In a five-set marathon at home, Waiakea played hard and its team chemistry on the volleyball court kept the scores competitive against Hilo, a seasoned ballclub with loads of big-game experience.
But last Monday, the Vikings outlasted the Warriors 25-22, 12-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-12 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I showdown, revealing what really tips the scale when everything is so close.
It was the first touch on both sides of the ball: serving and passing. Hilo won that ball-control battle hands down, firing bullets from the service line and smoothly handing all of Waiakea’s softballs in serve-receive.
Then Honokaa visited, the Warriors took a 180-degree turn, and treated that Wednesday match like a serving-and-passing clinic, sweeping the Dragons 25-20, 25-7, 25-16.
The much-anticipated jumping contest between junior middle blocker Kadara Marshall of Waiakea and senior middle blocker Monica Muskat from Honokaa was fun for a while. Marshall finished with nine kills while Muskat had six kills.
That one-on-one drama disappeared from the Warriors gym as soon as the home team turned up the heat from the service line, and the Dragons started shanking passes all over the place.
Suddenly, the Warriors resembled the Vikings, playing with balanced ball-control and showing all-around firepower. Alison Fuata smoked 10 kills and Lindsey Kakano Maikui added nine to help Waiakea overpower Honokaa in kills, 46-20.
The BIIF semifinals will be held Thursday at Konawaena’s Ellison Onizuka Gym. No. 1 Kamehameha (13-0) will play No. 4 Kealakehe (9-4) at 5:30 p.m., and No. 3 Waiakea (10-4) will play No. 2 Hilo (11-2) at 7 p.m.
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.
“We played a great game against Hilo,” Waiakea coach Ashley Hanohano said. “We’ll work very hard at practice and I think we’ll come out strong on Thursday. Our goal is to get to states.
Against Honokaa, the pieces of Waiakea’s puzzle finally came together. Everyone in the starting lineup looked comfortable in their roles: Fuata at outside hitter, Marshall in the middle and Hi’ilei Ishii-Chaves, also a setter, on the right.
There was no significant dropoff when freshman Kayla Kahauolopua rotated to the front row at the left spot, Monique Apuakehau in the middle and Maikui at the right post.
The timing between sophomore setter Taniah Ayap and the athletic Marshall was much better, compared to the Hilo game. When she’s taking a healthy swing and putting balls down, Marshall’s production opens up one-on-one looks for the hard-charging Fuata.
When the defense starts to hedge, Ayap can go the other way and start feeding right-side sluggers Ishii-Chaves and Maikui.
Libero Jordyn Hayashi and defenders Casi Gacusana and Tiani Teanio stifled Dragon attacks. A primary goal for a player in the backline is to be in a lane, where a hitter will shoot a ball through a seam.
They’ll need everything in their toolbox to take down the Vikings, an opponent that has a lot of weapons as well, including a full supply of big-game experience.