Punahou girls make it two straight crowns
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
At King Kekaulike High School Gymnasium (Pukalani, Maui) Wednesday First round 'Aiea def. Hilo, 25-14, 21-25, 25-14 Kamehameha def. Waiakea, 25-16, 25-18 Kalani def. Kaua'i, 25-22, 28-30, 25-18 Moanalua def. Baldwin, 25-18, 25-17 Thursday Consolation bracket Kaua'i def. Baldwin (11-4), 23-25, 25-20, 25-18 Quarterfinals Moanalua def. Kamehameha-Hawai'i, 27-25, 25-16 Kahuku def. 'Aiea, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22 Punahou def. Kalani, 25-16, 25-18 Kamehameha def. No. 3 Kamehameha-Maui (13-1), 25-15, 25-18 FrIday Hilo def. Waiakea (13-4), 25-18, 22-25, 26-24 Kalani def. Kamehameha-Hawai'i (15-3), 25-15, 25-20 Kamehameha-Maui def. 'Aiea (12-4), 25-18, 26-24 Semifinals Punahou def. Moanalua, 25-22, 25-23 Kamehameha def. Kahuku, 24-26, 25-23, 27-25 YESTERDAY Seventh place — Kaua'i def. Hilo 25-23, 21-25, 25-22 Fifth place — Kalani def. Kamehameha-Maui 19-25, 25-12, 25-21 Third place — Moanalua def. Kahuku 17-25, 27-25, 25-21 Championship — Punahou def. Kamehameha, 25-17, 25-21
PUKALANI, Maui — Top-seeded Punahou easily defeated Kamehameha, 25-17, 25-21 to repeat as HHSAA/Nissan Girls State Volleyball champions last night. Punahou had won four titles in the past 10 years but this was first time ever it had done it back-to-back.
NISSAN GIRLS STATE VOLLEYBALL
Punahou coach Scott Rigg said his squad wasn't thinking about making history when it entered the match.
"We tried to treat it as just another day at the office," he said.
The Buffanblu used a business-like manner to efficiently dispatch the Warriors in the first game, jumping out to a 10-1 lead. The young Kamehameha team was never in the game, as Punahou accumulated a .406 hitting percentage behind six kills by all-tournament player Elizabeth Kaaihue and four by Larissa Nordyke.
Game 2 was more of a see-saw contest as Kamehameha began to settle down, with the scored tied on 13 occasions. But the Warriors were never able to develop any kind of an attack, mustering a paltry 14 kills for the entire match, compared with Punahou's 33 kills.
In addition to Kaaihue and Nordyke, who ended the match with nine and six kills, respectively, Punahou's Spenser Rigg, Michelle Luxton and Aneli Cubi-Ontineru each had five kills.
Middle hitter Keven Bukoski led Kamehameha with four kills.
Rigg said his team was a little shakier in Game 2, but remained patient even as Kamehameha began to gain momentum at times.
"It wasn't our best match, but I guess it was good enough to win the state championship," he said.
Kaaihue, who as a sophomore now has two state titles, said Punahou served and passed well throughout the match, staying focused after the lopsided victory in Game 1. She said the team had to work a little harder this season because Punahou was without key hitter Cubi-Otineru for most of the season due to injury and academic ineligibility.
Rigg used Cubi-Otineru sparingly during the tournament, but she had an impact whenever she entered the game by contributing quick kills when her side seemed to be slipping.
The two-game sweep was a hard loss for Kamehameha, which has won seven state titles since 1991, its last in 1999.
For Warrior coach Chris Blake and his squad, it was a tough loss after Friday's grueling three-game win over Kahuku in the semifinals. He said his team had difficulty finding a rhythm against Punahou.
Other players named to the all-tournament team were Punahou setter Pohai Nuuhiwa, middle blocker Lelani Kleman Maeva of 'Aiea, and outside hitters Danie Hout of Moanalua and Camilla Ah-Hoy of Kahuku. Outside hitter Tamari Miyashiro of Kalani was the Most Outstanding Player.
THIRD PLACE
Moanalua def. Kahuku, 17-25, 27-25, 25-21: Moanalua bounced back from a first-game loss to beat OIA rival Kahuku to take third place. The Menehune failed to generate any offense in the first game, posting a negative kill percentage.
Kahuku hitter Camilla Ah-Hoy pounded eight kills and served two aces in the first game. Ah-Hoy would end the match with 23 kills, but it would not be enough to offset Moanalua's Danie Hout and Brianna Amian, who finished with 19 and 14 kills, respectively.
FIFTH PLACE
Kalani def. Kamehameha, 19-25, 25-12, 25-21: Tamari Miyashiro had 22 kills in Kalani's win over Kamehameha-Maui in the fifth-place match.
The Falcons' Dara Waialae had 10 kills and 14 assists.
Consolation
Kaua'i def. Hilo, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21: Kaua'i depended on the hitting power of Kehau Judd and Tina Moger, and seven serving aces, to beat Hilo in three games. Judd had 16 kills and Moger added 14.
