HONOKAA — Nick Fisher got the big kill total, but Jarrett Kamaka was just as deadly for Pahoa, which survived a roller-coaster ride to keep its title hopes alive.
HONOKAA — Nick Fisher got the big kill total, but Jarrett Kamaka was just as deadly for Pahoa, which survived a roller-coaster ride to keep its title hopes alive.
Fisher finished with 22 kills, but Kamaka had 15 kills, including 11 in the last two games, to spark Pahoa over Honokaa 25-12, 19-25, 27-25, 25-20 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II volleyball quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Honokaa Armory.
“We stuck together as a team. When we got down, we picked each other up,” Fisher said. “The key was heart. We all had heart.”
The No. 7 Daggers (8-8) meet No. 3 Hawaii Prep (9-6) at 3 p.m. Friday in the BIIF semifinals at Konawaeana.
The season is over for the promising Dragons (13-2), who have only one senior in Kawaika Aurello.
He cranked a team-high 13 kills. Keanu Freitas added eight kills, C.J. Carvalho seven and Wayne Vaoga had six kills for Honokaa, which last went to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament in 2009.
Raymond Kawaihalau-Baldonado had nine kills, and Caleb Woo O’Brien chipped in seven kills for the Daggers, who are also hungry for a state berth.
They last made a state appearance in 2010, when they finished runner-up after winning their first BIIF championship.
In a first-time meeting this season against Honokaa, Pahoa had more firepower, especially from outside hitters Fisher and Kamaka.
The Daggers had more kills, 59-39, but made life tough on themselves with 34 unforced errors.
The Dragons didn’t beat themselves up as much, committing 27 errors. The visiting Daggers opened hot, making nice scoring runs.
They had a six-point scoring spree and three four-point runs while Honokaa couldn’t find its groove, producing more errors (nine) than kills.
In the second game, Pahoa turned into its own worst enemy, making more errors (15) than kills (13) — the only set that happened.
The Daggers closed the game with three straight hitting errors.
“The first set we capitalized on everything,” Pahoa coach Ikaika Marzo said. “In the second set it was the total opposite. We’ve got a lot of things to work on. We’ve got one more practice left (today), but I’m sure we can get it done.
“Honokaa stacked the middle and Jarrett came through at the end. They’ve got confidence in themselves and in each other. That’s the biggest key. We struggled with that the whole year.”
But when it mattered most, especially in the critical third game, Pahoa raised its level of play.
In an action-packed swing set, Fisher smashed eight kills, often on cross-court bullets, and Kamaka blistered five kills to help the Daggers overcome a 20-15 deficit.
“The cross-court is my bread and butter,” Fisher said. “I can go line or tip, but the cross-court is my thing. Today I was going over their block.”
Fisher ripped five of his eight kills to get Pahoa within 23-21.
Then Kamaka clobbered his fifth kill of the set to tie it 25-25.
Honokaa’s balloon of excitement was deflated with two consecutive hitting errors to close the game. In the fourth set, the Daggers held a 21-20 lead and the momentum because Fisher was in the front row and on a nice roll.
He pounded a kill, Tanner Dipert won a joust at the net, then Fisher got back-to-back kills, including a walloping rocket on an overpass for match point.
“It feels good to win,” Fisher said. “But we’re not done yet.”