HILO — It was senior night for Waiakea’s volleyball team, but Monique Apuakehau, Alison Fuata, Tiani Teanio and Kylee Ancheta had more to celebrate than just their last home match.
The senior foursome helped Waiakea sweep Honokaa 25-20, 25-7, 25-16 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation match Wednesday night at the Warriors’ gym.
The Warriors (10-4) earned the No. 3 seed for the BIIF Division I semifinals and avoided No. 1 seed Kamehameha, the four-time defending league champion.
The BIIF semifinals will be held Oct. 23 at Konawaena’s Ellison Onizuka Gym. Kamehameha (13-0) will play No. 4 Kealakehe (9-4), and Waiakea will play No. 2 Hilo (11-2).
Fuata led Waiakea with 10 kills, while Kadara Marshall and Lindsey Kakano Maikui had nine kills apiece. Apuakehau had five kills, Teanio two and Ancheta played as a back-row specialist.
As the BIIF regular season champion, Kamehameha has already secured a berth to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament.
If Kamehameha beats Kealakehe, the Hilo-Waiakea winner would earn the league’s other state spot.
On Monday, Hilo prevailed over Waiakea 25-22, 12-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-12.
Waiakea last went to states in 2010, Hilo has made three consecutive appearances, and Kealakehe last made the trip to Oahu in 2006.
Honokaa (8-6), the No. 3 seed, will play No. 6 East-Pac (3-10) in the BIIF Division II playoffs at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Honokaa Armory.
Monica Muskat had six kills to spark the Dragons — who had a six-match winning streak snapped — while Tehane Reynolds added five and Kayla Requelman had four kills.