Posted on: Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Kahuku volleyball sweeps Kalani to stay undefeated
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kahuku High School's football team isn't the only one aiming to bring a state championship back to the North Shore.
Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Kahuku improved to 5-0 in the OIA Eastern Division; Kalani fell to 2-1.
After winning their first state title in 2002, the Red Raiders entered last season with high expectations, only to be knocked out of the OIA semifinals by Moanalua. Kahuku then lost to eventual champion Punahou in the state quarterfinals.
"It was disappointing, because we had almost all of the same returning players," said Kahuku outside hitter Camilla Ah-Hoy, a 5-foot-10 junior who had a match-high 14 kills last night. "But we just didn't jell. This year's team is closer; we all get along better. And I think our defense is way better this year."
Kahuku coach Mona Ah-Hoy said this year's squad is "a little more disciplined," and that quality came in handy last night against a Kalani team known for strong defense and crafty hitting. Kahuku started strong and pulled away in the first game, then took leads of 15-7 and 21-11 in the second.
"We changed our defense this week and tried to cover every angle," Mona Ah-Hoy said. "On offense, we wanted to mix up our hits and make (the Falcons) think. We wanted to change our shots and make their defense move. Usually, Kahuku is just hit, hit, hit ..."
"We worked on two different defenses specifically for Kalani, because Tamari is a smart player," Camilla Ah-Hoy said. "We usually start out slow, but we had a really good practice yesterday and tonight we came out strong."
Mona Ah Hoy said Miyashiro also had to help as a setter, which limited her swings.
"If she wasn't setting, I think she could have done a lot more damage," Ah-Hoy said.
Last night was the Falcons' first match in nine days, but co-coach Aven Lee would not blame the loss on the long layoff.
"I think the week off was good for us," Lee said. "We had a lot of injuries."
In addition to Ah-Hoy, Kahuku also got strong net play from Lily Latu (four kills), Alia Hassett (three kills), Ane Vea and Aisha Ale (two solo blocks each), plus effective setting from Chelsea Mamizuka and Leeann Mapu.
"It was hard for them to key on Camilla because of Lily, Aisha, Alia and Ane," Mona Ah-Hoy said.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
The Red Raiders' girls volleyball team, disappointed by last year's failure to retain its state title, was in championship form last night in a 25-19, 25-18 home sweep of defending O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion Kalani.
Kahuku's Leeann Mapu, left, and Aisha Ale form a formidable block as they try to stop Kalani's Tamari Miyashiro in the second game.
The Red Raiders also made sure Kalani's All-State outside hitter, Tamari Miyashiro, would not take over the game by sneaking shots past them.
Kalani's Tamari Miyashiro reaches to try and block a kill attempt by Kahuku's Camilla Ah-Hoy in the first game. Ah-Hoy had a match-high 14 kills.
