Their backs were against the wall, down two sets to none, and then the No. 2 ‘Iolani Raiders did something unusual.
The visiting Raiders handed No. 1 Kamehameha a rare defeat in Kekuhaupio Gymnasium on Tuesday night, rallying for a 23-25, 14-25, 25-18, 25-21, 15-11 stunner in the ILH double-elimination girls volleyball tournament.
Junior Elena Oglivie had a match-high 31 kills and only two hitting errors in a whopping 72 swings, with 23 of those kills coming in the last three sets. Middle Sasha Petticord had five of her six blocks in the deciding set. Freshman Mokihana Tufono added five kills for coach Kainoa Obrey’s squad.
“Yes, I feel very tired,” Oglivie said after the match. “Definitely. I love those games like that where everything you hit feels like a kill. High sets and good, effective swings.”
“Hat’s off to ‘Iolani,” Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. “They came back with a renewed purpose. We didn’t match what they did. They played like they had nothing to lose.”
‘Iolani (9-4) will host Kamehameha (11-1) at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The winner takes the second-round tourney title. If Kamehameha, the first-round winner, overcomes ‘Iolani, it will have the ILH title secure. If ‘Iolani wins, there will be a final battle for the league crown on Friday.
Keonilei Akana had 17 kills and middle Braelyn Akana had nine for Kamehameha. Maui Robins tallied eight kills.
The visitors had a 21-18 lead in the opening set, then committed critical passing and setting errors, and Kamehameha’s Akana sisters finished off the set with kills.
Obrey sent a unit of reserves onto the floor for most of the second set. Tufono temporarily took over setting duties during the second. With senior Malie McClure at serve, the Warriors had a 7-0 run to blow the game open.
In the third set, Obrey sent his starters back onto the floor. Down 3-1, they took advantage of a serving error, a hitting error and a rotation violation to spark a 9-0 run. Setter Kristen McDaniel (41 assists) delivered to Oglivie (nine kills) and Tufono (three) as the Raiders began their rally
After hitting just .196 and sometimes struggling with Kamehameha’s serve in the first two sets, the Raiders hit .340 the rest of the way.
The fourth set was all ‘Iolani, as the home team never led. The Raiders’ 7-0 run opened the lead to 21-11 as Petticord (three kills) and Tufono (two) chipped in. Oglivie had 10 kills during the fourth plus one block. Kamehameha cut the lead to 24-21 behind a block by Kalina Obrey, two right-side kills by Keonilei Akana and a block by Braelyn Akana. Petticord ended the fourth with a kill on an overpass.
‘Iolani opened the final set with a 5-1 lead, getting three kills by Petticord. The Warriors cut the lead to 9-8, but Tufono drilled a kill from the right side and Petticord roofed Keonilei Akana.
Leading 12-10, the Raiders got a huge hustle play, tracking down a block by Braelyn Akana, and Keonilei Akana’s hitting error gave the visitors a three-point lead. Petticord added her final kill and McDaniel’s dump shot ended the match.
