Finally, Mid-Pacific has a volleyball state championship.
Payton Smith had 20 kills and Brooke Eglinton tallied 19 more as the Owls outlasted University 17-25, 25-14, 25-20, 21-25, 15-12 on Friday night in the final of the New City Nissan /HHSAA Girls Volleyball Division II State Championships.
A robust crowd at Cannon Activities Center saw two teams from the ultra-competitive ILH swing the pendulum of momentum back and forth. They saw something brand new to Owls volleyball. MPI had not won a match in championship-bracket state-tournament play until this week.
“Yes, we knew that coming in. It put a lot of pressure, but not a lot at the same time knowing we just needed to try our best,” Smith said. “We knew we should be champs, but there was a lot of work. Watching videos, knowing we lost to them (during the regular season).”
ILH champion Mid-Pacific (14-10) had an opening-round bye at the state tournament, then reached the title match by sweeping Maui Prep 25-10, 25-3, 25-17 and outlasting Hawaii Baptist 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13 in a match in which the Eagles’ Marisa Nakata had 37 kills on 105 swings.
That long match on Thursday may have drained the Owls’ gas tank a bit.
“It’s been a journey. Ups and down all around. The benefit is we stayed healthy the whole season. That’s the only way I can explain it,” Mid-Pacific coach David Bayne said. “They’ve worked so hard. We had so much time off, it was tough. They built unity. From day one, that’s what we’ve been preaching.”
The teams split their two matchups during the regular season. On Sept. 28, University edged then ninth-ranked Mid-Pacific 22-25, 22-25, 25-22, 27-25, 15-11. On Oct. 12, MPI swept then-No. 9 University 27-25, 26-24, 25-17.
Like Friday’s title tilt, the season was a roller-coaster test.
“You just battle every day. You treat every day like it’s a battle. You know other teams are going to battle with you every day. You’ve got to push or they’re going to get you, ” Bayne said.
Any chatter that the Owls belong in Division I isn’t far off the path.
“We’re right in the middle. We’re a really good D-II team. We hang with the D-I teams. The plan is to go back up eventually, ” Bayne said.
Miliana Sylvester, a commit to Hawaii, led University (21-13) with 25 kills in 49 swings (.388) with 4.5 blocks and three digs. Liliana Dutcher tallied 14 kills, while Maya Nakasato dished 56 assists and added eight digs plus one kill.
Walt Quitan, filling in as head coach, got the buy-in he needed to bring this squad back to the state final.
“It’s always tough to lose, but I’m proud of them. I think we actually overachieved. We got a lot better as the season went on. Brand new team, three returnees and a setter (Nakasato ) who had never set in her life,” Quitan said. “It was a long season, came back (in the playoffs ) and gave ourselves an opportunity.”
Bayne praised the Junior Bows.
“They’re monsters. They’re amazing. Walt’s an amazing coach. Those girls played so hard. Mili is so unstoppable. We just tried to weather the storm. UH got a good one, man,” Bayne said.
Sylvester, a 6-foot-2 senior, had four kills and a block as ULS opened a 13-11 lead going into the media time out in the opening set. After another roof by Sylvester and consecutive hitting errors by the Owls, ULS’ lead was 16-11.
Maiah Kalima-Izumi’s kill landed in MPI’s right corner, and after a net violation, it was 18-11 after a 7-0 run. Moments later, Nakasato’s second ace of the match extended the lead to 21-13. With Sylvester resting, ULS closed out the first game. Smith’s hitting error ended the opening set.
MPI had momentum early in Set 2 with a kill and an ace by Smith. Nakasato answered with a dump kill and an ace to tie it at 5.
Down two points, Mid-Pacific tied it on a kill by Smith, then took a 13-12 lead on ace by Charis Kai.
The Owls came alive with back-to-back kills by Eglinton, an ace by Milan Scanlan and a kill by Smith for an 18-13 lead.
After a hitting error by Kalima-Izumi, the Owls led 21-14. Eglinton had three of the Owls’ final four kills as they tied the match at 1. Eglinton had eight kills in the second set.
University stayed in it for a stretch of Game 3, but MPI put together an 8-0 run to open a 15-7 lead.
ULS didn’t quit. Sylvester had two more blocks in the third, but Smith finally put it away with a clean kill down the left side, and the Owls had a 2-1 lead in the match.
Sylvester had six kills and a block as the Junior’Bows took a 13-9 lead in the fourth set.
It was 21-17 with Sylvester at serve when she approached the head official and said the MPI crowd behind her was calling her names. Play resumed after that, and an MPI official spoke to the Owls crowd during a timeout with the score 21-19.
With Sylvester off the court on ULS’ rotation, Kalima-Izumi put down tip kills from the left and right sides. Baptiste’s kill increased University’s lead to 24-20. Dutcher’s right-side kill ended the fourth game.
MPI opened the fifth set with a 4-1 lead. Sylvester roamed for three kills and a block, and when she left the court, Kalima-Izumi and Dutcher stepped up with kills to bring the Junior Bows within 7-6.
While Sylvester sat, ULS held down the fort. She returned and gave ULS an 11-10 lead, but Baptiste committed a hitting error against zero blockers, and Eglinton gave MPI the lead, 12-11, with a kill.
A Sylvester kill tied it at 12, but Baptiste committed a service error and Nakasato’s volley landed out of bounds. Eglinton put the match away with her right-side kill.
Unseeded University reached the final the hard way, posting wins on three consecutive nights. The Junior’Bows beat Konawaena 25-11, 25-17, 25-20, Seabury Hall 25-17, 25-19, 27-25 and Damien 24-26, 25-14, 25-22, 25-22.