KAILUA-KONA — A plethora of Big Island Interscholastic Federation sporting events occurred around the island Tuesday, ranging from volleyball to baseball and softball matchups.
KS-HAWAI‘I 3, WAIAKEA 1
KS-Hawai‘i boys volleyball rolled to 4-0 in BIIF play, downing homestanding Waiakea High 3-1 on Tuesday night at the WHS gymnasium.
After KSH dominated the first set 25-14, Waiakea kept things close — winning the second set 25-18 before falling in a narrow, 25-22 third set.
KSH bookended the match with another 25-14 win in the fourth set.
Nainoa Paio led KSH’s offense with 11 kills, trailed by Kala Maka‘ike with nine. Setters Kalena Launiu and Jayson Nakata notched 22 and 13 assists, respectively.
Waiakea suffered its fourth straight loss and entered a 1-4 slump. The Warriors’ next matchup will be April 3 at home against Kea‘au High (0-3), which WHS beat 3-1 in late February.
Kea‘au will also be KSH’s next opponent, on April 1 across Kea‘au Village on the Cougars’ home court.
KSH was ranked No. 6 in the state per this week’s ScoringLive power rankings. Hilo High (4-1) is close behind at No. 8.
HILO 3, KEALAKEHE 0
Although Kealakehe fought hard in each set, Hilo boys volleyball was able to sweep the match in straight sets on Tuesday in the Waveriders’ gymnasium — 25-21, 25-14 and 25-19.
The most competitive set was the opener, when Kealakehe was able to withstand the Vikings’ balanced spike attack with its blocking at the net. However, Hilo adjusted and figured things out — crusing to victory in the ensuing two frames.
Now at 3-1 to begin the year and winners of two straight, the Vikings will return to the winward side of the island and will next take the court against Kea‘au at 6 p.m. tonight in the Cougars’ gymnasium.
After winning two straight and dropping this one, the ‘Riders (2-3) will look to get back to a .500 record with their next matchup against Kea‘au, slated for 6 p.m. April 5 at Kealakehe High School.
KA‘U 3, MAKUA LANI 0
Ka‘u boys volleyball enjoyed its second consecutive win Tuesday in a road matchup against Makua Lani in Kona’s Kekuaokalani Gymnasium. The Trojans won in straight sets — 25-15, 25-8 and 25-16.
The Lions gave Ka‘u a push late in the final frame, but the Trojans closed with its deadly spike offense to stunt any hope of a comeback.
Ka‘u (4-1) will enjoy the next week off before getting back to business against Kanu o ka ‘Aina at 10 a.m. April 6 in Waimea. Makua Lani (0-4), still in search of its first win, will next play Pahoa at 5 p.m. Friday in the Daggers’ home gym.
PAHOA 3, PARKER 2
The Bulls rallied to win two consecutive sets after a 0-2 start, but the Daggers got the last word — winning in extra points in the fifth-set on Monday in Pahoa town.
Pahoa got things going with wins of 25-22 and 25-16 in the first two sets, but Parker persevered to claim the next two sets — 25-19 and 25-15.
The Daggers outlasted the Bulls 17-15 in the fifth set to walk away victorious.
Pahoa got off to a slow, yet succesful start to the season — standing at 2-0 while some other teams have played as many as five to seven matches. The Daggers, however, have a packed slate ahead of them. Pahoa hosted HPA on Wednesday (score will be published later) and will continue its homestead with a Friday night matchup against Makua Lani Christian.
The Daggers will face Honoka‘a High at home next week, then play three matches the following week — Christian Liberty Academy April 8 at home, Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo PCS on April 9 in Keaukaha and Kohala High on April 11 in Kapa‘au.
Parker dropped to 4-3, and Pahoa was its second straight fifth-set loss and third five-set match on the season. Parker fell 3-2 to Ka‘u High two weeks ago in Pahala, and beat CLA in five sets in late February.
The Bulls will be back in action next week for their third-to-last matchup, facing Makua Lani on April 2 in Kailua-Kona.
KEALAKEHE 13, HONOKA‘A 3
Kealakehe softball’s regular-season dominance continued once again Thursday after mercy-ruling Honoka‘a 13-3 in six innings on the road. In each of the ‘Riders wins this season, they have scored at least 11 runs.
Kealakehe posted 12 hits to the Dragons’ four, and only had three errors to Honoka‘a’s seven. The ‘Riders seven-run first inning put the blue and white in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the afternoon, as the Dragons could not keep up afterward.
Kealakehe’s Katherine Keizer led all batters with four hits, driving in a run. Keizers teammates — Malia Polimino, Rihanna Joaquin, Freeda Tosie and Caitlyn Nakamura also collected base hits. Polimino also notched two doubles.
Emalia Emmsley was the game’s winning pitcher, throwing for four innings and striking out seven in the circle. Nakamura closed the game for the ‘Riders in the last two innings.
Brandi Hoopai, Kaimi Johnson, Kayliah Kauahi and Danica Valera each posted a hit for Honoka‘a. Kauahi and Malie Espejo pitched for the Dragons.
Like Kealakehe, Honoka‘a had its best inning in the first, where it scored two runs.
Thus far in 2024, the ‘Riders (5-0-0) have outscored opponents 72-5, the second best differential on the island. Their next task will be their most daunting yet — a matchup against MaxPreps’ No. 7 Waiakea, who is also unbeaten with a +69 run differential. The two powerhouses will square off at 1 p.m. Friday at Kealakehe High School.
HONOKA‘A 10, KEALAKEHE 0
Right after Kealakehe softball mercy-ruled Honoka‘a, the Dragons returned the favor in the ensuing game — as the baseball team routed the ‘Riders 10-0 at Honoka‘a High School.
Honoka‘a collected 10 hits to Kealakehe’s two. The Dragons posted a six-run second inning to jump ahead 8-0 early, then scored two more in the fourth and fifth to qualify for the mercy rule.
Four Honoka‘a players had two hits — Isaac DeRego, Kinohi Lindsey, Heolu Bertleman-Makani and C.J. Sanchez. Josiah Napoleon-Umeda and Gabriel Key also earned a hit each for the Dragons.
Napoleon-Umeda was also the sole pitcher for Honoka‘a in the outing, going all five innings while striking out seven in the shutout.
Kaden Telles and Rome Joaquin were the only ‘Riders to produce offense, each grabbing a hit. Noa Bircher and Kioni Isisaki pitched for Kealakehe.
The Dragons (1-3) will look to keep the momentum going after their first win of the season. They’ll next face KS-Hawai‘i at 3 p.m. Saturday in Kea‘au. The ‘Riders (1-5) have lost four straight, and will attempt to right the ship against Waiakea at 3 p.m. Friday at Kealakehe High School — immediately following the conclusion of the softball game.