Pahoa senior Jordyn Tagalicod kept clapping her hands and cheering on her volleyball teammates, no matter if a point was earned or lost. As a team leader, she kept steering everyone in the green-and-white uniforms in the right direction.
Pahoa senior Jordyn Tagalicod kept clapping her hands and cheering on her volleyball teammates, no matter if a point was earned or lost. As a team leader, she kept steering everyone in the green-and-white uniforms in the right direction.
She was also pretty good at pounding the ball, too.
The Daggers played with better poise and execution, and eliminated Ka’u 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-14 in the BIIF Division II quarterfinals on Tuesday night at the Trojans Gym in a fast-paced and exciting match.
Pahoa (7-10) gets Hawaii Prep (8-9) in the semifinals on Friday at Hilo High. At the very least, the Daggers ensured themselves a spot in the third-place game on Saturday.
“I’m really stoked. I just want my team to feel hungry. That they always want to go to states,” Tagalicod said. “When you come from a small town like Pahoa, you just want everybody to feel it. We started a little rough, but it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
“For us, it’s a team thing, not one specific individual. We wanted to come out fired up, play together, and show heart. I just liked how we played together and worked together, and moved forward after any mistake.”
The Daggers last went to the HHSAA state tournament in 2013, when Tagalicod and setter Daecee Subia were sophomore starters.
Pahoa coach Precious Salazar pointed to Tagalicod as a difference-maker on and off the court.
“She’s a good motivator. She keeps everyone up with high spirits and a positive attitude,” Salazar said. “She’s very versatile. She can dig, hit, and set. She’s an all-around player.”
The season is over for the Trojans (11-4), who lose five seniors, including three key starters in setter Deisha Gascon, and outside hitters Bea Padrigo and Jami Beck.
Despite a subpar record, the Daggers had the good fortune to play in the Red division with Konawaena and HPA, and the Division I teams such Hilo, Kamehameha, Kealakehe, and Waiakea to sharpen themselves.
The Trojans played in the Blue division with the weaker Division II teams, and though they’re taller than Pahoa they struggled hitting the ball and making plays.
Ka’u had 54 unforced errors (hitting, serving, ball-handling) while Pahoa had just 36 giveaway points. The Daggers even had more kills, 36-33.
“We’re a short team. For us to be successful, we have to come together, and cover each other’s backs,” Salazar said. “We stress to them that it’s all about team and heart. You have to give it your all on the court.”
Tagalicod, a 5-foot-3 outside hitter, had nine kills, most of them down the stretch when Pahoa needed big points. Junior middle Faith Manuel-Kamakeeaina was consistent with 12 kills, three in each set. Shyla Kutzen-Ribordy, the other left-side hitter, added five kills while senior middle Tapenga Orevillo and Subia each had four kills.
Padrigo blasted 13 kills, Beck, who hit from all three front-row spots, added 10 kills while sophomore middle Nanea Medeiros and sophomore hitter Alysha Gustafson-Savella each had five kills.
In the critical swing third set, Ka’u had 16 unforced errors while Pahoa had just 10. The Trojans led 13-8, but the Daggers kept chipping away at the lead.
Tagalicod tied it 20-20 on a kill from the right side, then Ka’u had four unforced errors, including a wayward shot on set point.
In the fourth set, Pahoa bolted to a 17-6 lead and didn’t take a foot off the gas pedal, not letting Ka’u score more than three consecutive points the rest of the way. The match ended on one last Trojan hitting error.
“It was a really tough match. The momentum was going back and forth,” Ka’u coach Joshua Ortega said. “I think the nerves got the best of us. But Pahoa really pulled through in the end, which is when it really matters.”