KEAAU — It seems like the Green and Red are always meeting with something big on the line.
Since statewide classification started in 2005, Konawaena and Hawaii Prep have played for the BIIF Division II title six times. The Wildcats have won the last four times and Ka Makani the first two meetings.
A senior-laden Kohala team pocketed the BIIF title last year, its first. Konawaena defeated HPA in the semifinals in five sets, another classic that came a day earlier instead of the championship.
The two old rivals are back after beating their semifinal opponents. Konawaena rolled past Pahoa 25-11, 25-12, 25-12, and HPA downed Ka’u 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 on Tuesday at Keaau High’s gym.
The Wildcats (10-4) play Ka Makani (9-5) for the BIIF title at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Daggers (6-9) play the Trojans (8-7) at 4 p.m. for third-place and the league’s last spot to the HHSAA tournament on Oahu.
Konawaena came out on fire and had a 100 percent sideout rate in the first set, and Malie Grace pounded six kills.
The Wildcats took control with a nine-point run for a 10-3 cushion and rolled from there.
“The past three weeks we worked on being confident, play to win,” Konawaena assistant Joe Wong said. “We wanted to be aggressive in everything we do, serving, hitting or passing.”
Grace finished with 17 kills on 39 swings and hit .359, Keisielynn Casuga added 10 kills and hit .500 for the Wildcats, who had a .407 hitting clip.
The Wildcats had far more firepower with more kills than the Daggers, 46-19, and good ball-control with setters Taimane Alo and Sariah Kuahuia-Pabre combining for 35 kills.
Kalile Stein had six kills and hit .417, but the rest of her teammates struggled and Pahoa finished with a .061 hitting clip. Their ball-control wasn’t sharp and the Daggers had just 18 assists, giving Konawaena too many free balls on bump-overs.
In the second set, the Wildcats jumped to a 21-9 lead, hitting a torrid .615 and committing zero hitting errors.
Konawaena closed with five straight points to finish the match. Grace pounded match point.
Wong said the coaching staff made sure Grace was well rested for the playoffs. She played minimally against the weaker teams and went full bore in the bigger games.
“We had her on load management,” he said. “We wanted her to be really healthy. I liked that she was very aggressive.
In the first meeting, Konawaena defeated HPA. Wong knows the story by heart about the history between the two.
“It’s two powerhouse schools going against each other,” he said. “I expect to see them every year, especially with coach Sharon Peterson. It’s feels like a given.”
While the Wildcats absolutely dominated with clean ball-control and too much firepower, that wasn’t the case with Ka Makani, who had a tough time shaking off the persistent Trojans.
HPA was led by its fabulous freshman, Parker Lewis, who slammed 13 kills and hit .379 on 29 swings. Senior middle Kirra Brown added six kills for Ka Makani, who had a .215 hitting percentage.
Ka Makani had just one more kill than the Trojans, 27-26. HPA senior libero Jenna Perry had a match-high 20 digs.
Ka’u freshman Chelsea Velez had a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs but hit just .108. The Trojans finished with a negative .038 hitting percentage.
The Trojans were their own worst enemy with a flood of unforced errors, 40 in all. Ka Makani had just 15 giveaway points.
HPA scored its last six points on unforced errors in Game 1, its last five in the second set, and took three free points before dropping an ace in the last set.
Ka Makani are much taller, but the ball-control for both teams was shaky, something that caught the eye of Peterson.
“It was up and down. We were very tight. Even when we got going, we lacked consistency,” she said. “We looked a little nervous.”
But Lewis was a difference-maker. She’s athletic, has a strong swing and hits smart. She’s from San Francisco and played club volleyball for Carla Carpenter-Kabalis’ HI-Intensity team.
“She had good snap (on her swing),” Peterson said. “She used her tip and I’m glad to see that. It was very effective. She’s a strong blocker and has timing.”
Peterson was her usual practical self when asked about the familiar matchup with the Wildcats.
“We’ve got to play somebody,” she said. “It’s a good challenge especially for the Honolulu teams we’ll face.”
