HONOLULU — Most of the time, it’s the Molina sisters — Chanelle and Celena — making big plays for Konawaena, the volleyball giant that lacks size, but has everything else, especially a lot of heart.
Instead, the Ventura sisters — McKenna and McKayla — made the tide-turning plays to help the Wildcats chop down Seabury Hall 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 12-25, 15-9 for a championship repeat at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II state volleyball tournament.
On Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, the monster matchup was a best-case scenario: two unbeaten teams with defending Division II state champion Konawaena the No. 1 seed and Seabury Hall the No. 2 seed.
The Wildcats received the most production from Chanelle Molina (20 kills, 18 digs, 79 swings, .114 hitting clip) and Celena Molina (17 kills, 24 digs, 32 attacks, .120), but the two Ventura sisters came up with clutch back-to-back points in the final set.
“We told the girls it really comes down to heart,” Konawaena coach Ainsley Keawekane said. “We were tied 2-2 and told them to give it all you’ve got and leave everything on the court, and they did.”
Konawaena was ahead 6-5, when McKenna Ventura and Taiana Tolleson combined for a block and 7-5 lead. Then Chanelle Molina had a pancake dig and the Spartans thought the ball went down.
But it popped up and McKayla Ventura flew face-first to the floor and somehow punched the ball over. McKenna followed with a kill on an over-pass and Celena Molina had a solo block for a 10-5 cushion.
“When we push McKayla she can do wonders,” Keawekane said. “She had a beautiful game serving tonight (two aces), and she really stepped up.”
Chanelle Molina went to her favorite line shot for a 14-9 lead, and one play later Celena attacked from the right post and found the floor to close the match and give Konawaena a state title repeat — a volleyball first for the Big Island.
The Wildcats (18-0) struggled much of the match with their ball-control and were outhit by the Spartans, .126-.113, and committed more errors, 36-25.
But McKenna Ventura, a junior middle/setter, balanced the offense with 11 kills on a .219 average, and posted a double-double with 10 digs. Her freshman sister McKayla racked up 14 digs.
Each team plays to its strength, a reason the powerhouses had perfect records in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and Maui Interscholastic League.
And it was an interesting and entertaining contrast in playing style.
Athletic Wildcats
The smaller Wildcats compensate with their athleticism, especially their hitting with 5-foot-7 junior outside hitter Chanelle Molina, who carries a heavy all-around load on both sides of the ball, relying on her hops and court savvy to find holes.
That innate skill-set also applies to the back row, where quick hands and footwork are the traits of libero Haena Keawekane and the Molina and Ventura sisters — Chanelle, Celena and Cherilyn, and McKenna and McKayla Ventura.
The sister act also carried over to freshman Cherilyn Molina. Little Mo scrambled for 15 digs. The pairs of sisters combined for 81 out of the team’s 95 digs or 85 percent.
The taller Spartans are built around their 6-1 bigs: senior middle blocker Kiki Leuteneker, who had 14 kills on 37 swings with a .270 hitting percentage, and junior outside hitter Shayla Hoeft, who walloped 22 kills on 70 attacks with .186 average.
Like the Wildcats, Seabury Hall (17-1) showed sharp ball-handling technique, and for the most part were a little better until the fifth set, when the MIL champs had seven unforced errors. Konawaena played cleaner ball and had only four giveaway points.
In the first set, the Wildcats simply overpowered the Spartans with better firepower, 17-8 in kills, and accuracy, .263-.094, and Chanelle and Celena each had five kills.
Maybe even better, Konawaena came out with a hang loose attitude, playing free and easy, soaring and taking big rips at balls, after dealing with butterflies the first two days.
In the second set, Hoeft put rocket fuel on her right arm and banged down six kills in Seabury Hall’s 25-19 win.
The Wildcats didn’t help themselves with 11 hitting errors; the Spartans were far more efficient with just three hitting miscues.
Konawaena regroups
In the swing third game, the Molina sisters knocked down five kills each, and Konawaena eliminated its miscues with a .146 hitting percentage and just six errors. Seabury Hall had a .077 hitting clip with seven errors, including one on set point.
Konawaena just couldn’t put a block on Hoeft in a 25-12 loss in the fourth set. She pummeled six kills, including three during a key eight-point run that boosted the Spartans ahead 22-9.
The Wildcats couldn’t get into a rhythm because of their shaky ball-handling and hit negative .026 while the Spartans blasted balls at a .242 clip and had more kills, 17-7.
The Spartans don’t have the power hitters like Konawaena’s quarterfinal foe La Pietra, but they’re taller on the front line than semifinal foe Kalaheo. Basically, it was perfect preparation for the Wildcats, who don’t really face any big teams in the BIIF.
Last year, the Wildcats had a magical run as an unseeded team. The BIIF runner-up took down Maui’s Hana in the first round, No. 1 seed University High in the quarterfinals, Kauai’s Waimea in the semifinals and friendly rival Hawaii Prep in the championship.
It’s the Wildcats’ fourth consecutive state appearance and they ran into the Spartans only one time in 2011 in a consolation match. Konawaena won in five sets, and Leuteneker was then a freshman and had three kills and three blocks.
Three years later, she was a different player, a powerful force, and so was Hoeft. But Chanelle Molina is a big-time difference-maker and so are her volleyball Molina and Ventura sisters, and that’s why the Wildcats are No Ka Oi at states, once again.
