KEALAKEHE — Down 24-23 late in the third set of Thursday’s match, Hawaii Preparatory boys volleyball was on the verge of being swept by the hosting Kealakehe Waveriders.
Kealakehe had played just about perfect volleyball from the first serve — playing selflessly together on both offense and defense. Seniors Andrew Ching-Warren, Jaymar Mones and Riley Quistorff led this charge with their elevated spirit on the court and on the bench during substitutions. The trio helped lead the ‘Riders to 25-21 and 25-23 wins in the first two sets.
Even in the third set, Kealakehe stayed in control, and as the frame progressed, it looked more and more like a sweep — leading by as much as 21-18 late in the set. But Ka Makani flipped a switch at the end of the third set that it didn’t shut off until the match concluded. The red and white strung together some points by playing strong defense, making a late surge to win the set 26-24.
HPA’s Cam Root and Kena Craven led an aggressive front at the net over the final two sets — smacking ferocious spikes at the middle and left side of the net while blocking a majority of the ‘Riders’ spike attempts. With Ka Makani playing with a new sense of energy, the momentum of the match completely flipped.
HPA won the fourth set 25-17, and found itself tied 10-10 with Kealakehe in the decisive fifth set. Ka Makani continued to ride its wave of momentum through the final five points, winning the closing set 15-12.
“It came down to playing together,” HPA head coach Daena Craven told West Hawaii Today postgame. “We talk a lot about focusing on the things we can control, and I think they did that. They started to put it together. They decided that they did not want to give up.
“They’re athletes, and they’ve been in situations like these before, and (this win) just gave them a lot of confidence. It was fantastic, especially with the way it went down losing the first two sets. I felt like the guys got better as the night went on, and I’m super proud of them.”
Ka Makani improved to 2-1 in the early season, while Kealakehe lost its first match of the new season. A year ago, HPA fell to Honoka‘a during the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division II playoffs, while Kealakehe fell to Hilo in the DI bracket.
While the 2025 season is still in its infancy, Craven can already see that her team has the potential to be something special.
“They’re very coachable,” she explained. “They work hard and have wonderful attitudes. It’s not about one or two people — we need everybody. We have a lot of raw young talent with good senior leadership, and I’m hoping that combination is going to work well for us this season.”
As the season goes on, Craven hopes the boys’ chemistry only improves, as the team is looking to make it back to the state playoffs. Ka Makani last made the state tournament in 2019.
“We’re made up of a wrestler, basketball and soccer players, so we just need time to come together and play as a team,” Craven said. “We just need to continue to get better every week and work on playing as a unit, playing hard every match regardless of competition and playing every point to the best of our ability.”
Per ScoringLive, HPA will enjoy the week off before returning to the floor on Friday against the Dragons in Honoka‘a town. Kealakehe returns Wednesday against Honoka‘a on the road.
JV: HPA wins 2-0
Hilo 3, KSH 1
Hilo boys volleyball stayed unbeaten in the early season after a four-set win over east-side rival Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i on Thursday night in Hilo town. The Vikings elevated themselves to 2-0, while the Warriors were handed their first loss — falling to 2-1.
Hilo won the first set 25-19, but KSH countered with a 25-22 second-set win. The Vikings quickly adjusted and won the remaining two sets — 26-24 and 25-23.
Next up, Hilo will face local opponent Connections at 10 a.m. this morning in Hilo town. The Warriors will also return to the court today, slated to host Pahoa at 10 a.m. in Kea‘au. Junior varsity will play first.
JV: Hilo wins 2-1
Honoka‘a 3, Kohala 1
Honoka‘a boys volleyball handled Kohala in four sets Thursday inside the Dragons’ gymnasium.
The winners won the first two sets handily — 25-11 and 25-12 — but the Cowboys put up a fight over the last two frames. Kohala avoided the sweep in the third set by winning 25-22, and gave Honoka‘a a run for its money in the fourth, falling narrowly 27-25.
The Dragons next play Kealakehe on Wednesday, while the Cowboys travel to Waimea to face Parker School on Wednesday afternoon inside Waimea District Park Gymnasium.
JV: Honoka‘a wins 2-0
