HILO — The Kamehameha Schools – Hawaii boys varsity volleyball team nabbed the No.1 standing in BIIF Division I by beating Hilo High School 3-0 Friday night.
The pair played five sets in their last meeting at the start of March, and Friday’s sweep came as a surprise to everyone — including KSH head coach Sam Thomas.
“I thought we were lucky,” he said. “We actually played better than I thought we would after seeing how we played on Wednesday. Our boys came through.”
Two days earlier, KSH edged Waiakea High School — winning 16-14 in the fifth set.
The sweep of Vikings shakes up the picture for the rest of the season even more, given that Hilo swept Waiakea the week prior.
Friday’s showdown was hard-fought, with the Vikings trailing closely all the way and the Warriors continually pulling away from tied scores.
The first set was neck-and-neck until the teens, when KSH started to build a lead. On Hilo’s side Raidan Ka‘iwa Ware and Kawai Wilbur Gabriel each notched multiple kills, while the Warriors’ Micah Wana and Kullen Pua did the same. KSH ended with a 25-18 win.
Maluhia Tandal led off the second set with an ace for the Vikings, but several errors by Hilo gave a slight lead to the Warriors. Gabriel and Ware continued to be threats on the front line, drawing the score closer. KSH regained its lead, and closed out 25-20. Pua notched three more kills, and Andrew Boshard contributed two kills for the Warriors.
The third set was by far the closest and most exciting. Gabriel was an absolute force, recording a whopping seven kills on the set — supported by Kanoa Pana’s three kills. Wana trailed closely with four kills, and Nauhikapakea Liwis protected KSH’s side with three blocks. The game was tied 21-21 when a block by Gabriel and a kill by Ware gave a Hilo a 23-21 lead. A kill by Boshard and a big double block by Pua and Liwis tied the game, and a time-out was called.
A double contact call and a wide spike sealed the set and the sweep for the Warriors.
Pua led KSH with ten kills and four digs, trailed by Wana with eight kills and Boshard with six kills. Makena Aiona-Agra contributed two aces and five digs.
Thomas said that several factors led to this win being much bigger than KSH’s last win over Hilo.
“I think that our serve receive was a lot better than the last time,” he said, “and our passing was better. We have three hitters in the front row all the time, we’ve got our big hitter and our hitter in the back row. We worked hard on that. It gives us an advantage having four hitters coming after their team.”
The Warriors exercised their depth, and proved that many of their non-starters could shine against a high-caliber team like Hilo.
“Kahili Paleka came off the bench and he just did awesome,” Thomas said. “We talked to the boys in a huddle just now after the game, and it was important when we’ve got these good players on the team to get them on the court and give our other guys a breather — and we didn’t drop a beat.”
KSH is now 5-0 and No.1 in the BIIF. However, the Warriors and Vikings will return to the same court at 6 p.m. tomorrow for another encounter.
“We’re gonna have to work super hard,” Thomas said. “We play Hilo again Monday and it’s back here at home. I’m sure they’re gonna come with all they’ve got to put us back where they want us. It should be a great game.”
Two days later, Hilo will have another great test — its second match-up against Waiakea, this time on WHS’ home turf.