Guy Enriques got everything he wanted with his inaugural Kamehameha Labor Day Classic Volleyball Tournament.
Well, almost everything. The first-year coach landed the dream matchup that he wanted: defending HHSAA state champion Kamehameha-Kapalama vs. his host Warriors.
The ILH Warriors overpowered the host Warriors 25-22, 25-14 for the championship on Saturday at Koai’ a Gym, where a BIIF pecking order was, sort of, established.
Hilo beat Mid-Pacific in three sets for third place. Earlier, the Owls prevailed over the Vikings in three sets at McKinley’s tourney on Oahu.
Kealakehe topped St. Andrews, from the ILH, for fifth.
Waiakea downed Westview for seventh place.
Of course, when it comes to the BIIF postseason, which is way down the line, rabbits get pulled out of hats.
Last year, Waiakea wasn’t supposed to edge Hilo in five sets for the BIIF Division I, not after being down 2-0 and trailing in the last two sets.
With 18 teams, the Kamehameha Classic is already the largest prep tourney in the state. The preseason Ann Kang Iolani Invitational fields 16 teams and didn’t include the ILH rival Warriors.
The prestigious Iolani Classic, which draws nationally ranked basketball teams, also features 16 teams.
“Next year, I want to make it even bigger, and I want to bring in 10 mainland teams,” Enriques said. “We had five originally, but two dropped out because of the Volcano and the other because of the Hurricane.”
Enriques extended invites to BIIF teams that don’t have the budget to travel and play in top-shelf tournaments: Laupahoehoe, Ka‘u, Keaau, Pahoa, Christian Liberty, and Honokaa.
But best of all, it was an eye-opening experience for the Big Four BIIF teams — Kamehameha, Hilo, Waiakea, and Kealakehe — to watch an HHSAA team like Kamehameha-Kapalama filled with blue-chip Division I talent.
Setter Lexis Akeo (Pittsburgh), outside hitter Braelyn Akana (Hawaii), libero Paris Oliveria (UNLV), and junior hitter Keonilei Akana (USC) made KS-Kapalama look like a college team.
The Warriors run a diverse, quick offense because their ball-control, especially their serve-receive (one reason opponents have difficulty jumping on scoring runs), is so good, coach Chris Blake pointed out.
However, the team is built around Akeo, who could be compared to a batting practice pitcher. She consistently sets the ball right down the middle to allow her hitters to jack home runs.
In a 25-21, 25-17 semifinal win over Hilo, there were several times a pass had Akeo running toward the left pin. Despite her momentum, she perfectly back-set the ball to the opposite, and the right side had a clean attacking zone.
Most blockers instinctively hedge toward the left because that’s where the majority of sets go, where a setter has a clear sightline. But the ILH Warriors could run backside plays all day long because of Akeo’s touch.
“We’ve worked with her for four years, and she’s a four-year starter,” Blake said. “What stands out about her is her knowledge of the game and her consistency.”
Her sister Kamalani Akeo is a senior setter for the Panthers and was the ACC setter of the year in 2016.
Previously, the Wahine snagged the top local talents like the Akeo sisters. Their last impact local player was two-time All-American Nikki Taylor, out of Kaiser, who graduated in 2016.
At least, UH batted 1 for 3 scoring KS-Kapalama players, securing Akana but missing on her younger sister. Their parents are former UH hoops assistant Brandyn Akana and Wahine hitter Joselyn Robins.
It was a valuable experience for the BIIF teams to play the defending state champs, learning how high the bar is set.
The Viking held a 10-6 lead in Game 1 against the ILH Warriors, who stormed back and capitalized on Hilo’s free balls off bump overs.
The BIIF runner-ups were competitive and had their bigs — Laurie McGrath and Taina Leao — pull double duty. They blocked on the right against Akana and ran back to the left to swing.
Hilo coach Drew Fernandez highlighted the play of his blockers, McGrath, Leao and Mahala Kaapuni, and the defense of Jamie Chun and Siena Mizuno.
Last season at states, the Vikings fell to Kahuku in the first round at home. The ILH Warriors swept Mililani, Kapolei, and Iolani in their run to the title.
Fernandez and his team would like to go back and have a shot against Kamehameha-Kapalama, which would be his dream matchup.
“It was good for us,” Fernandez said of the Kamehameha Classic. “If we should get to states, we know the type of competition we’ll face.”
