KEALAKEHE — Despite being up 2-0, Konawaena girls volleyball faced a problem in the third set.
Late in frame No. 3 of Tuesday’s match against the Waveriders at Kealakehe High School in front of a near sold-out crowd, the Wildcats trailed 23-17 — forcing coach Ainsley Keawekane to call timeout. The ‘Riders were leaving it all out on the floor to avoid the straight-sets sweep — diving for every ball and playing exceptional defense at the net to counter Kona’s strategic offensive system.
Sophomore sisters Mahie and Halana Bailey led this charge defensively for Kealakehe, while teammate Layla Grace notched a handful of strong serves to help give the home team a great position to win the set. After all, the Wildcats won the first two sets 25-10 and 25-10, and the ‘Riders needed a jolt of energy to get themselves back in the match. It seemed like they had found it.
But out of the timeout, Kona looked like an entirely different unit. Needing to play near flawless volleyball to win the set, the Wildcats started their impressive comeback in the serve department. Junior Ava Shoosmith delivered a multitude of strong aces to help Kona climb back into it, followed by seniors Kaitea Galletes and Nevaeh Havens-Seyler spiking several kills that left Kealakehe diving to the middle of the open floor.
Wildcats freshman Keighlyla Kalhele-Alapai also delivered a couple of kills from the left side late in the clutch to help the visitors take an improbable 24-23 third-set lead. The two teams then traded blows until Kona escaped with the 28-26 win — climbing to 9-1 and officially clinching the No. 2 spot in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division I standings behind unbeaten Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i (as of late Wednesday afternoon).
The ‘Riders moved back to .500 on the season at 5-5. Kealakehe currently sits a game ahead of Kea‘au in fifth in BIIF DI.
The Wildcats will next host local opponent Makua Lani at 10 a.m. Saturday in Kealakekua’s Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.
Kealakehe will drive north to Kamuela tonight to face DII powerhouse Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Ka Makani’s Castle Gymnasium. First serve will begin at 5 p.m. with junior varsity.
JV: Kona wins 2-1 — 25-21, 20-25, 15-8.
Ka‘u 3, Kea‘au 0
After dropping three straight matches to BIIF DI competition, Ka‘u girls volleyball got back on track Tuesday with a straight sets win over Kea‘au inside the Cougars’ gymnasium.
The Trojans won in three competitive sets — 25-22, 25-22 and 25-22. It was Ka‘u’s first win since Sept. 11 against Pahoa.
The Trojans improved to 6-4 in 2024 — still remaining in third in BIIF Division II behind Parker and HPA. They’ll next travel north to face the Christian Liberty Academy Canefire at 10 a.m. Saturday in Kea‘au.
The Cougars fell to 4-6, and still remain last in the island’s Division I. Kea‘au will have a tough test Friday against the island’s best in KS-Hawai‘i at 5 p.m. Friday at home. Junior varsity will play first.
Kohala 3, MLCA 0
Kohala girls volleyball traveled to Kona town Tuesday night to face the hosting Makua Lani Lions at Old Kona Airport’s Kekuaokalani Gymnasium.
The Cowgirls took care of business quickly, winning in consecutive sets of 25-9, 25-21 and 25-20. The team moved to 5-5 in 2024, tied with Honoka‘a for fourth in BIIF DII.
MLCA dropped to 0-10, officially being the first BIIF team to reach double-figure losses.
Kohala will next take the court against Kona opponent Ehunui on Monday at home in Kapa‘au. The Lions will next voyage to the southern part of town to face Konawaena on Saturday morning. The BIIF’s schedule is subject to change.
