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Cinderella is wearing red to the big dance. Only, this Cinderella almost didn’t make it there. In fact, less than two weeks ago, the very young ‘Iolani Raiders were on the verge of playoff elimination, on the brink of fading away just one year after winning the state title. The Interscholastic League of Honolulu playoffs, in all its madness and drama, easily could have spewed out top-five teams Maryknoll or Punahou to accompany champion Kamehameha to the state championships. Instead, […]

The back-and-forth Hawaii Baptist and Damien match Friday night was more evidence that the Interscholastic League of Honolulu is a really special place for volleyball. Even after you get past the intense Division I teams (Kamehameha, ‘Iolani, Punahou and Maryknoll) that go at it in close races every year, you’ve got three big wheels in Division II. Well, for now, let’s say Le Jardin, the defending D-II state champion and the ILH champion this year, is the biggest of the […]

After 20 state championships in girls volleyball, including eight with Chris Blake steering the ship, some fundamental principles haven’t changed. Blake saw his Warriors methodically, patiently delete OIA powerhouse Kapolei from the title chase on Friday night with a 25-18, 25-20, 25-23 sweep at sultry McKinley Student Council Gymnasium. There were no bells and whistles, nothing cute tactically for Kamehameha (14-2). Just solid, on-the-move adjusting against a big, powerful Kapolei squad that reached the OIA finals. “Kapolei’s a solid team […]