Kamehameha cruises by Kapolei into state girls volleyball quarterfinals

Kalaweloilehua Chock and Sauimoana Purcell pounded 12 kills each as Kamehameha swept Kapolei 25-13, 25-18, 25-18 in the opening round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships presented by the Hawaii Army National Guard. Chock hit .286, adding six digs, one ace and one block. Purcell hit .321 with five digs and one ace. Senior Shaye Teves got the start at setter and led the Warriors with 15 assists, adding three digs. Alayah Wilson tallied 11 assists and Faith Iokia chipped in six. Wilson had a team-high 11 digs. “Kapolei is a very tough team. They have a lot of great players. For us to come out with a 3-0 sweep is a testament to the work we put in,” Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. “We expected a lot out of Kapolei and they didn’t disappoint.” Two-time defending state champion Kamehameha (32-9) finished second in the ILH and drew the OIA’s fifth-place team. The Warriors will meet Kamehameha-Hawaii, champion of the BIIF, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 7 p.m. at McKinley. Kamehameha saw its contemporaries from the Big Island at the Labor Day Classic and the Durango Fall Classic, but the teams have not met on the court yet this season. “Very, very skilled. Lots of great things they’re doing. We need to make sure we concentrate on our side of the net,” Blake said. “They’re undefeated and champions of their league. They’ve got a couple of good kids, a great setter and they’re very well coached. It’s going to be a matter of us putting things together and hopefully taking that next step.” A pensive, almost solemn home crowd at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium saw the Warriors unveil a slightly different starting lineup. More than a week of practice time opened the door to more competition, something Blake and staff have mastered over a two-decade period. Their teams have often peaked during the state tournament. “We’re trying to find what’s going to be best for us. It’s a matter of finding the right combination of players in order for us to improve. Even at this part of the season, we’ve been working hard. Last week was a blessing for us. It’s been awhile since we got six days of training. To be able to work on things is important. We’ve got a couple more days before we play on Thursday,” Blake said. “Iron sharpens iron.” Kapolei spent the entire season in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, but finished in a tie for first place in the OIA West. The tiebreaker formula left the Hurricanes as the third seed, and in their second playoff match they lost to Moanalua. After grinding out wins in the consolation bracket, Kapolei earned the OIA’s fifth and final state berth, only to draw Kamehameha. Senior Kiliohu Kopa- Kaawalauole and freshman Jerae-Honey Gonzales led Kapolei (27-6 overall) with seven kills apiece. Amy Scott, a junior setter, dished 21 assists and had team highs of 15 digs and two aces. Hope Lamaota added 13 digs. Middles Ema Presley Gibson, a 6-foot-2 senior, and Asa Parks, a 6-1 senior, chipped in four kills each against a resistant Kamehameha defense. The Warriors limited Kapolei to .029 hitting. The ‘Canes finished with 23 hitting errors against a relentless block. “Their setter is exceptional. She puts the ball all over the place to the right spots. They have a couple of good middles. When they’re in system, those two caused us a little bit of problems,” Blake said. “We made adjustments, made sure we had hands (up) and served a lot tougher. We keyed in on their big players, their middles.” Kapolei brought grit and length, but inefficiency slowed the Hurricanes. “I think our team, we knew it was going to be a rough game coming into this. It wasn’t the best outcome, but we put our heart out there and played our hardest,” said Gibson, a co-captain. “I’m going (to miss) playing with our girls. We had fun, laughing and joking.” Kamehameha opened the match with a 9-4 run, and after a back row kill by Chock and a kill by Purcell, the home team led 14-6. The ’Canes had four hitting errors and one service error at that point. Kamehameha’s balanced attack operated fluidly with Teves setting. Purcell had six kills (.600) and Chock had three kills and one ace after one game. In set two, Kamehameha opened a 12-6 lead, but this time the Hurricanes got a torrent of kills from Kopa-Kaawalauole to pull within 20-18. Kamehameha closed the game with a 5-0 run, including a block by middle Kealoha Lyons, an ace by Kalena Diaz and a roof by middle Bella Amey. Kalamaku Crabbe’s kill opened Kamehameha’s lead to 2-0 in the match. Kapolei led set three 8-5, but Kamehameha’s consistency and efficiency were big factors. Purcell’s ace gave the Warriors a 9-8 lead and they never looked back. Despite two aces by Scott, the ‘Canes had nine hitting errors and Kamehameha closed the match out. Since missing the state tournament in 2022, Kamehameha has swept every non-ILH opponent in bracket play. In 2023, the unseeded Warriors posted a four-set win over ILH champion Punahou in the final. In ’24, they were unseeded again and took down ILH champion ‘Iolani in four sets for the state title. Kapolei is ranked No. 10 in this week’s Star-Advertiser Top 10. Kamehameha is No. 2. Other state matches Mililani 3, Konawaena 2 Maile Malone had 15 kills, Kira Wayfer had 14, and Ivy Taylor and Sydney Matsuda tallied 12 kills apiece as the Lady Trojans hung on for a 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 15-13 win over the Wildcats at Col. Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium in Kealakekua. Kadence Wilson had a team-high 29 digs, while Kealanaea Stephens dished 61 assists. Harley Vila and Kwyn Greig had three aces each. Mililani will play top-seeded ‘Iolani on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Moanalua’s gym. Naiya Beymer had 18 kills to lead Konawaena. Lyla Kahele-Alapai and Kaulaloa Hooper added 14 kills each. Campbell 3, King Kekaulike 2 Kailie Theler had 15 kills, Miah Chong had 13 and Emalia Salima added 10 as the Lady Sabers pulled a 24-26, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21, 15-9 reverse sweep victory in Pukalani. Kiralei Smith had five aces and 17 digs, while Zsiare Lakalo dished 39 assists. Campbell will play OIA champion Kahuku, the second seed, on Thursday at 5 p.m. at McKinley in the quarterfinals. Gwyneth McKillip had 14 kills, Nanea Guarin tallied 12 kills and Naleeya Lund added 11 kills for MIL runner-up King Kekaulike. Moanalua 3, Hilo 0 Alessandra Siazon led Na Menehune with nine kills, while Surfia Grounds racked up six aces in a 25-19, 25-21, 25-16 sweep. Miya Waikiki added five aces. In all, OIA runner-up Moanalua finished with 15 aces. Meleotu Olevao led the Lady Vikings with six kills. Moanalua advances to the quarterfinal round and will host fourth-seeded Kamehameha-Maui on Thursday at 7 p.m.