KEAAU — Hilo’s roofing company, led by Laurie McGrath, Mahala Kaapuni, Taina Leao, and Kailee Kurokawa, got the job done against Kamehameha’s powerhouse hitters, featuring standout freshman Tiani Bello.
The Vikings outblocked the Warriors, 14-4, to prevail 26-24, 25-7, 22-25, 23-25, 15-11 in the BIIF Division I semifinals on Wednesday night at Koai’a Gym, where the atmosphere was just as electric as the back-and-forth play.
Hilo clinched a berth to the HHSAA state tournament, its first since 2013. The state tourney starts Monday, Oct. 24 with first-round matches.
The season is over for the Warriors (13-4), who lose senior opposite Kailee Yoshimura, middle blocker Cienna Daog, and three others in Kaui Cabatu, Aleia Kekaualua, and Kauahoe Kane-Kalua.
In the other semifinal, Waiakea defeated Keaau 25-17, 25-22, 25-14.
Hilo (14-3) plays Waiakea (15-2) for the BIIF championship at 7 p.m. Friday at Kealakehe High’s gym. The Vikings last won the BIIF Division I crown in 2001; they captured three league Division II titles from 2007-09.
McGrath and Kurokawa were in on six stuffs, Leao had five roofs, but Kaapuni had the match’s biggest block in Game 5 to finish the nearly three-hour marathon.
Hilo’s little giants 5-foot-6 junior outside hitters Kawai Ua and Lexi Paglinawan led the offensive charge. Ua ripped 16 kills and Paglinawan smashed 12 kills and served five aces, including three in the second set.
Kurokawa, a junior setter, balanced the offense. Leao, a sophomore opposite, drilled 13 kills from the right post, and McGrath, a sophomore middle, added eight kills for Hilo, which compiled 58 kills and 38 unforced errors.
Bello, a 5-7 freshman outside hitter, clobbered 16 kills while her freshman partner Nani Spaar had nine kills. Yoshimura rammed 11 kills for the Warriors, who finished with 51 kills and 40 giveaway points.
Tied 10-10 in the fifth set, Kamehameha had a hitting error, Leao blasted a free ball, and Ua put down another kill for a 13-10 lead. Spaar knocked a kill down, but Ua powered a shot through a double block.
Kaapuni got a solo block for match point, fending off the Warriors, who rallied back from a 2-0 set deficit.
“I’m proud of them,” Hilo coach Drew Fernandez said. “We knew Kamehameha has powerhouse hitters, and we needed a bigger block.”
In the first set, Kamehameha led 23-19 but couldn’t close the door. Paglinawan served four straight points, including an ace for a 24-23 lead. Kurokawa later pounded an over-pass for set point.
The Vikings were rolling with confidence and momentum in Game 2, where Paglinawan dissected Kamehameha’s serve-receive passing, reeling off 12 consecutive points for a 13-0 cushion.
“We knew we had to count on Lexi in the back row,” Fernandez said. “She’s our most aggressive server.”
During her serving spurt, Paglinawan dropped two aces, and the Warriors had seven unforced errors, getting blocked twice.
In the third set, Hilo led 20-16, but then its serve-receive got wobbly, and Kamehameha scored eight points in a row for a 24-20 lead.
The Viking faithful kept chanting “Let’s go Hilo,” attempting to provide inspirational fuel. For a while, Koai’a Gym felt like home to the visitors.
Hilo trimmed the lead to 24-22 on a McGrath kill and a Kamehameha hitting error, but Yoshimura drilled set point to force Game 4.
In the fourth set, Bello went off for six kills, and the Warriors cut down on their unforced errors; Hilo mad more, 11-7. After Ua’s kill got Hilo within 24-23, Spaar found the floor to take it to the distance.