For two sets, the Baldwin Bears were virtually a match for the champions of the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
Mililani made sure the similarities ended by the end of game three. Jordyn Keamo drilled 18 kills as the Trojans swept Baldwin 28-26, 28-26, 25-15 before a crowd of about 400 at Farrington’s Richard Kitamura Fieldhouse.
Mililani (15-1) advanced to the semifinals of the HHSAA/New City Nissan Girls Volleyball State Championships and will meet six-time defending champion Kamehameha tonight at McKinley Student Council Gym.
"We didn’t know anything about Baldwin except they’re a scrappy team," said Keamo, a sophomore outside hitter. "We needed to adjust to their blocks. We kept pushing through."
Baldwin played great volleyball for stretches, but unforced errors and Mililani’s tough serving were key.
"We didn’t get the fire going," Bears coach Kauila Houpo said. "If they could’ve done that all the way through, the outcome would’ve been better, but part of that is because of Mililani."
Baldwin, behind 12 kills by sophomore Olivia Wallace, refused to cave in despite Mililani’s balanced attack and tough back-row defense. Baldwin led the opening set 11-6 before the Trojans rallied. The Bears had a 24-21 lead before Mililani rallied again.
Down 25-24, the Trojans got a two kills by Keamo, then put the set away after two hitting errors by the Bears.
The second set began in similar fashion to the first. Baldwin led 11-9 before Keamo dropped in a pair of aces to spark a 15-6 run.
Trailing 24-17, Baldwin rallied to tie the set behind four kills by Wallace and a block by Kasalaine Mataele. The Bears took a 26-25 lead on a kill by Taylor Badois
"We let down," Keamo said. "We just said, ‘Don’t give up.’ "
Kaila Kikugawa switched to setter and delivered back-to-back kills on quick dump shots to give Mililani the lead. The set ended on a controversial call. Badois, the middle blocker, had an easy kill on an overpass, but was whistled for a net violation.
From there, Mililani breezed in the third set.
Kikugawa chipped in with 10 kills, and Inoa Fields had 10. Casie Gaza dished out 37 assists and Mililani hit .238.
Kalei Vaivai added eight kills. Setter Ariana Newton had 26 assists.
Now Mililani gets a shot at Kamehameha. "We played them in preseason and lost. We’re a different team now," Keamo said. "They’re a different team, too. We just have to fight."
Kamehameha 3, Kamehameha-Hawaii 0
The Kapalama campus Warriors were in total control from start to finish against their sister campus from Hawaii island. Setter Alohi Robins-Hardy fed the KSH defense a steady diet of attacks from the middle with 6-foot Pikake Laumauna (eight kills) and 6-foot Haley Paakaula (seven kills). The two middles finished with three blocks apiece.
"We had a lot of things to work on. In general, we had a lot of serving errors, which is something we can control," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "The ball control was pretty decent tonight and the girls played well enough to win. I’m proud of them."
Division I consolation
Kaiser def. Hilo, 25-13, 25-18, 25-21.
Castle def. Pearl City, 26-24, 23-25, 18-16 (time limit)
Division II
At Kaimuki
St. Francis 3, Roosevelt 0
Angel Savea had 11 kills, Harlee Meyers had six aces and Kololia Atoia-Williams contributed four blocks as the Saints beat the Rough Riders in a quarterfinal match 29-27, 25-10, 25-15.
Sacred Hearts 3, Hawaii Prep 0
Shawna-Lei Santos had 13 kills and four aces as the Lancers beat Ka Makani 25-20, 25-14, 25-13 in a quarterfinal match. Hawaii Prep’s Leeta Grap had 11 kills and three blocks.
At Kalani
No. 1 seed Hawaii Baptist 3, Konawaena 1
CJ Asuncion had 13 kills and Tiffany Thompson added 10 as the Eagles beat the Wildcats 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21 in a quarterfinal match. Konawaena’s Courtney Kaupu had 13 kills.
Mariessa Carrasco had 19 kills, Ashlee Vaoifi contributed 17 and Kayla Kilaulani had 16 as the Mules beat the Spartans 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 15-11 in a quarterfinal match. Seabury Hall’s Lena Fox had 14 kills.
Division II consolation
Radford def. Kauai, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17, 8-4 (time limit)
Molokai def. Kau, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 6-3 (time limit)