Most years, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s All-State Player of the Year comes from the state championship team. Not so this time.
‘Iolani senior Bailey Choy, a setter who led the Raiders to a remarkable season that fell three points short of the state title, is the girls volleyball player of the year. She narrowly beat out Kamehameha junior outside hitter Kayla Afoa.
A similar thing happened in coach of the year balloting. Kainoa Obrey of the Raiders got the nod over Chris Blake, who led the Warriors to his eighth of the school’s 20 state championships.
It is the second time in 21 years the player of the year didn’t come from a state champion, with the Star-Bulletin’s selection of ‘Iolani’s Kanoe Kamanao as player of the year in 2002 the other. The coach of the year award has gone to a state champion 12 of the past 15 years, including 2007, when the Star-Bulletin chose title winner Chris Blake of Kamehameha and the Advertiser named Jenic Tumaneng of ‘Iolani.
Despite not getting the top honors, Kamehameha is well-represented on this year’s All-State selections, which were voted on by coaches from around the state. Afoa and four other Kamehameha teammates make up one-third of the Fab 15. Those five — Afoa, along with middles Shiloh Peleras and Brooke Ka‘awa, libero Kyra Hanawahine and hitter Kili Robins — and others on the deep Warriors roster ganged up in the final, beating ‘Iolani in five sets (15-12 in the fifth) after having lost four of five matches to the Raiders earlier in the season.
It was a renaissance year for ‘Iolani, which placed two others on the Fab 15 — outside hitters Moea Kekauoha and Sierra Buscher. The Raiders won the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title and qualified for states for the first time since 2007.
“There is not enough words to describe what this year meant, and how amazing it was that our little team could bring huge crowds to the gym,” Kakauoha said. “It was never packed like that before (for girls volleyball). It gives me chills to think about it.”
Obrey, despite beating out Blake for the coach’s honor, gave a nod to his friend and the championship Kamehameha team: “Chris did a great job training them and getting them to understand their identity as the season went on. Their growth was exponential.”
More specifically, Obrey said, “Those middles (Peleras and Ka‘awa) were a handful. No matter what our game plan was, we couldn’t really block them. If we had been able to, we would have been able to pay more attention to stopping Afoa.”
Buscher has been club teammates with the Warriors’ Afoa and summed up what Afoa meant in the championship run.
“Kayla is steady every play, every point,” Buscher said. “And when her team needs her, she steps up. I’m proud of her.”
Choy, who signed a letter of intent to play for Utah next season, was a smooth distributor.
“She is fun to watch, so graceful as a setter,” coach Obrey said about Choy. “It’s like a choreographed dance. She covers the court so well. She makes it look like the passing is better than what it is. She is something special.”
Voters showed some synchronicity with the other seven selections to the Fab 15. Top Oahu Interscholastic Association teams Moanalua and Kahuku placed one player each on the team, as did one neighbor island team (Konawaena) and the two Division II finalists (champion Hawaii Baptist and runner-up Le Jardin).
Na Menehune’s Johanna Kruize and the Wildcats’ Chanelle Molina have been two of the most powerful hitters in the state two years in a row, and Red Raiders hitter Carey Williams — like Kruize — led her team to the state semifinals. Voters were also impressed with the setting of Eagles sophomore Ally Wada and the hitting prowess of the Bulldogs’ Kassidy Naone.
Outside hitter Dallas Lishman and libero Brandee Markwith of ILH third-place team Punahou were also chosen to the Fab 15.
Honorable mention hitters Kiana Peroff of Punahou, Lekaleka Kiner-Falefa of Mid-Pacific and Syenna Masaki of Kalaheo, and middle Shayla Hoeft of Seabury Hall just missed inclusion in the Fab 15.
