The life of an elite volleyball team has its perks.
Top-ranked ‘Iolani swept No. 4 Mid-Pacific 25-9, 25-19, 25-17 on Tuesday night. This morning, they were scheduled to board a flight to Las Vegas, where the Durango Fall Classic begins Friday.
The Raiders were efficient and composed Tuesday, improving to 3-0 in ILH play against the fast-rising Owls. Eight of ‘Iolani’s 17 service aces came in the first set. Mid-Pacific earned that level of sharpness and respect from the Raiders.
“It was nice to come ready to play. They definitely got our attention by what they did against Punahou on Saturday,” ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said.
MPI edged Punahou 15-25, 21-25, 25-20, 27-25, 15-5 in a reverse sweep at Mills Gymnasium.
Georgie Lee had seven kills and a team-high six aces Tuesday for ‘Iolani, while Taimane Ainu‘u delivered 17 assists with five aces and two blocks.
Poema Kalama-Kingma tallied seven kills, while Elle Arceneaux had six kills in two sets. Middle Annaura Reid-Gillet had four kills and three blocks.
“We spent a lot of time talking about it, game planning, and I was happy to see the kids execute and play free,” Obrey said. “Our practice gym is super competitive and these kids compete. We mix them up. We’ve got some young kids that are hitters that we need to develop for our future. It’s good to have the senior leadership in Georgie and Poema, and they bring the younger kids along. That quality experience, you never know when that’s going to help you later in the season.”
Reserves got more action than usual. Michaela Siaosi added five kills, Grace Kott chipped in two kills and one block, and Hailey Bell had two aces for ‘Iolani (10-1 overall).
“That’s the team to beat for sure. They’ve got weapons everywhere, and they’ve got Taimane setting all those weapons. We’ve got to do our best to hang around and take advantage of the opportunities we get,” Mid-Pacific coach David Bayne said. “Our girls got to believe we can do it. Traditionally, Mid-Pac has not been as successful. Once we start getting that taste of victory, that confidence will come and the play will follow.”
Tatiana Taylor had five kills and four blocks, and Tia Baldemor drilled six kills to lead Mid-Pacific (15-7, 1-2). Milan Scanlan had a team-high nine assists and Hanae Twer dished four assists.
The Owls will host Punahou on Friday.
‘Iolani is the top seed in its pool on Friday. The Raiders play Foothill (Nev.), Mercy (Ky.) and VIsta Murrieta (Calif.). The team will bring their laptops and stay on top of their assignments.
“We do have study hall and time to ourselves. We don’t have (virtual) classes. We’ll be keeping up with our homework,” Kalama-Kingma said. “Last year, we went to the claw machine place. We usually go shopping and have team activities.”
‘Iolani opened some eyes in the volleyball universe by nearly upsetting the nation’s top team, Sierra Canyon (Calif.), in the final of the Ann Kang Invitational. ‘Iolani is ranked No. 18 nationally (MaxPreps).
“I’m definitely looking forward to playing at a high level and seeing what our team can do after Ann Kang. That’s super exciting,”
Kalama-Kingma said. “Going ranked nationally, that’s a lot of pressure for us, but it gives us a chance to show what we can do.”
Ainu‘u went right to work with three aces in her first three serves to start the match. ‘Iolani amassed eight aces in the opening set as Ainu‘u tallied four and Lee had three. The Owls hit -.136 while the Raiders hit .300.
MPI bounced back with a 3-0 lead in the second set and stayed close. ‘Iolani opened its lead to three points, but the Owls were within 17-16 after a kill. The Raiders finished the set with an 8-3 run. Back-to-back aces by Lexi Kawakami helped close the game out. Kawakami finished with seven assists.
