Our passing was a lot better than past games,” Waiakea coach Napua Canda said. “They definitely can pass. They get nervous sometimes. We tell them to relax and have fun. Our serving was a little better. We keep serving tough at practice instead of just lollypop it over. You don’t get better that way.
“We’ve been working on Kaylen’s platform, getting behind the ball, his coverage and footwork. We’ve been working on Nakana’s hitting. He’s confident, can jump and drive the ball. Davin plays for Pilipaa so he’s more advanced coming into high school. He’s quick with his reads, he can jump and hit the ball high.”
Arkangel, Labrie, defender Carson Yoshioka, Kaehuaea-Credo, and Suiaunoa all play for Pilipaa. That club experience really shows for Arkangel, who doesn’t play like a freshman, and Suiaunoa, a first-time starter.
At 6 feet 1, Blankenship is tall like Suiaunoa, a lanky junior southpaw, and he provides hit-over-the-block firepower and tall roofing support on front-row rotations.
“The other freshman that impressed me was Elijah,” Canda said. “He’s got a future in the game. We just have to keep working with him.”
The Warriors won the 25-22 first set despite 15 unforced errors. Basically, Konawaena needed to score only 10 points but couldn’t get its offense started.
Kaehuaea-Credo and Nihau each dropped two aces, and their teammates also served bullets. Labrie knocked down four kills in the set, hitting line, seam, and off-the-block tool shots.
In Game 2, Waiakea rolled to a 25-21 win behind Kaehuaea-Credo’s eight kills and two more aces from Nihau, who goes back and fires rocket serves.
Labrie smashed a kill for a 23-21 lead, Nihau followed with an ace, and Kaehuaea-Credo finished the set with his eighth kill.
In the 25-22 third set, at one point Waiakea had seven unforced errors in a row but trailed just 10-6. Again, the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize despite all the help. They had just seven kills against 12 unforced errors.
Waiakea had 15 giveaway points but neutralized those freebies with across-the-board balance. Kaehuaea-Credo had four kills, Labrie three, and Blankenship two in the set.
Konawaena tried its best to force a fourth game. Down 24-20, Frias banged down a kill, and Waiakea had an unforced error. But the Wildcats served into the net on match point then had to make a long drive home.