No. 1 Kamehameha remains unbeaten

It takes a perfect performance to stay with the top-ranked Kamehameha Warriors.

Even then, it takes more to beat them. Keonilei Akana smashed 18 kills as Kamehameha swept No. 2 ‘Iolani 26-24, 25-20, 25-16 on Thursday at the Father Bray Athletic Complex.

Kamehameha (12-0) remained unbeaten in the ILH double-elimination tournament. ‘Iolani (7-4) will play Punahou on Saturday. Kamehameha doesn’t play again until Tuesday.

“ ‘Iolani’s such a well-coached team. We did a good job with our keys. They came at us hard and we had a hard time with some of the things they were doing to us,” Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. “We’re lucky to come out with a three-game sweep.”

The host Raiders got 12 kills and a block from Elena Oglivie and middle Sasha Petticord hustled for four kills and seven blocks. Kristen McDaniel dished 25 assists and added an ace and a kill. Mokihana Tufono and Izzy Sakoda each had six kills and two blocks.

“Looking at our matchups, we were unable to do some of the things we wanted to do,” Blake said. “However, I think the execution of the girls when it came down to making those secondary switches, they did a really good job. They’re so dynamic and had a lot of great blocks, but we had to stay consistent and rely on our defense.”

As well as the home team played, it was difficult to contain all of Kamehameha’s weapons. The Warriors got a combined 20 kills from middles Kalina Obrey and Braelyn Akana. Obrey, an All-State basketball player, had 11 kills and Akana tallied 11, including several on step-out sets from Lexis Akeo (46 assists, one ace).

“We always have to stay disciplined with our blocking,” Keonilei Akana said. “We make sure we get each other better when we practice.”

Maui Robins, a freshman, chipped in six kills and senior Chloe Akiona-Bannan added five. When it seemed like ‘Iolani’s relentless defense had everything covered, Keonilei Akana simply blasted the ball through blocks in the third set.

Two days after sweeping Punahou, the Raiders found it tough at the net against the constant Kamehameha block. The Raiders hit .157. Kamehameha hit .306. The home team had an edge in blocks, 11-5, but committed five service errors to Kamehameha’s two.

“At this point, we play on Saturday. We can’t dwell on this,” Raiders coach Kainoa Obrey said. “Kamehameha is really good. We made more volleyball plays than normal, but Kamehameha made more.”

The first set was tight from start to finish. The Warriors went up 20-18 after Obrey crushed a quick set and Oglivie had a hitting error. After a timeout, the Raiders regained the lead and were up 23-21 after kills by Tufono and a hitting error by Akiona-Bannan.

Blake called time out and Kamehameha got kills from Obrey and Akiona-Bannan to tie the game. A roll shot by Oglivie pushed ‘Iolani ahead 24-23, but Braelyn Akiona tied it with a kill, and after a hitting error by Sakoda, Kamehameha led 25-24.

A set by McDaniel from the back row landed with no Raider taking a swing, ending Game 1.

The second set was another example of attrition. The Warriors went on a 7-2 run to open a 17-12 lead as Braelyn Akana had a block and a step-out kill. The Raiders pulled within 18-17 after three blocks by Petticord, but Kamehameha pulled away. Kills by Robins and Keonilei Akana closed the game.

‘Iolani stayed close and led 13-11 in the third set after a kill by Sakoda and blocks by Sakoda and Petticord. Kamehameha then went on an 8-1 run, triggered by two blocks form Braelyn Akana and three consecutive kills by sister Keonilei.