The Central Pacific Bank/BIIF DI and DII volleyball playoff semifinals went down Thursday night, finalizing the bracket for Saturday’s championship and third-place match.
The final matches will be played Saturday at Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i — the DII third-place match is slated for 3 p.m., the DII championship is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the DI championship will begin at 7 p.m.
No. 1 Ka‘u High and No. 2 Hawai‘i Prep will face off in the DII final round — both have earned spots in the state championship. No. 4 Kohala High and No. 3 Konawaena High will compete for the third state championship berth.
In DI, No. 1 KSH and No. 3 Waiakea will fight for the title — with both advancing to the state tournament. Only two BIIF DI teams are allowed to participate in the state championship, so there will be no third place match.
Waiakea 3 – Hilo 1
The Warriors chose the most opportune time to take their season’s first victory over Hilo — defeating the homestanding Vikings to enter the BIIF finals and the state playoffs.
After edging closer and closer to beating Hilo all season, Waiakea finally pulled it off.
Following a big first set win of 25-16, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead by winning the second 26-24. The Vikings didn’t give up, and fought to take the third set 25-20.
However, Hilo’s season ended as the Warriors took another close win — closing out the match and securing their spot in the finals by winning the fourth set 25-23.
Saturday night will be a showdown between the blue-clad Warriors, as Waiakea and KSH clash for the BIIF DI title.
Hilo ends its season with an 8-3 regular season record and 8-4 overall record. The Vikings went 3-1 against Waiakea on the season, their only loss being Thursday.
KSH 3 – Kea‘au 0
The Warriors handled business, quickly downing No. 4 Kea‘au High to confirm their finals berth and move to a 13-0 BIIF record.
KSH prevailed in straight sets of 25-11, 25-5 and 25-19.
The Warriors will now try for their fourth straight BIIF DI title, and first on their home court since 2021.
KSH held the No. 3 statewide ranking for nearly two months, but dropped to No. 4 in the most recent poll as Moanalua High moved to No. 3. The Warriors defeated Na Menehune at an invitational tournament in August.
KS-Kapalama ranks No. 1, followed by Punahou School at No. 2.
Ka‘u 3 – Kohala 1
For a while, it looked like the visiting Cowgirls would win the first set of Thursday’s semifinal — as they capitalized on errors and successfully countered the Trojans’ offense.
But, after a timeout, Ka‘u woke up — and it was all downhill for Koahal from there. The Trojans came back to win the first set 26-24, showcasing their resilience, then put Kohala on its heels by winning the second set 25-17.
The Cowgirls, however, were no pushover, and stayed in the game — winning the third set 26-24.
Ka‘u ultimately prevailed, defending its undefeated record and stand at Ka‘u District Gym by dominating the fourth set 25-11.
After closing out the regular season 12-0, the Trojans will look to end it with a BIIF title and no losses.
Ka‘u and HPA will meet for the second time this season on Saturday night. During their last bout in late September, Ka‘u prevailed 3-1.
HPA 3 – Konawaena 1
Ka Makani outlasted the Wildcats to confirm its No. 2 standing and enter the BIIF DII finals.
After HPA won the first set 25-21, Konawaena tied it up by taking the second 25-22. Though the Wildcats kept things close, Ka Makani could not be stopped — winning the next two sets 25-20 and 25-17.
HPA will get to take another crack at Ka‘u, and is also guaranteed a berth at the state championship alongside the Trojans.
Konawaena and Kohala will fight for a chance at keeping their postseasons alive, facing off in Saturday’s third-place match.