Seven teams were sifted and reshuffled in the Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball Top 10 on Monday, but the all-clear for Punahou remains.
The Buffanblu (10-2) remained a unanimous No. 1, garnering all 10 first-place votes from a panel of coaches and media. Punahou has not played since Nov. 20, when it defeated Kamehameha in four sets to capture the ILH Division I championship.
Punahou plays the Kamehameha-Maui/Mililani winner on Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships.
Kamehameha remains at No. 2. The Warriors host Kapolei on Monday in the opening round of the state championships. Kamehameha (8-5) has also been dormant since Nov. 20.
Kapolei was unbeaten and ranked No. 5 going into action last week, but lost to Kahuku and then Mililani. The Hurricanes dropped out of the Top 10.
Kahuku made the biggest advance in the poll, rising from sixth to No. 3 by toppling previous unbeatens Kapolei and Moanalua to earn the OIA D-I championship. Kahuku has an opening-round bye in the state championships and will meet the Hilo-Waianae winner on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Mililani returned to the poll at No. 10, its first appearance since Nov. 8. The Trojans lost to Moanalua in five sets, then defeated rival Mililani in the OIA third-place match. The Trojans’ state-tournament opening-round match at Kamehameha-Maui was rescheduled to Wednesday. Campuses in Maui County are closed all day on Monday due to severe weather.
University bumped two notches higher to No. 6 despite having a bye week. The Jr. ‘Bows last played on Nov. 22, edging Le Jardin for the ILH D-II crown. ULS will play the Molokai-Radford winner on Thursday in the D-II state championships.
Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball Top Ten
Dec. 6, 2021
Rank School (first-place votes) points last week’s ranking
1. Punahou (10) (10-2, 7-2 ILH) 100 1
> bye
> next: vs. KS-Maui (MIL 2)/Mililani (OIA 3) winner, Thursday, 7 pm
2. Kamehameha (8-5, 6-3 ILH) 90 2
> bye
> next: vs. Kapolei (OIA 4), Monday, 5 pm
3. Kahuku (12-1, 9-1 OIA East) 73 6
> def. Waianae, def. Kapolei, def. Moanalua
> next: vs. Hilo (BIIF 2)/Waianae (OIA 5) winner, Thursday, 5 pm
4. ‘Iolani (6-6, 5-4 ILH) 66 3
5. Moanalua (12-1, 10-0 OIA East) 58 5
> def. Kaiser, def. Mililani, lost to Kahuku
> next: vs. Kaiser (OIA 6), Monday, 7 pm
6. University (10-4, 5-3 ILH D-II) 44 8
> bye
> next: vs. Molokai (MIL 2)/Radford (OIA 3) winner, Thursday, 7 pm, Kaimuki gym
7. Baldwin (13-0, 10-0 MIL) 38 7
> def. Maui, def. Lahainaluna, def. Kamehameha-Maui
> next: vs. Kamehameha (ILH 2)/Kapolei (OIA 4) winner, Thursday, 7 pm
8. Le Jardin (9-4, 6-2 ILH D-II) 28 8
> bye
> next: vs. Kalaheo (OIA 2), Wednesday, 7 pm, Waipahu gym
9. Kamehameha-Hawaii (7-0, 5-0 BIIF) 16 10
> def. Waiakea, def. Hilo
> next: vs. Moanalua (OIA 2)/Kaiser (OIA 6) winner, Thursday, 5 pm, Moanalua gym
10. Mililani (11-2, 9-1 OIA West) 13 NR
> def. Farrington, lost to Moanalua, def. Kapolei
> next: at Kamehameha-Maui, Wednesday
Also receiving votes: Kapolei 10, Maryknoll 7, Damien 3, Seabury Hall 3, Molokai 1.
Why do D2 teams get ranked with D1 teams? The 3rd place team, barely good enough to be in the top ten…
Just another clear indicator that the OIA sends too many teams to the state tournament. The best teams should be playing, there should be a play in ILH 3rd versus OIA 4th or 5th (whatever ridiculous seed it is) game, so there’s some actual GOOD teams in the first round.
Same with football, there there should be a play in between 2nd ILH and 3rd OIA.
Or better yet, merge all the leagues, create a travel schedule, increase the talent/experience statewide and make it truly a Divisional format (1A, 2A, etc). More teams, variety, and players to watch. Hawaiian Airlines, Outrigger/Ohana, Spectrum can funnel some dollars into the HHSAA for sponsorships, great for jobs and the economy. Make it happen!
Is the ILH that far ahead of the OIA in girls Volleyball??
Why is that so?
@ILoveHawaii (I see what you did there)
Absolutely! This past week, the D2 tournament was an all ILH semi-final, and the D1 has had all ILH finals for over a decade. There’s actually no reason to believe ‘Iolani is STILL not the 3rd best team in the state.