Day one at the Ann Kang Invitational, including the Mira Costa’s come-from-behind win over Punahou, was incredible.
Fantastic. The constant action from 8 a.m. through the day and night is enough to make anyone forget how short the summer break is. At least for those of us who remember the school year starting after Labor Day weekend.
Sixteen teams in a non-stop flow of matches in ‘Iolani’s steamy upper gym and air-conditioned lower gym is the perfect recipe for fans. It is also excellent for voters in the upcoming Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball Top 10. We all know Punahou and Moanalua will be title contenders again in their respective leagues. Seeing the likes of potential champions like Le Jardin, Maryknoll, Hawaii Baptist and more — nothing beats live action. The only thing better would be if teams like Kamehameha, Kahuku and Mililani were also here, but nobody’s complaining when nine of the 16 squads are from California, and several of them are traditional powerhouses.
Day two has begun with another twinge of heartbreak for Punahou, which lost another three-set battle, this time to another formidable CIF foe, Sierra Canyon. Again, the Buffanblu won the first set before falling 23-25, 25-23, 15-12. This gives Sierra Canyon and CIF powerhouse Mira Costa the inside track to playoff berths, only two for each of the two pools.
Thursday’s scores
Punahou def. Moanalua 25-16, 25-11
Mira Costa (Calif.) def. Maryknoll 25-12, 25-16
Le Jardin def. Edison (Calif.) 25-15, 25-15
Sierra Canyon (Calif.) def. Santa Margarita (Calif.) 25-20, 25-22
Mira Costa def. Edison 25-8, 25-11
Punahou def. Maryknoll 25-16, 25-23
Sierra Canyon def. Le Jardin 26-24, 25-18
Moanalua def. Santa Margarita 23-25, 25-15, 15-8
Sierra Canyon def. Edison 25-10, 25-15
Mira Costa def. Punahou 19-25, 25-14, 15-13
Santa Margarita def. Maryknoll 25-23, 25-16
Moanalua def. Le Jardin 25-23, 25-23
Redondo Union (Calif.) def. Corona del Mar (Calif.) 25-20, 25-22
Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) def. Hawaii Baptist 25-20, 25-16
Baldwin def. La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) 25-13, 18-25, 15-10
Palos Verdes (Calif.) def. ‘Iolani 25-23, 23-25, 15-11
Harvard-Westlake def. La Jolla Country Day 25-14, 25-15
Redondo Union def. Hawaii Baptist 25-18, 25-16
‘Iolani def. Baldwin 25-8, 25-14
Palos Verdes def. Corona del Mar 25-14, 25-15
‘Iolani def. La Jolla Country Day 25-13, 25-10
Redondo Union def. Harvard-Westlake 25-19, 25-21
Palos Verdes def. Hawaii Baptist 25-18, 25-9
Corona del Mar def. Baldwin 25-21, 16-25, 15-7
Friday’s scores
Sierra Canyon def. Punahou 23-25, 25-23, 15-12
Santa Margarita def. Edison 25-13, 25-23
Mira Costa def. Le Jardin 25-15, 25-20
Moanalua def. Maryknoll 23-25, 25-20, 15-11
Sierra Canyon def. Maryknoll 25-14, 25-16
Punahou def. Edison 25-14, 23-25, 16-14
Mira Costa vs. Moanalua
Santa Margarita vs. Le Jardin
Edison vs. Maryknoll
Mira Costa vs. Santa Margarita
Sierra Canyon vs. Moanalua
‘Iolani vs. Hawaii Baptist
Redondo Union vs. La Jolla Country Day
Harvard-Westlake vs. Corona del Mar
Palos Verdes vs. Baldwin
Redondo Union vs. Baldwin
La Jolla Country Day vs. Hawaii Baptist
Harvard-Westlake vs. Palos Verdes
‘Iolani vs. Corona del Mar
Saturday’s matches
Le Jardin vs. Maryknoll
Moanalua vs. Edison
Baldwin vs. Hawaii Baptist
Corona del Mar vs. La Jolla Country Day
Mira Costa vs. Sierra Canyon
Punahou vs. Santa Margarita
Harvard-Westlake vs. ‘Iolani
Redondo Union vs. Palos Verdes
Consolation playoffs
2:45 p.m. Semifinal 1
4 p.m. Semifinal 2
5:15 p.m. Championship
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