Punahou advances in state girls volleyball tournament

This wasn’t exactly clone wars, but it was pretty close.

Madisyn Beirne came through with 14 kills as Punahou outlasted Kamehameha-Hawaii 25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23 on Thursday night at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium.

Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up Punahou (12-2) advanced to the Division I semifinal round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships and will meet Mililani at Moanalua gym today at 7 p.m.

“Punahou is solid. They played some good defense and they’re a solid team,” longtime Warriors coach Guy Enriques said. “I think if you can get ’em to where you’re neck-and-neck, you’ve got a chance. But you give ’em a run, they get confident, oh, that’s a tough team.”

>> Click here to see photos of the match between Kamehameha and Punahou.

Kaia Dunford led Punahou with 15 kills, and added 15 digs, while middle Isabelle Iosua added 10 while hitting .455. With the each team bringing double blocks against the big guns — Dunford of Punahou and Nani Spaar of KS-Hawaii — the Buffanblu got a big performance from Beirne. She cashed in and finished with a .364 hitting percentage.

Halo-Elizabeth Yoshiki added eight kills and Katharine Yoshimoto had a team-high 18 digs.

“Me and Kaia both played with some of their girls like Nani and Tihane (DeRego),” Beirne said. “We knew they were really good at hitting, really firm and stable on defense.”

Dunford has been rock steady throughout the season, playoffs and postseason.

“Mostly, we were preparing to take care of things on our side. It’s really important that we keep control of the game, then we can push to win,” said Dunford, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter.

Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion KS-Hawaii came into the tournament with a 15-0 mark and Enriques was confident about his squad.

“They did a good job serving short with us. We didn’t expect that in the beginning. They nailed the short serves, but we recovered and took that away from them,” Enriques said.

Spaar led KSH with 18 kills in 70 swings, adding 12 digs. Freshman middle Taina Kaauwai had 15 kills (.400) and Tiani Bello tallied nine kills and 18 digs. Loke Kuamoo hustled for 17 digs.

A key adjustment by Punahou coach Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson came late in the second set as KS-Hawaii rolled to a win. She inserted Jaclyn Matias at setter, and the sophomore remained for the duration of the match. Matias finished with 26 assists and four digs.

Down 3-1 in the opening set, Punahou took command with a 20-4 run.

In the second set, the Warriors found their footing. With the set tied at 15, they went on an 8-3 run with kills by Spaar and Bello, and a dump shot by setter Sierra Scanlan (45 assists).

With Matias replacing Chloe Kaahanui (17 assists), the third set began as a near-mirror of the first. Punahou went on a 14-3 run to take a 15-5 lead. KS-Hawaii wilted a bit with four hitting errors by Spaar. The Warriors got no closer than five points.

The fourth set went back and forth. DeRego’s kill gave KS-Hawaii a 13-12 lead, but Punahou responded with a 6-1 run. Two hitting errors and a service error by the Warriors gave Punahou a boost.

Down 22-17, the Warriors scored the next four kills, getting three kills by Spaar and an ace by Kendall Cabatu. Punahou closed out the set and match thanks to two hitting errors and a service error by Spaar.

“It’s always nerve-wracking playing against someone you’ve never seen before. Usually we play against the same teams. It was definitely fun playing a new team and seeing how our team reacts and plays together,” Dunford said.

Under Fuamatu-Anderson, Punahou last won its last state title in 2014.

Mililani 3, Le Jardin 1

Falanika Danielson crushed 24 kills as the OIA champion Lady Trojans (14-0) rallied past the Lady Bulldogs. Danielson hit .295 and also hustled for a team-high 24 digs.

Sophomore Aria Miller tallied 10 kills, 18 digs and eight aces, and Emma Berry chipped in seven kills. Setter Aysia Miller had 38 assists and Jaelen Tang had two aces and 14 digs.

Ellie Diersbock led LJA (8-6), the third representative from the ILH, with 17 kills. Gennezia Hawkins tallied 12 kills and Alishya Roman chipped in 10. Nive Tuileta had 42 assists and 14 digs for the young Bulldogs, who will return all but one graduating senior next season.

“We played them in preseason at Kamehameha’s tournament, but it’s the playoffs. They’re good. We knew the tempo would be fast. We had to block,” Mililani coach Val Crabbe said. “Our seniors love this game. They really do. They know where they want to be.”

>> Click here to see photos of the match between Mililani and Le Jardin.

Moanalua 3, King Kekaulike 0

Tayli Ikenaga finished with 13 kills and 12 digs as Na Menehune beat Na Alii 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 at Moanalua.

Alexis DeBina-Bautista added 10 kills and Aaliyah Allagonez had 19 assists for Moanalua (15-1), which will face Kamehameha in the semifinals today at 5 p.m. at Moanalua.

Montana DiSegna had 12 kills for King Kekaulike (13-2).

No. 1 Kamehameha 3, Kapolei 0

Keonilei Akana had 16 kills and Devin Kahahawai added 10 while hitting .562 as the Warriors beat the Hurricanes 25-20, 25-14, 25-20 at Moanalua.

Kahiau Kaalele had 21 assists and Bryanne Soares added 16 for Kamehameha (13-2).

Alizaysha Sopi finished with nine kills and Alexis Kepa had 19 assists for Kapolei (12-2).

DIVISION II

Seabury Hall 3, McKinley 2

Ella Connor finished with 17 kills, 34 digs and four aces and Mercedes Winicki had 41 assists as the Spartans beat the Tigers 25-21, 23-25, 14-25, 25-21, 15-9 at Kaimuki.

Skylar Conley added 11 kills and Ki‘iola Rilveria had 32 digs for Seabury Hall (15-0), which faces Damien in the semifinals today at 7 p.m. at Kaimuki.

Kaimana Bothelo-Patoc had 15 kills, Arianna Llamas served five aces and Alyssa Martin recorded 39 digs for McKinley (10-5), which will play Kalani in a fifth-place semifinal today at 3:30 p.m. at Kaimuki.

Damien 3, Kalani 0

Heavenly Campbell had 10 kills and Kaulana Kalulu‐Sugai recorded 27 assists as the ILH champion Monarchs defeated the Falcons 25-22, 25-18, 25-16 at Kaimuki.

Aiyani Park had 14 digs and Rayne Pactol added 12 for Damien (14-1).

Maya Hamaoka had 11 kills and 18 digs for Kalani (8-7).

Waimea 3, Hawaii Prep 2

Raelee Samio had 15 kills and 19 digs and Braeanna Moises recorded 53 assists and 19 digs as the Warriors outlasted Ka Makani 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 16-25, 15-10 at Farrington.

Titi Alquiza finished with 12 kills while hitting .417, Isabella Bateman added 11 kills and Kalea Hui Hui Caberto had 10 kills for Waimea (12-0), which will face University in the semifinals today at 5 p.m. at Kaimuki.

Parker Lewis had 19 kills and Amy Russell added 15 kills and 17 digs for Hawaii Prep (10-7), which will play Pearl City in a fifth-place semifinal today at 3:30 p.m. at McKinley.

University 3, Pearl City 0

Milan Ah Yat had 12 kills and Daphnee Makena Tong recorded 23 assists as the Jr. Bows beat the Chargers 25-13, 25-14, 25-16 at Farrington.

Lily Awai finished with five aces for University (13-4).

Kenya Glenn had 10 kills and Madison Garcia recorded 22 assists for Pearl City (8-6).

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS

Konawaena def. La Pietra 20-25, 25-22, 15-11

Molokai def. Kau 25-17, 25-15