Top-ranked Kamehameha and No. 2 Punahou are 16 minutes away from squaring off here at Hemmeter Fieldhouse. When they met two weeks ago at Kekuhaupio Gym, Kamehameha was extraordinary in a two-set sweep of the then-top ranked Buffanblu.
I’m expecting a closer match this time around. Warriors are back from the Durango Classic. Jet lag could be a factor. They had a delayed flight on Sunday. They’ve played a lot of volleyball and had to do a lot of homework on the road. It wasn’t a cushy, no-stress vacation at all, but they did finish second only to Torrey Pines, upsetting the nation’s No. 3 and No. 5 teams along the way.
But they might be prime for an upset loss tonight. Even the Punahou alumni band is here. On a Tuesday night.
UPDATE 9:04 p.m.
Kamehameha was business as usual, sweeping Punahou 25-15, 25-21. It was almost routine for the Warriors, putting away the state’s second-best team. Jet lag? Didn’t look like any to me.
The Warriors look like a professional high school team if you can imagine that. Deep, clutch and poised.
Jerry Campany’s game story will be in tomorrow’s Star-Advertiser. My game video will be up later, including post-match interviews with coach Chris Blake, Aloha Robins-Hardy, Kealani Browne and Tiyana Hallums.
In the earlier match, it was a tremendous win for University over St. Francis 27-25, 26-24, 16-25, 25-22 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse tonight. These teams are right behind Hawaii Baptist in the ILH Division II girls volleyball standings.
Set two was indicative of how evenly matched these teams are. UHS led 24-19 before the Saints rallied to tie it at 24-all. The fourth set was even until the Junior Rainbows went on a 4-0 run after the game was tied at 17-all.
The ILH’s D-II teams are already in their second round, which means best-of-five play. The D-I squads are in the middle of the first round, so they’re still in best-of-three mode.
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