Girls volleyball

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 […]

The room was still. The room was frantic. The room was insanely loud. No matter what Moanalua did, Kahuku had an answer. And before long, as Moanalua scratched and clawed from behind, Kahuku put an end to Na Menehune’s season with an incredible 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11 win. An astounding quarterfinal victory by a team that finished fifth in its league. Beating a league champion. Advancing to the final four. Perhaps it’s only in Hawaii that this happens, more […]

The team in blue, Moanalua, played with heart to the end, but it was the team in red — Kahuku — that advanced to the semifinal round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships on Thursday night. Just like that, unseeded Kahuku knocked out No. 2 seed Moanalua with an epic 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11 victory, and they did it on Moanalua’s home court. For Kahuku, which lost to Moanalua during the regular season (maxing out in […]

At times, the Damien Monarchs have looked like a team of destiny. The football team hasn’t done too badly, either. It’s Damien’s girls volleyball team, the one that was close to capturing the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II title, that is one of the teams to reckon with at the state tourney. That much is certain after a 25-12, 25-9, 25-15 sweep of Pearl City on Wednesday night in the opening round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA D-II State […]