PAHOA – It was sweet revenge for Kohala, which had too much firepower and experience for Pahoa, a nemesis on the volleyball court.
PAHOA – It was sweet revenge for Kohala, which had too much firepower and experience for Pahoa, a nemesis on the volleyball court.
Kahua Kualii slammed 22 kills as the Cowboys defeated Pahoa 23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-18 in a BIIF Division II showdown on Tuesday night at the Daggers Gym.
Mark Macaspac added 14 kills, Baba Sarai Duque 10, Kaid Nickl nine, and Maui Hook five for the Cowboys (3-4).
Dylan Salmo and Ariel Colobong had five kills each for the Daggers (2-5).
Last year in the BIIF semifinals, the Daggers eliminated the Cowboys to clinch a HHSAA Division II state berth. In 2015, Hawaii Prep ousted the Cowboys in the semifinals.
Maybe, the third time is the charm under third-year Kohala coach Nick Lorenzo, who has a veteran lineup filled with seniors, juniors, and experience.
However, revenge works the other way, too.
In 2014, Kohala beat Pahoa twice, once in the regular season and again in a play-in match for the BIIF playoffs. However, that year Ka’u and Honokaa represented the league at states.
The Cowboys started the season with an unforgiving schedule, losing to Kamehameha, Waiakea, Kealakehe, and Konawaena (in five set), but beating Hilo (in five) and Keaau.
Coming off the week-long break for the Haili Tournament, Kohala looked a little rusty, committing far more unforced errors than Pahoa, 58-33. But the Cowboys compensated with aggressive swings and solid defense from senior libero Cole Fuertes.
Kualii is the only club player. He plays club ball for Kamehameha coach Guy Enriques’ Southside club team. However, the Cowboys return all their starters from last season.
Macaspac and Sarai Duque are senior setter/hitters. Nickl and Kahoalii Lewis are junior middle blockers, and Maui Hook is a junior outside hitter. Kualii and Fuertes are both seniors.
“Our passing has been pretty good,” Lorenzo said. “This year, we’re not afraid of running plays, and our setting has built confidence. In the beginning of the season, we had a lineup against Division I teams, and we were competitive.”
In the first set, Kohala had 16 unforced errors while Pahoa played cleaner ball with just four giveaway points.
Pahoa almost made a huge comeback in Game 2, rallying from 21-12. The Daggers tied it at 23-23, but Macaspac knocked down a kill, and a miscommunication on a set evened the match.
In the third set, Kohala jumped out to a 21-10 lead and didn’t let go of its momentum, thanks to Kualii, who pounded seven kills each in the last two games.
The Cowboys bolted to a 22-14 cushion in the final set, and Jsean Giron clobbered match point.
It was a nice confidence booster for Kohala, considering the generosity to the Daggers with so many free points.
The last time the Cowboys qualified for states was 2012; the year before they won the BIIF title.
“The past two years we were one game away from going to states,” Lorenzo said. “Hopefully, we can pull through and get to the next step. The kids are hungry for it.”
In the JV match, it was Kohala over Pahoa, 25-20, 25-22.