Kalani showed it can win the games it is supposed to. Now it is time to win the games it is not.
Kaiana Iaea led with 14 kills and Puamana Danielson added 11 as Kalani swept Kapolei 26-24, 25-19, 25-19 in the first round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association girls volleyball tournament at Campbell on Tuesday night.
The Falcons (8-3), the third seed in the East, move on to play Mililani (No. 6 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10) at Mililani on Thursday, while Kapolei limps into the offseason with a 6-5 record. The winner on Thursday punches its ticket to the state tournament, the loser will have to win another match to get there.
Kalani has wiped the floor with the likes of Kapolei this year, losing only to No. 5 Moanalua, No. 4 Kahuku and No. 9 Castle. The Falcons have won five matches in a row, all of them sweeps but none against a ranked team.
"It was one of our steps up our mountain," Kalani coach Janeen Waialae said. "We’re getting there, our girls are working really hard and pushing themselves. I am trying to get them ready for continuing on. Kapolei definitely pushed us."
The Hurricanes gave the Falcons all they wanted in all three sets, leading throughout the first before Rika Okino broke a 24-24 tie with successive kills. They were her first two points of the night.
Kalani took its first lead in the second set 12-11, and then, starting at 16-15, pulled away with a 9-4 run to win it. Iaea closed out that one with her sixth kill of the frame. While a kill to end a match usually brings a fist pump, Iaea’s celebration was rather subdued.
"She is our heart," Waialae said. "She comes with fire and intensity every day, every match. She doesn’t like to lose and that competitiveness give us energy that we need."
It was more of the same in the third set, as Kapolei led 18-17 before succumbing to Kalani’s size. Polovina Fangaiuiha dominated the smaller Hurricanes on quick sets from the middle, earning three of Kalani’s final five points, with Danielson, her neighbor on the front row, grabbing the other two. Danielson ended it with a cross-court shot that libero Bray Hitzeman, who led the Hurricanes with 24 digs, couldn’t catch up to. Danielson had seven of her 11 kills in the third set.
Kapolei started its season 5-1 before Kaitlyn Lanier blew out her knee, and the team struggled thereafter. To make matters worse, Kapolei was without her backup, Tiala Wendt, who sprained an ankle. The Hurricanes played with only one returning varsity player, Kalala Tino, on the floor.
"The girls did better than I thought they would play," Kapolei coach Naidah Gamurot said. "Their hearts are broken, but I thought they did awesome. They got better and better in every game since (Lanier) got hurt. Kalani is a good team and we stayed with them. Next year will be a different story."
