KEAAU — Kamehameha junior Nani Spaar and Kealakehe senior Ke’ala Wright kept trading hammer shots on the volleyball court in a battle that looked like anybody’s ballgame.
But the Warriors made more clutch plays at the end to defeat the Waveriders 25-20, 26-24, 28-26 in a BIIF Division I showdown on Tuesday night at Koa’ia Gym.
Spaar slammed 20 kills, Kanani Chan added seven, and Tiani Bello had five for the Warriors (9-0), who remain in the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular-season title, which includes a berth to the HHSAA tournament.
Wright, a senior transfer from Texas who has Hawaii ties, rammed 18 kills, and Anastasia Tuifua, a junior middle, added nine kills for the Waveriders (7-1), who finished with 39 kills and 33 unforced errors.
The Warriors were a little more efficient with 40 kills and 28 giveaway points. They were even better during crunch time.
“When it was time to play tough at the end, we played tough,” Kamehameha coach Guy Enriques said. “We go to Nani quite a bit, and she’s getting better and better.
“She’s learning to deal with things. There were moments when we all struggled. I have to give credit to Bello. She really put it together in the last set and had some big kills for us.”
In the 25-20 first set, the Warriors relied on the firepower of Spaar, who had five kills, and Kaysha Kahai-Enos, who added four kills to offset the four giveaway points on serving errors.
The Waveriders, who struggled to find a rhythm, only had one three-point run while the Warriors had a four-point run and two three-point spurts.
The 26-24 second set was a back-and-forth battle that featured 14 ties and a classic hitting duel between Spaar, who slammed seven kills, and Wright, who knocked down eight kills.
Kamehameha freshman setter Siera Scanlan developed a nice connection on step-outs with Kanani Chan, who added five kills.
Tied 20-20, Spaar put down four kills, the last for a 24-23 Warrior lead. Then the two teams traded giveaway points, and Chan closed the set.
Wright is a natural left-hander but taught herself how to hit right-handed. She serves and usually hits with her right hand. There’s virtually no difference what hand she hits with.
In Game 3, Spaar and Wright each accounted for eight kills, but Spaar had hitting help from Bello, who cranked two big kills.
Wright had a kill with her right hand for a 24-21 lead. But the Warriors answered with kills by Spaar and Bello and a block to tie it.
A Warrior serving error followed, but Bello tied it at 25-25. Kealakehe had a hitting error, but Tuifua tied it at 26-26. Then Spaar lofted a floater that landed in the corner and put down match points on a well-placed tip shot.
“It’s a tough loss, and we came up short,” Kealakehe coach Kahinu Lee said. “We were in there all the way. In the second set, we were right there until the end. It was the same thing in the third set. We fought hard, and we’ll be back.”
