HILO – Lexi Paglinawan slammed 22 kills to spark Hilo to a 24-26, 23-25, 32-30, 22-25, 16-14 comeback win over Kamehameha in a BIIF Division I volleyball match on Tuesday night. ADVERTISING HILO – Lexi Paglinawan slammed 22 kills to
HILO – Lexi Paglinawan slammed 22 kills to spark Hilo to a 24-26, 23-25, 32-30, 22-25, 16-14 comeback win over Kamehameha in a BIIF Division I volleyball match on Tuesday night.
Kawai Ua added 13 kills, Laurie McGrath 12 and Taina Leao nine for the Vikings (9-1) at their gym.
Kamehameha senior right-side hitter Kailee Yoshimura knocked down 23 kills and 6-foot freshman Naniloa Sparr had 17 kills for the Warriors (10-1).
In Game 5, Hilo bolted to a 13-9 lead, but Kamehameha tied it 13-13 as Yoshimura’s two kills sandwiched a pair of Viking hitting errors.
Yoshimura later tied it again at 14-14, but Ua ripped consecutive kills to close the match.
Waiakea is now the front runner for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the league’s first berth to the HHSAA state tournament.
On Thursday defending champion Waiakea (11-0) will host Kamehameha (10-1).
In the 26-24 first set, Spaar and Paglinawan traded blows. Each had eight kills, but the Warriors won because they played cleaner ball by the thinnest of margins. They had eight unforced errors; Hilo gave away nine free points.
Down 23-18, Paglinawan knocked down three straight points, and Kamehameha followed with two unforced errors for a 23-23 tie.
Tied again at 24-24, Spaar slammed her eighth kill of Game 1, and Cienna Daog finished off Hilo’s attempt with a kill off a deflection.
In the 25-23 second set, Kamehameha committed one more unforced error than Hilo, 11-10, but won because Yoshimura carried the offense with six kills.
It also made a big difference for the second straight game that Kamehameha’s ball-control was better from passing to setting to taking clean swings.
Stuck in a 17-9 hole, the Warriors scored seven points in a row when the Vikings struggled with their passing, both in serve-receive and back-and-forth scramble plays. Kamehameha knocked down one point on an over-pass and another on a free ball off an over-pass.
Down the stretch, Hilo’s hitting misfired for critical mistakes. The Warriors scored three of their last four points courtesy of Viking attack errors.
Hilo won Game 3 32-30 behind the hot hitting of setter/hitter Kailee Kurokawa, who five kills, including her team’s last four points.
In the 25-22 fourth set, the Warriors had 12 unforced errors, including six service miscues. Five service errors went right into the net, not a good thing. The theory is it’s better to be long, which at least give a chance of a point.
The final point came when Kamehameha’s serve-receive broke down and a ball dropped for an unexpected ace, forcing Game 5.
There are two more monster matches on Saturday. Konawaena plays at Kamehameha and Waiakea visits Hilo.
