The matchups are set for the Central Pacific Bank/BIIF Division I and Division II boys volleyball semifinals, which will begin tonight.
In DI, No. 1 Hilo High will host No. 4 Kealakehe, and No. 2 KS-Hawai‘i will host No. 3 Waiakea High.
In DII, No. 1 Konawaena will host No. 4 Kohala; No. 2 Pahoa will host No. 3 Ka‘u.
Quarterfinals
KA‘U 3 – HONOKA‘A 2
The No. 7-seeded Dragons came within inches of extending their fairy-tale run to the finals, but were stopped as the No. 3 Trojans defended their home court through five sets on Saturday night in Pahala.
Honoka‘a got the upper hand with a 25-21 first-set win, but Ka‘u dominated the second set 25-16. The Dragons returned the favor, winning the third set 25-17.
The Trojans came back to win the fourth set 25-21 and fifth set 15-10, securing a trip to tonight’s semifinals — in which they will take on undefeated top seed Konawaena in Kealakekua. Ka‘u is now 9-2 overall, and Honoka‘a’s season is over at 4-8.
The Dragons upset No. 6 Hawaii Prep in the first round earlier this week, besting Ka Makani in four sets to end their six-game losing streak.
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KOHALA 3 – PARKER 0
The fourth-seeded Kohala High boys volleyball team punched its ticket to the DII semifinals with a straight-sets win over No. 5 Parker on Saturday in Kapaau. The Cowboys won the first set convincingly by a score of 25-16, but had to scratch and claw in the remaining two competitive sets. Nonetheless, Kohala escaped the second frame 28-26, and the final 25-23.
Kohala has been racking up wins over the last two weeks, but has a daunting task ahead of them. The Cowboys will next face No. 2 Pahoa at 6 p.m. tonight in Pahoa town for a chance to advance to the DII championship on Wednesday in Hilo. Kohala’s last loss was to the Daggers on April 11, in which Pahoa won in four sets.
First rounds
HONOKA‘A 3 – HPA 1
No. 7 seed Honoka‘a boys volleyball had a successful business trip Thursday night in Waimea — upsetting No. 6 Hawaii Preparatory Academy in four competitive sets in the opening round of the BIIF DII tournament.
Honoka‘a won the first two sets by scores of 27-25 and 25-23, mainly due to the Dragons’ pristine passing to set up senior star Kupa‘a Langan for open looks at the net — resulting in a plethora of easy points.
But Ka Makani wasn’t ready to lie down, as it rallied in the third set to avoid the sweep, winning 25-18. HPA picked up its sense of urgency and held a comfortable lead throughout the frame.
However, Honoka‘a regrouped and closed the match with a 25-19 fourth-set win to seal the deal.
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PARKER 3 – KANU 0
No. 5 Parker boys volleyball wasted no time in its opening first-round DII matchup Thursday in Waimea — sweeping No. 8 Kanu o ka ‘Aina in quick fashion by scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-19.
While Kanu fell short, the Waimea team has much to be proud of — as this was the first season in which it has qualified for the BIIF tournament, per Scoring Live’s records.