Farrington’s comfort playing outside of Kalihi became part of the Governors’ identity in their run to an OIA title and they entered the Division II state tournament hoping to avoid playing at home today.

The fourth-seeded Governors indeed earned another bus ride with a sweep of University in the quarterfinals of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II Girls Volleyball Championship on Thursday at Kaimuki.

"Actually, this team is funny; they’ve played really well on the road this year." first-year Farrington coach Barney Choy said. "At home we actually struggled a little bit and these kids are just road warriors and look forward to the challenge."

The Governors’ next test comes in today’s semifinal round after outside hitters Saryiah Kahakai and Dayna Kahanu took turns carrying the Governors offense in a 25-20, 25-23, 25-18 win over the Junior ‘Bows.

The Governors, who went 0-4 to start the season, return to Kaimuki today as one of four teams still in contention for the D-II state title. University will play in the fifth-place bracket at Farrington.

"After (winning the OIA D-II title last week) we gained confidence even more and we told ourselves never give up," Kahanu said. "Whenever we’re down we just tell each other, one pass, get it back, we’ve got this."

Kahanu, a junior, set the pace early with five of her 13 kills in the first set, with Kahakai taking over when she rotated to the front row. Kahakai hammered a team-high 14 kills, six each in the second and third sets, and junior setter Chasity Wong also fed middle hitter Molimau Heimuli for nine kills. Heimuli also contributed two aces and ended the second set with a block.

The Governors hit .197 as a team and a back row anchored by seniors Brandy Tauafea (14 digs) and Yasmine Montgomery (11 digs) helped hold University to a .134 hitting percentage.

"That made me so proud, because we practice that a lot," Choy said. "They go through a lot in the gym with myself as far as the demands on the defensive side of the ball, and I demand a lot. It pays off and they see it."

Taira Ka’awaloa led University with 15 kills on 48 swings and the Junior ‘Bows stayed with the Governors into the late stages of all three sets.

University closed to 21-20 in the first set before a Kohala Solomon kill in the middle triggered a four-point Farrington run.

The Junior ‘Bows rallied from an 11-4 deficit in the second set to catch the Govs at 19 and again at 23. But a service error and Heimuli’s block gave Farrington command of the match.

Farrington opened up an 18-14 lead in the third and held off the Junior ‘Bows the rest of the way, with Kahakai and Kahanu closing the match with back-to-back kills.

Le Jardin 3, Konawaena 1

Kassidy Naone put down 26 kills in 73 attempts and the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals by knocking off the top-seeded and two-time defending D-II champion Wildcats 17-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20 at Kaimuki.

Le Jardin, the ILH runner-up, will face Farrington in the 5 p.m. semifinal today at Kaimuki.

"It’s a big win for us, but just making it this far for the program is big," said first-year Le Jardin coach Lee Lamb. "First time we ever made it to states, so every match is a big game for us at this stage. And the girls are handling it great. A little shaky in the beginning, they have been over the past two nights, and then they settle in."

Natalie Piper complemented Naone with 11 kills and popped up a team-high 23 digs. Arianna Lunow-Luke and Kaimionalani Cobb-Adams were both in on five of Le Jardin’s 11 blocks. Lunow-Luke also served the final four points of the match, with setter Nina Krupa hammering an overpass to give the Bulldogs match point and Naone finishing off the upset.

"We just made sure we focused on one point at a time, one contact at a time, like passing before transitioning out to hit, and really pushing as hard we can," Naone said.

Chanelle Molina led Konawaena with 25 kills on 69 swings for the Wildcats, who entered the tournament at 19-0.

"In that fourth set, I was like, they’re not going to go away easy," Lamb said. "They were starting to put a lot more pressure on us with their serving. That’s a great team. They’re so athletic, so that’s a big win for us."

Hawaii Baptist 3, Damien 1

Keri Lum had 37 kills and Ally Wada recorded 65 assists as the Eagles beat the Monarchs 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24.

Kallie Langford added 15 kills and Kailey Young finished with 23 digs for Hawaii Baptist (11-3).

Shelby Capllonch had 19 kills and Ash-Lynn Herring contributed 41 assists for Damien (8-8).

Seabury Hall 3, Kailua 0

Amy Ozee and Shayla Hoeft each put down 15 kills and the Spartans swept the Surfriders 25-16, 25-19, 25-18.

The MIL champions move on to play ILH champion Hawaii Baptist.

Phoebe Fickbohm dished out 27 assists for the Spartans and Emma Pilotin dug up 14 shots.

Jasmyn Keohohina-Malina led Kailua with 11 kills.