Kamehameha libero Mia Heirakuji might be the shortest player on the court, but Tuesday night, she made the biggest impact.
Heirakuji anchored the defense with 28 digs to lift the No. 1 Warriors over No. 4 ‘Iolani 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-17 at ‘Iolani.
"The libero is ridiculous," ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. "Hoakalei (Dawson) took some good quality swings down the line and she dug them all up, running balls off of the block. She was kind of steady the last couple times, but this time, she took control of the court."
Kamehameha (11-0) has already earned a berth into the state tournament, but the Raiders (6-5) need to have the best record in the ILH second round to have a shot. They are the only team in conference play to take a set off the Warriors.
"In the second round everyone has a fresh start and we knew ‘Iolani was going to come out stronger than they did before," Heirakuji said.
Kamehameha justified its top ranking with a strong performance in Set 1. Both teams scored in bunches, but Kamehameha took a 17-13 lead on a six-point run. Middle blocker Kayla Afoa had five kills with no errors to lead the Warriors. Kamehameha pulled away with another 7-1 run, capped by Alohi Robins-Hardy’s ace to close the set.
‘Iolani’s Dawson, a lefty, put down three consecutive kills and the Raiders took advantage of two hitting errors by the Warriors to jump ahead 5-0 in Set 2. Kamehameha couldn’t contain Dawson’s right-side attack. She hammered eight kills in the set.
The Warriors tied the game twice at 11 and 16, but the Raiders never gave up their lead. The ‘Iolani block stuffed outside hitter Tiyana Hallums for game point at 24-18. Kamehameha gave the Raiders a scare with a late four-point run to close the gap to two, but once again Dawson found the answer. Her kill off the block tied the match at one set apiece.
Kamehameha came out shaky in Set 3 and committed two hitting and passing errors to give the Raiders a 5-1 lead. The Warriors brought in junior setter Kamalani Akeo to switch up the offense and it paid off. Akeo dished out eight assists in Set 3 and balanced the sets between hitters. Kamehameha’s defense also picked up 31 digs to keep its offense in rhythm.
The Warriors continued to trail until a controversial tip out tied the game at 12. Robins-Hardy scored three straight kills, hammering her first slide of the night to give the Warriors a 15-13 lead. The teams would tie five more times, until Kamehameha’s front row came up clutch. Kealani Browne and Robins-Hardy combined for two blocks to shut down Watanabe on the left side for game point at 24-19. Robins-Hardy stuffed Watanabe with a solo block to seal the set.
Kamehameha cruised in Set 4 to a 7-2 lead as ‘Iolani’s hitters struggled to put a ball away. The Raiders managed to tie the game at 9 points, but net violations and hitting errors gave away the set to Kamehameha. The Warriors scored 10 consecutive points for a 19-9 lead with Payton Spragling behind the service line. ‘Iolani responded with a five-point streak, but Kamehameha’s quick offense overwhelmed the Raiders’ smaller block. Robins-Hardy pounded game ball off the foot of libero Moea Kekauoha to end the match.
Dawson led ‘Iolani with 15 kills, followed by Watanabe’s 14. Bailey Choy added 33 assists for the Raiders. Afoa and Robins-Hardy finished with 12 kills for the Warriors, while Browne recorded eight kills with no errors.
"Our girls did a very good job executing once they figured out what the game plan was," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. " ‘Iolani is a very well-coached team."
