BIIF boys volleyball: ‘Riders rout Cougars, Trojans win nailbiter

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Waveriders senior Kekona Ulu waits for the serve against the Cougars on Saturday at Kealakehe High School. (Conor Langs/West Hawaii Today)
Kealakehe and Kea‘au boys volleyball shake hands before their match Saturday morning in Kailua-Kona.(Conor Langs/West Hawaii Today)
Cougars player Kelson Thomas-Markus goes up for a spike against the Waveriders on Saturday at Kealakehe High School. (Conor Langs/West Hawaii Today)
Kealakehe's Maliki Ferrell (No. 21, left) and Maka Cabatbat (No. 3, middle) attempt to block Kea‘au's Kelson Thomas-Markus' (No. 12, right) spike on Saturday in the Waveriders' gymnasium. Kealakehe won in straight sets. (Conor Langs/West Hawaii Today)
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KAILUA-KONA — Kealakehe boys volleyball won its second straight match Saturday morning in the Waveriders’ gymnasium — beating Kea‘au 25-15, 25-13 and 25-16.

Kealakehe’s versatility in setting up teammates and hitting accurate spikes proved to be the vast difference maker in the outing, as Kekona Ulu, Andrew Warren, Maliki Ferrell and Keawe Ayau led the offensive charge.

On the defensive side, Riley Quistorff, Ferrell and Ayau provided stout blocking at the net for the ‘Riders — halting an array of spikes from the Cougars.

Now at 2-2 to begin the year, Kealakehe will try to rise above .500 in its next match against Hilo — slated for 6 p.m. March 26 in Kailua-Kona. Kea‘au will also play the Vikings next, with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. March 28 in the Cougars’ home gym.

KA‘U 3 – PARKER 2

In a nail-biting match of back-and-forth play, Ka‘u boys volleyball escaped Parker School on Friday night by winning three sets to two.

The Bulls won the first set 25-21, with the Trojans answering back by winning the second 25-22. Ka‘u put itself in front by winning the third frame 25-22, but Parker stayed alive by winning the next interval — 25-20.

In the fifth and final set, the Trojans were able to regroup and win the match by ousting the Bulls 15-10.

At 3-1 to begin the year, Ka‘u will enjoy a week off before next hosting Makua Lani — with first serve slated for 5 p.m. March 26 in Pahala. Parker (4-2) will next travel to Pahoa on March 25 to to face the Daggers in their home gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.

KOHALA/KANU, KONA/PAHOA

Two matchups — Konawaena High versus Pahoa High and Kanu ‘o ka ‘Aina Charter versus Kohala High — scheduled for Friday and Saturday were postponed, with new dates TBA.