With the playoffs around the corner, the road mission for Kohala was to experiment with its versatility while Hilo tried to assemble some sort of hot streak for the one match that will make or break its season.
With the playoffs around the corner, the road mission for Kohala was to experiment with its versatility while Hilo tried to assemble some sort of hot streak for the one match that will make or break its season.
The Cowboys’ arsenal of Swiss-knife talent won over the Vikings’ search for momentum in a 25-17, 25-16, 25-21 Big Island Interscholastic Federation volleyball sweep on Wednesday night at Hilo Armory.
Kohala (8-3) inched closer to securing the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the 10-team BIIF Division II tournament, which starts Tuesday, April 24.
The league will have three berths in the eight-team Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state tournament, after having only two schools last season in defending BIIF champion Kohala and Hawaii Prep.
“We had fun, but we had fun and still got the job done,” Kohala coach Chai Wilson said. “We were able to move around some players to see where they could play and give us other options.”
D.J. Wong, the reigning BIIF Division II Player of the Year, took a few swings at outside hitter and moved to setter.
So did libero Jory Ayoso-Fernandez, another veteran on a senior-laden squad.
Other senior starters include Elias Hood, Chris Roxburgh and Kekoa Werner, and regular setter Kulia Aveiro-Kalaniopio on a team that took third at the state tournament last season.
Junior outside hitter Devin Cadiente is the other starter.
Wong walloped 14 kills, while Roxburgh — the BIIF Division II basketball Player of the Year — and Werner followed with eight apiece.
Cadiente added four kills, and Aveiro-Kalaniopio had three to offer the Cowboys well-oiled balance.
That was in stark contrast to the Vikings, who were led by a one-man wrecking crew named Makoa Tandal.
The 5-foot-7 junior outside hitter soared over blocks to pound 14 kills, including an impressive eight in the final game.
However, he had little help. No one else had more than four kills. His brother, senior setter/hitter, Makana Tandal, put down four kills.
Hilo (4-7) is in line to land the No. 3 seed and face No. 2 seed Waiakea in the four-team BIIF Division I tournament, which starts April 25.
That semifinal would be for a state tournament berth.
The league will have two berths in the 12-team Division I state tourney.
Waiakea, the defending BIIF champ, and Kamehameha have monopolized the league’s two state spots for the past six years.
The Vikings play Waiakea on Friday in a match that is meaningless in the seedings but would serve as a confidence-booster for either team.
“Waiakea is a good all-around ballclub,” Hilo coach Bubba Baldado said. “If we can keep our boys all together and stay steady, we can give them a good game.”
The Cowboys had a nice size advantage over the shorter Vikings, who don’t have anyone in the 6-2 range like Wong, Roxburgh and Werner, a formidable brick wall when they rotate to the front row.