KEAAU — There were a ton of unforced errors on the volleyball court, and that old coaching cliche held true: the team with the least amount of mistakes will usually win.
KEAAU — There were a ton of unforced errors on the volleyball court, and that old coaching cliche held true: the team with the least amount of mistakes will usually win.
In a BIIF Blue division match, Keaau defeated Honokaa 25-18, 27-25 on Thursday night at the Cougars Gym.
The host Cougars had 20 giveaway points, including nine service errors. The visiting Dragons were overly generous with 30 unforced errors (hitting, ball-handing, serving), including eight from the service line.
Ashton Aki had four kills while Charles Caldwell-Kaai, Bernabe Dela Rosa and Kaneala Bright-Smith had two each for Keaau (1-1), which finished with just 14 kills.
Werner Herry slammed eight kills while setter Klayson Nobriga had four and Koa Callihan added three kills for Honokaa (1-1), which finished with 19 kills.
The setters and liberos— Keaau sophomore John Ramos and junior Esaias Nathaniel, respectively, and Honokaa junior Nobriga and freshman Brandon Ragasa — were fairly steady.
The hitters from both sides misfired all night long, especially the Dragons in the first set. They had a whopping 17 unforced errors. That’s a pretty good deal when the other team only needs eight points to win.
However, the Dragons can take comfort because they are twin loaded with potential in junior brothers Koa and Kea Callihan. They’re both 6 feet 2, athletic and only in their second year in volleyball.
In fact, Honokaa has athleticism all over its roster because most of the players were on the basketball team, including the Callihan twins, Herry, Jerome Quines, and Austyn Ah Choy.
Back-row defender Rylee Yagong, Quines, Herry and senior Seth Juda are returning starters for the Dragons, who finished 3-11 last year and lost to Hawaii Prep in the first round of the BIIF Division II playoffs.
Caldwell-Kaai, Nathaniel, and Reynaldo Arcellana played on the Keaau basketball team.
Arcellana, Aki and Michael Tenorio, who was injured and didn’t play, are returning starters for Keaau, which finished 4-9 last year in Division I.
With the power-packed Red and Blue division, Keaau will play the Red’s No. 4 team for a berth in the four-team BIIF Division I tournament.
The Cougars have never qualified for the HHSAA state tournament while the Dragons last went in 2014.
The most excitement was reserved for the end.
Honokaa had back-to-back hitting errors to hand Keaau a 25-24 lead in the second set. The Cougars could have closed the match but committed their last hitting error.
Then Caldwell-Kaai came up with a kill and Aki made it a sweep with match point.
BIIF Division II defending champion Ka’u graduated its best player in Kai Enriques while runner-up HPA lost its top player in Tucker Higgins.
“We have a chance to make the playoffs, if the boys practice hard,” Honokaa coach Steven Kalilikane said. “The Callihan brothers never played and they came out last year. Hopefully they can catch on quick, and we’ll be competitive in Division II. The team is hungry to play.”
Likewise, Keaau coach Carlos Navor Jr. is emphasizing hard work at practice.
“We don’t see the other Division I teams until BIIFs,” he said. “Our goal is to play game by game and just keep working on it at practice, from passing, setting and hitting. We’ve got a young setter, and he’s really stepped up to the plate and holds the team together.
“Ramos comes with a passion to play. He’s very coachable and willing to learn. He’s never satisfied with what he’s doing. He always wants to be a better setter.”
In the junior varsity match, Keaau beat Honokaa 25-20, 25-22.