Once again, Punahou is the No. 1 seed.
Once again, Kamehameha is unseeded. But will the Warriors pull out another magical run and win a seventh consecutive girls volleyball state title?
Kamehameha’s quest, if successful, would match a remarkable run made by University High from 1984 to ’90 under coach Raplee Fitzsimmons, and then Glennie Adams.
That fact that Adams is now an athletic director at Kamehameha is just one the interesting notes about the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships, which begin today.
For Kamehameha, a 9-3 Interscholastic League of Honolulu season resembles what happened in ’09, when the Warriors lost three times to Punahou before taking the state tournament.
“Our goal is always to play our best match in the last match of the season,” said Kamehameha coach Chris Blake, who has been there from the start of the current dynasty. “Punahou is a special team, well-coached and very disciplined, but that’s the least of our worries. We have to prepare for our match today, and Punahou is in the back of our minds, I think.”
The Buffanblu, powered by UH-bound Tai Manu-Olevao, are nationally ranked by PrepVolleyball.com and went unbeaten in the ILH at 12-0. Being perfect and staying perfect are two different things, as they learned last year when an unblemished run ended with a state final loss to Kamehameha.
“It’s always there, right in front of their faces,” Punahou coach Peter Balding said. “They’ve got to find a way to keep playing well. That’s the reality, if anything. Talk to the New England Patriots. Go undefeated and lose in the Super Bowl.”
If Balding sounds worried, it’s only because the Buffanblu are so close to ending Kamehameha’s reign. Last week, they defeated the Warriors in four sets to win the league crown.
“It’s all back to square one now. I don’t know if nervous is the right word. At this point, it doesn’t matter if you’re seeded No. 1 or the 12th team in the tournament,” he said. “I’m certain there’s a moment where they might think about (a rematch with Kamehameha) but we’ve collectively got too much respect for the teams on our side of the bracket. We’ve got to focus on Moanalua and Hilo. I can only hope we’ll be good enough to get to the final.”
Mililani (14-1) is the No. 2 seed after winning the Oahu Interscholastic Association title in dramatic fashion. Kamehameha-Hawaii (13-3), which got hot in the playoffs, won the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and is the third seed. Kamehameha-Maui (14-1) is the No. 4 seed.
“I like watching Kamehameha, Kahuku, Moanalua because they scrap,” Balding said. “Mililani, I thought, put on a great show last week. They beat bigger teams with an undersized team. Coach (Val Crabbe) stressed ball control and has done a great job.”
In Division II, three-time state champion Hawaii Baptist (12-1) is the top seed. OIA White champion Roosevelt is second, Hawaii Prep is third and Seabury Hall is fourth in the eight-team tourney.
“It’s just about adjustments at this point,” HBA coach Myles Shioji said. “It’s more mental, staying in the moment, not letting the pressure of everything get to you.”
The Eagles saw their string of state titles end with a loss to Molokai last fall.
“Last year, they were kind of overwhelmed. Molokai was a good team. We threw a lot of info at our team, a whole big game plan, maybe too much,” Shioji said. “But it’s about staying a little bit loose and giving them a lot of leeway to take themselves out of a funk in a match. They’ve got to learn to deal with things, and it’s really helped.”
» Tournament schedules, C8
