The BIIF volleyball season came closer to its end on Wednesday — with many teams playing their second or third-to-last games, and Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i completing its final game.
Ka ‘Umeke 3 – Kanu 0
In the season’s first and only varsity matchup between two Hawaiian immersion schools, homestanding Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo PCS swept Kanu ‘o ka ‘Aina PCS at Kawanankoa Gym in Keaukaha.
Ka ‘Umeke won in straight sets of 25-9, 25-19 and 25-13.
Now 2-7, Ka ‘Umeke is all but out of playoff contention. A playoff berth isn’t impossible, but will require Ka ‘Umeke to defeat two of the top three BIIF DII teams.
Tonight, Ka ‘Umeke will play away at Konawaena — which stands at No. 2 in BIIF DII with a 7-1 record. On Monday, Ka ‘Umeke will travel over the volcano to face undefeated Ka‘u HS — the No. 1 team in BIIF DII at a 10-0 record. Ka ‘Umeke’s season will end at home on Friday, Oct. 13 against Makua Lani Christian (1-8).
Kanu ‘o ka ‘Aina has been unable to pull itself out of a slump during its first season in the BIIF, now falling to a 0-10 record. Kanu’s final home game will be at 11 a.m. Saturday against Laupahoehoe (3-6). Kanu’s season will end Monday, Oct. 9 on the road at Pahoa HS (7-4).
KSH 3 – KHS 0
The Warriors handled their last bit of business, quickly downing Kealakehe HS 3-0 to complete regular season play with a 12-0 record.
KSH won all three sets by the same score — 25-9.
The Warriors were more passive than usual on offense, hanging back to let their well-round defense do the work — recording a grand total of 56 digs. All but three players from the Warriors’ 18-player roster notched at least one dig — led by Maela Honma with ten, Camryn Grace with nine and Kealohi Dudoit with eight.
Setter Maile Kuamo‘o recorded 27 assists, as well as three aces.
The Warriors will have ample time off before their next outing three weeks from now, the BIIF semifinals (Oct. 26). This down time will be much appreciated, as KSH’s players have been bouncing between invitational tournaments and BIIF play since August. When counting invitational tourney play, the Warriors have a 23-5 record.
The Waveriders’ season concludes in an opposite manner to that of the Warriors. Kealakehe fell to a 0-10 record after Wednesday’s loss — sitting firmly in the BIIF DI bottom standing.
The Waveriders’ final game will see them host Hilo HS next Wednesday. The Vikings have dominated the Waveriders so far this season, sweeping them in both of their most recent encounters.
Hilo 3 – Kea‘au 0
The Vikings swept the Cougars in straight sets of 25-13, 25-10 and 25-8 to win their third-to-last outing of the season.
Now 6-3, Hilo has effectively secured the No. 2 seed in the BIIF DI playoffs. Even if the Vikings lose their two remaining matches and No. 3 Waiakea HS (4-5) wins its final test, Hilo will still lead by one win.
After traveling to Kealakehe next Wednesday, the Vikings will return for their final (regular season) home game on Friday, Oct. 13 — again against Kea‘au.
The Cougars are now 2-7, and will host their final home game tonight against Waiakea (JV starts 5 p.m., varsity follows). Kea‘au faces the same situation as Waiakea when it comes to standings and playoff seedings — even if the Cougars beat Waiakea, their record will still be one game behind, and they will get the No. 4 seed either way.
The playoff picture shows Kea‘au playing across the village at KSH for the semifinal, while Hilo will host Waiakea.
Konawaena 3 –
Honoka‘a 0
Konawaena swept Honoka‘a in straight sets Wednesday to remain at its No. 2 spot in the BIIF DII standings — 25-18, 25-19 and 25-17.
The Wildcats now sit at 7-1, while the Dragons fell below .500 at 4-5 — losing their fourth straight.
With just four matches to go in the regular season, Konawaena next faces Ka Umeke at 5 p.m. tonight in Kealakekua — and will look to further separate itself from the teams in the middle of the DII standings.
Honoka‘a has three matches to go, and will aim to right the ship against Parker at 5 p.m. Monday in Waimea.
JV Scores
KSH 2 -Kealakehe 0 (25-16, 25-7)
Hilo 3 – Kea‘au 0 (25-10, 25-10)
