Kalaheo knocks KS-Maui to loser’s bracket

Kalaheo is doing big things after bumping up to Division I.

The Mustangs (12-4) were crisp on Wednesday night in a 25-18, 25-15, 25-20 sweep of Kamehameha-Maui in the D-I first round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships at McKinley.

The visiting Warriors (12-4) were spotty after flying in to Oahu during the afternoon and getting to the gym in time for a 5 p.m. start.

"I thought our girls came out strong, and that was a good sign because we usually need some time to warm up to it," said Kalaheo coach Roberta Downey, whose Mustangs took fourth place in the state D-II tourney a year ago. "We served well and passed very well and were able to run a quick offense. When we do that, we can put balls away."

Syenna Masaki was the go-to hitter for Kalaheo. She hit .452 with 16 kills and only two errors.

"I think we had great energy," Masaki said. "We were talking and communicating consistently and that helped us a lot. We also had tough serving and defense."

Siani Yamaguchi had four of the Mustangs’ 11 aces, and Leslie Sanchez-Arellano had three in a row (part of five straight serves that the Warriors never got back over the net) during a 7-0 run in the third set that gave her team a 12-3 lead.

The Mustangs play top-seeded ‘Iolani, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, in the quarterfinals tonight at 7 at McKinley.

"We played them (in the preseason) and we kept up with them," Masaki said about ‘Iolani (15-2).

Talking about playing against the Raiders, Downey said, "They like to run a quick offense, so we’ve got to play strong defense and be ready to get them right back."

Yamaguchi hit .500 with eight kills and 13 assists, and Sanchez-Arellano added 11 assists.

Kylee Yamashita and Kaira Lee Davis put down seven kills apiece for Kamehameha-Maui, which plays in the consolation bracket today. Danielle Brown had 24 assists and nine digs for the Warriors.

"Coming right from the airport to the match put a lot of pressure on the girls," Kamehameha-Maui coach Bala Spencer said. "No excuses though. Kalaheo played a great match. They were more aggressive. Whenever we got after them (the Mustangs) and started scrambling for balls and getting momentum, it didn’t last."

Brown is looking forward to her team getting a good rest and doing a better job representing Maui in the consolation bracket.

"We weren’t focused (against Kalaheo) on the main objective and that was to win," she said. "It’s not over yet. We huddled and talked about the positives and the negatives and we plan on coming back a lot stronger tomorrow."

Kahuku 3, Leilehua 0

The Red Raiders (13-2) got 18 kills from Carey Williams and 14 with an .824 hitting percentage from Jasmine Niutupuivaha in a 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 win over the Mules (9-5) at the McKinley gym.

ShaRae Niu had 22 assists and Laken Te’o added 17 for Kahuku, while Cheyenne Te’o put down 10 kills.

Elisha Levasa led Leilehua with five kills and eight assists.

The Red Raiders play fourth-seeded Waiakea in the quarterfinals today at 5 p.m. at McKinley. The Mules play in the consolation bracket against Kamehameha-Maui today at 3:30 p.m. at McKinley.

DIVISION II

Le Jardin 3, Hana 0

Natalie Piper had 12 kills and Kassidy Naone added 11 as the Bulldogs (9-5) beat the Dragons (8-4) 25-20, 25-16, 25-18 at Kaimuki.

Nina Krupa finished with 29 assists and Taylor Souza had 12 digs for Le Jardin in the school’s first state tournament appearance.

Hana’s Harmony Gonsalves-Cosma had eight kills and Shalia Henderson added seven. Sara Kanakaole recorded 14 digs.

Le Jardin meets top seed Konawaena today at Kaimuki, Hana drops into the consolation bracket to meet Kapaa at Kaimuki.

Kailua 3, Pahoa 1

Amber Tai recorded 15 kills and Dena Albinio added 13 as the Surfriders beat the Daggers 25-9, 24-26, 25-18, 25-15 at Farrington.

Tiare Young had 40 assists and Delcie Williams contributed five aces for Kailua.

Pahoa’s Tapenga Orevillo had 10 kills and Daecee Subia finished with 21 assists.

The Surfriders move on to face MIL champion Seabury Hall today at Farrington while the Daggers play Hawaii Prep in the consolation bracket at the same gym.

University 3, Kapaa 0

Tiara Ka’awaloa had more kills (13) than Kapaa’s entire team (12) as the Junior ‘Bows swept the Warriors 25-18, 25-13, 25-13 at Kaimuki.

Gabrielle Lau added 11 kills and Camryn Kaina contributed nine with 25 assists for University.

Pomaikai Daligcon led Kapaa with five kills on 22 swings.

Univsersity plays OIA champion Farrington today and Kapaa meets Hana in the consolation bracket.

Damien 3, Hawaii Prep 0

Shelby Capllonch buried 26 of her team’s 45 kills and the Monarchs beat Ka Makani 25-17, 25-19, 25-16 in the first round at Farrington.

It was Damien’s debut in the state girls volleyball tournament. Hawaii Prep was celebrating its 10th straight appearance.

Ash-Lynn Herring dished out 38 assists and Marissa Daligcon had 14 digs for the Monarchs.

Gemma Palleschi led Ka Makani, who play Pahoa today at Farrington, with 10 kills.

Damien meets ILH champion Hawaii Baptist.