‘Iolani setter Bailey Choy’s knack for finding the hot hitter in a sweltering McKinley Gymnasium on Friday night helped the Raiders continue their quest for the program’s first state title since 2001.
Fellow senior Moea Kekauoha filled that role for much of the semifinal match against Kahuku, and her 20 kills led the Raiders to a 25-23, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18 win and into the Division I final of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships.
Choy distributed 53 assists and three ‘Iolani hitters posted double-figure kill totals as the Raiders secured a spot in the state final for the first time since 2007.
"It’s been a goal for us ever since we started playing together and it’s just amazing we got here," Choy said.
The Raiders will face Kamehameha in the championship match set for 7 p.m. today at Blaisdell Arena. Kamehameha advanced with a 25-10, 25-10, 25-17 sweep of Moanalua in Friday’s second semifinal, setting up an all-ILH final for the 13th straight year.
‘Iolani and Kamehameha will meet for a championship for the second time in the span of a week. The Raiders edged the Warriors in four sets to capture the ILH title a week ago and secured a spot in the state final with a balanced performance on Friday.
Along with Kekauoha’s production, outside hitter Sierra Buscher had six of her 15 kills in the fourth set and middle blocker Tatiana Calimpong-Burke finished with 14 kills, two coming at the end of a pivotal first set.
Choy contributed 17 digs and eight kills while running the offense, with two kills early in the fourth set helping ‘Iolani reclaim momentum after Kahuku extended the match.
Iolani will be seeking the school’s first state championship since the 2001 team led by coach Ann Kang and then-junior setter Kanoe Kamana’o claimed the title.
"It’s a cool experience," ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. "Everything’s … almost like a first for us. It’s been a while since ‘Iolani won an ILH championship and an opportunity to compete in states again and now we have an opportunity to play in the state title match. … That’s where you want to be when you start the season."
Kekauoha was Choy’s primary target early in Friday’s match and the 5-foot-6 senior pounded six kills in the opening set.
"She’s a spark plug," Obrey said. "You see a small kid jump and hit it that hard, it kind of gets some energy going for all of us."
But Kahuku, the OIA runner-up, kept pace and caught the Raiders at 23-23 on middle blocker Jasmine Niutupuivaha’s fourth kill of the set.
Choy then went to Calimpong-Burke in the middle on her next two sets to give ‘Iolani the lead.
"Tatiana was on fire for us tonight in the middle," Obrey said. "She’s quick, she gets on it and if we ball-handle we’re pretty tough. … It was good to see Tat be so involved and she was just on fire."
‘Iolani pulled away in the second set, but Kahuku averted a sweep in the third behind five of Cheyenne Te’o’s team-high 11 kills.
But ‘Iolani reclaimed control with a 7-1 run to open the fourth set, with Choy swinging for a kill on the second touch and tipping another into the middle of the court.
Kahuku appeared to threaten when Phoebe Grace’s ace cut ‘Iolani’s lead to 19-15. But Kekauoha put down back-to-back kills, Buscher followed with another and Kekauoha and Calimpong-Burke combined on ‘Iolani’s third block of the night to give ‘Iolani command.
"I sometimes while it’s happening I don’t really think about it a lot," Kekauoha said of her go-to role. "I just try to stay aggressive and intelligent. I’m glad we trust each other a lot."
Kamehameha 3, Moanalua 0
Kayla Afoa hit .548 while putting down a match-high 18 kills and the Warriors will make their 13th straight appearance in the final after a 25-10, 25-10, 25-17 win.
"This team did a lot of growing this year and we still feel our best is yet to come," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "They’re definitely finding ways to continue to improve. … I’m proud of the kids and how we’re playing and making sure were playing our best in the last match of the season.
"(‘Iolani’s) got players all over the place, we’ve seen them a bunch, they’re coached very well and it’s going to come down to just execution."
Kamehameha will be seeking its 20th state title today. The Warriors won seven of the past 10, the last coming in 2013.
They hit .326 as a team on Friday, with Lexis Akeo dishing 33 assists, and Shiloh Peleras was in on six of the Warriors’ 10 blocks.
