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Devin Kahahawai had 27 kills and Maui Robins added 11 as No. 2 Kamehameha rallied for a 22-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12 win over ‘Iolani on Tuesday night at Father Bray Athletic Complex.
Kamehameha (7-3) advances to the second round of the ILH double-elimination tournament and will face top-seeded Punahou on Friday. ‘Iolani (5-5) is still alive and will take on Mid-Pacific in an elimination match.
Senna Roberts-Navarro was virtually unstoppable and led the Raiders with 29 kills and added three blocks.
The visiting Warriors led the fifth set 8-5 following an ace by Sydney Sniffen. After a time out, the home team rallied with a 6-0 run. Roberts-Navarro had three kills during the rally, including one from the right side and two from the back row.
Down 11-8, Kamehameha called time out.
“Coach Chris (Blake) just said that we really need to want it, we’re not showing that we’re hungry,” Robins said. “So we had to step on the court, play hungry and then everything will fall into place. Everyone is super supportive and everyone had a part in our success today.”
The Warriors got a kill from Robins, a right-side kill by Kahahawai, and another spike by Robins to tie the game. After an ace by Sierra Scanlan, Kamehameha led 12-11.
Robins and middle Moana Peaua teamed up for a block on Mokihana Tufono, opening the lead to 13-11.
Tufono, who finished with 16 kills, 18 assists and two blocks, tallied a kill to bring the Raiders within a point. The Warriors went to their 6-foot-2 outside hitter, Kahahawai, for the final two kills of the match.
“We’ve been in this situation before, just with different teammates. A big thing for us is just being able to lean on each other because we knew things were going to get tough,” Robins said. “ ‘Iolani is a great team, but in this game I believe we were better because of how much we trust each other on the court, and how much we communicated.”
Kamehameha also got balanced production from Nadia Koanui (nine kills, 25 digs), and middles Adrianna Arquette (nine kills) and Peaua (nine kills). Libero Payton Oliveira had 24 digs and two aces, including one in the final set. Scanlan delivered 57 assists and hustled for 16 digs.
“Honestly, it’s just exciting. I see Moana smiling. We’re smiling. It’s just a fun game. I think both teams came really prepared for this,” Kahahawai said. “We both expected it to go five (sets). It’s just an awesome experience for the new girls on the team to experience that fan base yelling, a five-setter and the excitement.”
The Raiders played without outside hitter Brooke Naniseni and middle Mari Lawton. The junior starters are recuperating from injuries, but coach Kainoa Obrey’s team played brilliantly, perhaps playing their best match of the season.
Tufono’s versatility and athleticism were remarkable. Haley Goto added four kills and three blocks in the middle, while freshman Ambri Hanohano had six kills, 35 assists and one ace. Eryn Hiraki chipped in three kills.
Kamehameha jumped ahead in the opening set, 7-2, but the Raiders chipped away and took the lead, 18-17. The game was tied at 18-all, 20-all and 21-all before a service error and a disconnect on a set gave ‘Iolani a 23-21 lead, which the Raiders didn’t relinquish.
Kamehameha dominated much of the second set, taking a 17-2 lead. Then ‘Iolani rallied with tsunami force and got within 23-17 after kills by Goto and Roberts-Navarro before the Warriors got kills from Peaua and Kahahawai to even the match.
The Raiders opened a 17-12 lead in the third set, saw it cut to a two-point margin (22-20), then got a kill and block from Tufono before putting the game away and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Again, the Warriors opened a sizable lead, 8-2, in set four and never trailed. Despite seven kills by Roberts-Navarro, Kamehameha hung on. Kamehameha led 22-17 when Roberts-Navarro had four kills in a row to bring Iolani within one point. The Raiders eventually tied it at 23 on a hitting error by Kahahawai, but the Warriors’ outside hitter came back with a kill, and a hitting error by Roberts-Navarro ended the fourth game.
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