Two BIIF volleyball matches were played on Wednesday night as the season inched closer to its end.
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KA‘U 3 – KA ‘UMEKE KA‘EO 0
The Trojans moved to a monumental, 11-0 record — winning their final regular-season home game in straight sets of 25-11, 25-6 and 25-9.
Now 2-9, Ka ‘Umeke will end its innaugural season on the road at 7:30 p.m. tonight — against Makua Lani (2-9) at Kona Old Airport.
Ka‘u is now just one victory away from the program’s first ever undefeated regular season.
“It’s great,” first-year Ka‘u head coach Kamalani Fujikawa said. “Our last game was great. It was interesting because we changed our lineup and had players play in positions they don’t normally play in — and it was still a phenominal outcome.
“I always want them to enjoy playing volleyball, and to be open to trying new things to get out of their comfort zones. I believe that when you get out of your comfort zone, you focus on self confidence and you learn more about yourself — and that can help us with identifying our strengths and weaknesses.”
The Trojans have ripped through this season, slaying giants such as Hawai‘i Prep and Konawaena, and now hold a mind-bending 33-2 set win/loss ratio.
“This season has been so much fun,” Fujikawa said, “learning about the girls and what drives them.”
This year’s success is the fruit of many years worth of progress. Ka‘u spent most of the 2010’s as a middling team in BIIF DII, getting its first DII state berth in 2018 after finishing third in the BIIF playoffs.
After a two-season pandemic hiatus, the Trojans returned last year to place third again — ending BIIF play with a 8-4 record, but going 0-2 at state.
This year, things are different and Ka‘u has — so far — been all but untouchable. The Trojans are one step away from a No. 1 seed in the BIIF playoffs and automatic state berth. All that they need to do is beat Honoka‘a HS (4-6) tonight.
“We hope to finish our season with a bang,” Fujikawa said. She then added that during tryouts, she asked each player “what is your ‘why?’”
“What do you want, and why do you want to achieve it?
“I explained to them that the reason why they need to identify this is because no one else can identify it for you,” Fujikawa added. “Discovering the purpose, values and motivation that drives you is literally key. You need to take control of that journey. That’s why my coaching staff and I are here, to provide them with the tools they need to get to their destination.”
If the Trojans defeat Honoka‘a and finish out at 12-0, they will have the automatic state berth regardless of their BIIF playoff performance, and will receive a bye all the way to the BIIF semifinal, which they will host.
HILO 3 – KEALAKEHE 0
Kealakehe lost in straight sets to Hilo on Wednesday night in Kailua-Kona — 25-11, 25-8 and 25-19.
The Waveriders remained winless in BIIF DI play at 0-10. The Vikings moved to 7-3 and remained in the No. 2 standing in with two matches to go in the regular season.
Kealakehe will next play Waiakea on Tuesday night at home with a first-serve time of 5 p.m. for JV, followed by varsity.
Hilo will also play Tuesday night against Kea‘au at home, with the the same start time. The Vikings and Cougars were originally slated to play tonight, but the matchup was rescheduled for next week.
REMAINING MATCHUPS
Ten regular-season BIIF matchups remain on the slate, five of which will take place between tonight and tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 14).
Tonight’s evening action will include — Ka‘u at Honoka‘a, Ka ‘Umeke at Makua Lani and St. Joseph at Kohala. Tomorrow morning, Christian Liberty Academy will play at Kohala and Konawaena will play at Laupahoehoe (10 a.m.).
On Monday, Honoka‘a will play at CLA. Tuesday will see Hilo host Kea‘au and Waiakea host Kealakehe.
The final regular season outings will be Wednesday, when Hilo will host Waiakea and Kea‘au will host Kealakehe.