WAIMEA — The Central Pacific Bank/Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division II Girls Volleyball Championship has officially been set.
Hawaii Prep handled Konawaena in four sets Thursday night at Castle Gym in the semifinal match — 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17. Ka Makani (12-1) will play undefated Ka‘u (13-0) at 5 p.m. tonight in Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i. The Wildcats will play in the third-place match against Kohala at 3:30 p.m. today at KSH.
HPA beat Konawaena for the second time this season, officially avenging its 0-2 record against the green and white in 2022.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match,” Ka Makani coach Daena Craven said postgame. “We had a great crowd and we were prepared — we followed the game plan.”
The Wildcats showed aggression throughout the match — displaying strong defense and blocking at the net to match HPA’s size. Once Konawaena won the second set, Craven adjusted her rotations to counter the Wildcats’ hitting attack towards the middle of the floor. Ka Makani then elevated its defensive play, totalling 55 digs on the night.
“We had a lot of energy,” Craven said of HPA’s bounce-back third set. “We knew we just had to play our game.”
Ka Makani never looked back, and closed the match.
HPA’s Margot Lewis finished the night with a team-high 13 kills, with teammate Elaina Head notching 10 of her own. Mya Pinkert led the group’s serves with seven aces.
With just one match remaining in the BIIF season and Ka Makani still in do-or-die mode, Craven noted that the demeanor and focus of the team has been stronger than ever — as everyone shares the common goal of bringing back the BIIF Championship to Waimea.
“This is a wonderful group to work with,” she said. “They’re competitors, and they’ve set goals early in the season to go as far as we can.
“We have a pretty solid game plan (for Ka‘u) that we’ve been working on all season. We’re going to try to play the best we have all year.”
KSH sweeps, aims for fourth straight BIIF title
The Warriors handled business, quickly downing No. 4 Kea‘au High to confirm their finals berth and move to a 13-0 BIIF record.
KSH prevailed in straight sets of 25-11, 25-5 and 25-19.
The Warriors will now try for their fourth straight BIIF DI title at 7 p.m. tonight, and first on their home court since 2021.
KSH held the No. 3 statewide ranking for nearly two months, but dropped to No. 4 in the most recent poll as Moanalua High moved to No. 3. The Warriors defeated Na Menehune at an invitational tournament in August.
KS-Kapalama ranks No. 1, followed by Punahou School at No. 2.
Ka‘u stays unbeaten
For a while, it looked like the visiting Cowgirls would win the first set of Thursday’s semifinal — as they capitalized on errors and successfully countered the Trojans’ offense.
But, after a timeout, Ka‘u woke up — and it was all downhill for Koahal from there. The Trojans came back to win the first set 26-24, showcasing their resilience, then put Kohala on its heels by winning the second set 25-17.
The Cowgirls, however, were no pushover, and stayed in the game — winning the third set 26-24.
Ka‘u ultimately prevailed, defending its undefeated record and stand at Ka‘u District Gym by dominating the fourth set 25-11.
After staying unbeaten at 13-0, the Trojans will look to end it with a BIIF title and no losses.
Ka‘u and HPA will meet for the second time this season on Saturday night. During their last bout in late September, Ka‘u prevailed 3-1.
