BIIF Girls Volleyball for the ages

Saturday Night on the campus of Konawaena High School, I was witness to the most exciting high school volleyball action of my life. Two championships were on the line, along with a Division II State Berth:

HONOKAA def. ST. JOSEPH 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12

You had to believe that Honokaa was a tad bit fired up after their upset loss to the hands of the Lady Ka Makani of HPA (more on them in a little bit.)

Meanwhile, looking at St. Joseph for a second, their attack is very predictable. It's Chelbie-Lyn Hanohano, Chelbie-Lyn Hanohano, and more of the same. When she's in the backrow, that is when the team really struggles. Let's give credit to Hanohano for her exceptional play. The volleyball genes have certainly run in the family. But, she can't do it alone, and the longer a match wears on, the more tired she gets, and the less likely she's able to continue to produce at a high level. Shoddy serving did the Cardinals in at key moments as well, but give credit to Honoka'a for a TEAM effort. You may not be able to name a player on that squad, but I'm sure that's just how they like it.

Honoka'a joined Hilo and HPA as representatives of the BIIF at the state volleyball tournament from November 5th thru the 8th.

HILO def. HPA 25-15, 25-19, 14-25, 12-25, 20-18

Which Hilo team will we see when the state tournament comes around? The team who played Games 1, 2, and 5 in a dominating fashion, attacking the middle with success and playing great defense, or the team in Games 3 and 4 that made mental mistakes and couldn't handle the volleyball?

Give credit to Coach Brennan Wong for the Vikings. After Game 4, I was surprised to see how lose the team was. They didn't hang their heads at all, and actually seemed like they were in decent spirits. Coach Wong even told me after the match that the team needed that wake-up call. To blow games 3 and 4 in lop-sided fashion is tough to handle psychologially, and give the Viks credit for overcoming that.

And at the same time, give the same credit to the Ka Makani for not giving up and rallying back. Their confidence was there, they played cleaner volleyball, and did not quit. Coach Sharon Peterson told me that this is the best team she's had there at the private school, and it has showed. It didn't seem like anyone wanted to finish this match. It was a treat to watch this one.

This game will be re-aired Sunday night approximately 6:20 pm after Emily Gail Talks Golf on ESPN Radio. Because of the length of the World Series, the DII Championship didn't get on the air Saturday Night until the end of Game 3. We are re-airing it from beginning to end on Sunday night, and I should also have it online at a later date.

WAIAKEA def. KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAII 20-25, 20-25, 25-16, 28-26, 15-11

Just when you thought you couldn't top the first two distance matches, Waiakea's comeback may have topped it all.

The regular season matchup between these two teams went the distance, with Waiakea winning, thanks in part to a key Kamahemeha player going down to injury. No injuries here, but Waiakea certainly didn't quit after the first couple of games.

Hard to really pinpoint anything that Waiakea did differently, but I would say that their defense was a lot better later on the game, and the battle at the net shifted. Kamehameha won on the front line in the first couple of games, but not when it mattered.

It's amazing what a team has to do in order to stay unbeaten on a season. Both of these teams will represent the BIIF in the Division I State Tournament.