Posted on: Friday, October 10, 2003

Iolani boys alone atop ILH after win

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Host Iolani neutralized Kamehameha's strength with some deft serving in a 28-26, 25-18, win yesterday to gain sole possession of first place in Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys volleyball.

The Raiders (10-0) moved closer to clinching a state tournament berth if they can win the regular season title. They have two matches left before the ILH postseason tournament.

Iolani changed speeds on its serves to frustrate the defending state champion Warriors (8-1), who have made their mark over the years as a sound passing team.

"They were serving that off-speed short ball that looks easy, but we weren't able to recognize it quick enough," Kamehameha coach Pono Maa said.

"They changed up a lot of their serves and gave us trouble with our passing game," Kamehameha senior outside hitter Adam Tuifagu said.

The first game was a classic with no team taking more than a two-point advantage. The game was tied 20 times before the Raiders pulled it out after the Warriors tied the game at 26 on an Iolani service error.

"To be honest, I was a little nervous we won that first one because every time we've won the first one, we've come out a little slow in the second one," Iolani coach Luis Ramirez said. "I told them I want you guys to concentrate on this match and put it on the line."

Added Iolani senior Todd Blankenship: "We have a history of having a second-game letdown, so when we headed into the second game, we went with the mentality that we actually lost."

After a even start in the second game, the Raiders pulled away 10-5, then 17-8 en route to a 25-18 win.

"How can you recreate this situation?" Maa said. "This is the best place to learn. You play the top team. The loss didn't affect me, but for some of us, it did. We have to learn from that. You can lose the first game and still win the match. We've learned some valuable lessons, I hope."

It was a tough loss for the Warriors, who need to win the ILH tournament to secure a state berth.

"We want to be playing good ball and going on an upward path," Maa said. "This definitely wasn't that. We didn't accept the challenge. We faced some adversity and we didn't step up. So we go back to practice and the guys need to feel a little pain. They have to realize they have to work a little harder to beat a team like Iolani. It's a tough team. They played well, kept the pressure on us. They played with confidence."

• Warriors girls win: Kristen Ponce had eight kills and Mounia Nihipali added five more to lift Kamehameha over Iolani, 25-16, 25-20, in ILH girls volleyball last night at Iolani.

The Warriors improved to 9-1 and the Raiders fell to 8-2.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.