Iolani takes first boys state crown

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Iolani boys volleyball team celebrates its 20-25, 25-15, 27-25 win over Kamehameha Schools. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Nissan Boys Volleyball Championships title on the line.

Fittingly, Iolani and Kamehameha delivered a back-and-forth performance worthy of the biggest stage.

In the end, top-seeded Iolani had just enough to pull out a 20-25, 25-15, 27-25 victory over two-time defending state champion Kamehameha at Stan Sheriff Center last night.

It was Iolani's first boys state volleyball title.

"I know the faculty and student body are really supportive of us," Iolani coach Luis Ramirez said. "So they're really happy."

The third game was tied nine times — the first at 11, the last at 25. Neither team led by more than two after the first tie.

A kill by Kawika Shoji and a Kamehameha hitting error sent the Raiders into a raucous celebration.

"This is Hawai'i volleyball at its best," said Iolani's Todd Blankenship, who finished with a team-high 12 kills. "The crowd was nuts and the volleyball was great."

The teams were no strangers to each other, having played three previous times during the season. They split two league regular-season matches and the Raiders won the ILH title in a playoff.

"This is the fourth time we played Kamehameha," Iolani's Sean Carney said. "Every game they play we're scouting them, every game we play they're scouting us."

Kyle Pape had six of his 10 kills in the third game and Carney had 31 assists for Iolani (18-2), which hit .315 for the match.

Kamehameha (18-3) scored the first five points as the Raiders struggled with their passing. Three different Warriors got kills, they got a block and Iolani committed a hitting error during the rally.

The Warriors' largest lead was 16-8 after a kill by Adam Tuifagu.

Iolani responded with an 8-2 run to get within 18-16, aided by three Kamehameha hitting errors and a service error. But Tuifagu had three kills as the Warriors went on a 7-4 game-ending run.

"I think we were just nervous out there," Ramirez said. "We needed to work our jitters out and just play our game."

The second game was tied at 2, but it was all Raiders thereafter. During one stretch, Kamehameha had just one kill and six hitting errors as Iolani went up 15-5.

"We had some passing breakdowns and they're serving tough in this gym," Kamehameha coach Pono Maa said. "That caused us to get out of our offense and then we couldn't get things going."

Seabury Hall def. Kealakehe: Corey Spence had eight kills and 11 digs as Seabury Hall took third place with a 25-20, 25-22 win. Kyle Teves had nine kills and five digs for Kealakehe.

Maui def. Waiakea: Ikon-Kai Wood served consecutive aces to end the fifth-place match and give the Sabers a 25-17, 20-25, 25-22 victory. Gene Rivera led Maui with 10 kills and four blocks.

Kalaheo def. Waimea: The Mustangs rallied from a 23-19 deficit in the third game to win the consolation final, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24. Sam Wilhoite led Kalaheo with 14 kills.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8041.