KAILUA-KONA — Hilo clinched its first BIIF Division I girls volleyball title since 2001 and denied Waiakea a chance to repeat as champions on Friday in a four-set thriller at Kealakehe High School.
The Vikings, down one set and trailing by six points late in the second set, came from behind to beat the No. 1 seeded Warriors 21-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-18.
“We knew what was at stake and we knew we wanted this game,” Hilo coach Drew Fernandez said. “After that comeback in the second set we were just unstoppable.”
After struggling through the opening set, the outcome of the match started to look pretty dim for Hilo as they trailed by as many as 10 points in the second set. Down 16-6, Fernandez called a timeout and when the Vikings took the floor again they were able to pull off a four point rally to cut into the deficit and find a little rhythm.
However, Waiakea continued to score and took a 22-16 lead off a kill by Chelsea Guillermo. Both teams struggled to get the ball in bounds over the next few points and Waiakea managed to pull to within one point of victory when a Hilo serve went long giving the Warriors a 24-20 advantage.
With little hope in sight, the Vikings did not give up. Led by Kawai Ua, they completed an improbably comeback, tying the match at 24-24. Hilo then took a lead twice, only to see Waiakea tie the game. After Ua picked up her fifth kill in the last nine total points, the lady Viks tied the match up when a Waiakea shot went long.
“Kawai is a big asset to the team,” Fernandez said. “She has that heavy hand. When she is not vocal and not swinging we start to fall down. After the timeout I told her to keep swinging, to swing at every ball. She started swinging and we got it.”
The Vikings managed to take early leads over the final two sets. They rarely trailed but could not pull away either.
In the third set, Hilo would go up four or five points, then Waiakea would pull to within one or two. Up 24-21, the Vikings managed to take a set advantage when Laurie McGrath spiked the ball off the side of the arm of a Hilo blocker.
In the final set, the Vikings went up 12-9 and started to pull away thanks to Taina Leao, who scored four times, while playing well at the net on offense and defense.
Ua rightfully ended the match with a spike down the middle of the court.