Kamehameha-Hawai’i has yet to crack the challenging code that is the success of Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys volleyball.
For at least one more round, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions won’t have to worry about that. Kamehameha-Hawai’i advanced to the semifinals of the New City Nissan/Hawai’i High School Athletic Association Division I State Volleyball Championships with a sweep of Kalaheo Saturday afternoon at its on-campus gymnasium, Koai’a Gym.
Set scores were 25-10, 25-17, and 25-19.
Kamehameha-Hawai’i head coach Guy Enriques had an unconventional start to the match, playing several players in different spots in a first set makeover.
“We had to switch around our lineup. We had some disciplinary things to take care of,” said Enriques in a radio interview after the match.
It didn’t seem to set back the Warriors in the first set. Sophomore Avery Enriques, normally a defensive and serving specialist, stepped into an attacking role with five kills. Kalaheo never could mount a consistent rally, hitting -.080 in the set with eight errors and just six kills.
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Kalaheo (11-5), the fourth-place representative out of the Oahu Interscholastic Association, seemed to forget about the rough start very quickly, taking advantage of some early mistakes with Kamehameha-Hawai’i’s normal lineup to open an 8-3 lead.
“In the middle of switching, we kind of lost a little. Our guys who were sitting down came in cold, and they just weren’t as fluent as the guys out there who were hungry,” Enriques explained. “Some of those guys had never started before, so we had some new guys. We had a JV kid who started, Kameron Moses, and he did a great job.”
Several Mustang errors helped to change the Warriors’ fortunes, including an attack error from Nai’a Singlehurst that tied the set gave Kamehameha-Hawai’i a 16-15 lead. Setter Nai’a Makuakane completed the momentum shift with a pair of aces to extend the lead to 18-15.
Both squads played a tighter third set, with Enriques emptying out most of his bench to give some of his young up-and-coming players an opportunity to get some state tournament experience. It also gave some of the Warriors’ stalwarts an opportunity to get a little rest before next Friday’s semifinal against Moanalua, the champion of the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
Isaiah Laeha, who Enriques describes as one of his “most steady guys,” led the way for Kamehameha-Hawai’i with 10 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Avery Enriques and Emmett Enriques each added five kills. The Warriors served up seven aces and recorded 8.5 team blocks.
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Kalaheo was led by Daniel Beaton’s eight kills, while Nai’a Singlehurst added seven kills, a far cry from his 25 kills the night before against Lahainaluna. He hit -.129, however, with 11 attack errors.
The Moanalua/Kamehameha-Hawai’i semifinal will be played at Moanalua High School. The match will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised by OC16’s XCast.
Kalaheo 10 17 19 – 0
Kamehameha-Hawai’i 25 25 25 – 3
New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I Boys Volleyball Championships
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Consolation
Kahuku def. Lahainaluna 2-0 (25-22, 25-18)
Mililani def. Waipahu 2-0 (25-21, 25-19)
Quarterfinals
#4 King Kekaulike def. Hilo 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-18)
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