The Konawaena girls doubles team of Rashai Kailiwai and Tayvia Yamagata advanced to the HHSAA championship match with a straight set victory over No. 2 seed Laura Okazaki and Chloe Miwa.
The No. 5 seeded Wildcat duo defeated the team from Iolani 6-3, 6-3 Friday afternoon at the Fairmot Orchid Tennis Center to advance to Saturday’s finals, where they will play the No. 1 seed team of Sarah Ikioka and Kylee Kato from Kamehameha-Maui. Saturday’s championship match will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Kailiwai and Yamagata have not had an easy road to the championship match. They had to face the No. 3 seeded team of Haley Fujimori and Alyssa Nakasato (Mililani) in the quarterfinals, winning a close three set match.
“There have been a few tough matches, and that quarterfinal match could have gone either way,” Konawaena head coach Richard Kahalioumi said. “There was not an easy road in the entire draw. Competition has been very high.”
Ikioka and Kato defeated the No. 4 duo of Serena Le and Clarise Huang (Punahou) 7-5, 6-4 in the other semifinal match. They also defeated the No. 7 team of Betsy Wo and Lexie Matsunaga (Punahou) in the quarterfinals, winning in straight sets.
“Those Kamehameha-Maui girls are pretty good and they have been playing together for a long time,” Kahalioumi said. “There is a reason they are the No. 1 team and I expect a good match.”
Kailiwai and Yamagata are pretty new to playing doubles at the high school level. Both players were single competitors for Konawaena during the regular season. They played together for the first time in the BIIF team tournament, helping to lead the Wildcats to a BIIF team title, Konawaena’s second in a row on the girls side.
The Wildcat duo decided to stay together for the BIIF individual tournament and went on to roll through their competition on the way to the doubles title.
“They have really developed a friendship over the year, becoming really close,” Kahalioumi said. “Both can hit the ball hard and change pace, but their biggest asset is they know how to pick each other up after a mistake.”
Hilo’s Emily Soares, the No. 1 seeded girls player, was upset in the semifinals by Punahou’s Alyssia Fossorier (No. 4 seed) in straight sets 4-6, 3-6. Soares won her quarterfinal match over No. 7 seed Michelle Uyeda (Kealakehe) earlier in the day 6-1, 6-2.
Hilo’s Gil Assi (No. 5) lost his quarterfinal match on Friday to the top seeded player, Farrington’s Andre Ilagan 3-6, 0-6.