KAPA‘A — Kapa‘a High School never lost sight of its goal on Monday night during the Central Pacific Bank Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation girls volleyball championship playoff at Bernice Hundley Gym.
Playing before an audience that swelled to standing-room only status, the Lady Warriors held firm against three set of concerted challenge by the Lady Voyagers of Island School to walk off with the CPB KIF girls volleyball title in three sets — 25-23, 26-24 and 25-14.
There was no late start for Kapa‘a, as the Warriors hit a 10-5 advantage behind a Kanoe Haneberg hammer and a Voyagers hitting error.
“Kanoe used to play with us,” said Tori Kagawa, coach for the Ho‘oikaika Volleyball and Waimea High School volleyball. “We canceled practice tonight so some of the girls could come watch and support Kanoe.”
The Warriors kept the pressure until Island School caught up late in the set.
Trailing 20-17, both team exchanged net violations until Haneberg put Kapa‘a up, 21-19. Island School’s Brittany Valentino took the service block for three straight points laced with a Mary Magoun hammer and a pair of Kapa‘a errors to go ahead 22-21.
Kapa‘a senior Sierra Summer hit one to neutralize the Voyagers bulge only to have Kapa‘a commit a passing error to deadlock the match at 23-23.
Kailee-Ann Baltazar took the service block for Kapa‘a to serve up the final two points with Olivia Malafu putting the period on the late-game seesaw.
Island School answered in the second set by staying ahead of the Warriors through most of the set. After the Voyagers were penalized by a multiple-hit violation to knot the set at 19-19, Kapa‘a pulled ahead on a Summer whack.
Hits from Warrior Summer and Olivia Jenkins put Kapa‘a up 23-22 before Brooklyn Valentino knotted the contest at 23-23.
A Jenkins whack put Kapa‘a up 24-23, but a Kapa‘a service error knotted the contest at 24-24 until Jenkins and Carlyn Rapozo-Kamoku put the contest to bed 26-24.
Kapa‘a capitalized on an Island School multiple-hit violation to set the scene in the third set, where Kapa‘a built a 10-point lead and never looked back until Haneberg closed the deal.
The Kapa‘a victory not only earns the Warrior the first CPB KIF championship, it qualifies the Warriors to be the KIF representative at the New City Nissan Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II volleyball championships that will contest from Nov. 7 through 10 on O‘ahu.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
