Boys volleyball

So the OIA West is being owned in large part by a team that hasn’t won the league’s Division I title since 2008 — Waianae — and a Radford squad that was in D-II just one year ago. Click here for OIA West volleyball standings/schedule. Radford had sole possession of the West lead until Monday night, when Waianae rolled in and toppled the previously unbeaten Rams 25-19, 21-25, 15-9. The Rams and Seariders now share first place in the West […]

Moanalua did what it had to do to retain supremacy in the OIA East boys volleyball standings last week. Na Menehune won at Kaiser, 26-24, 25-22, Thursday in a battle of 7-0 teams to take the inside track to the East’s top seed in the upcoming league playoffs. Moanalua, now at 8-0, leads Kaiser and Farrington (7-1 each) by a game with three contests remaining in the regular season. Click here for OIA East standings/schedule. It was a familiar outcome […]

The Punahou Buffanblu got a colorful experience in Japan recently. The battles on the court were unforgettable, too. Punahou met the nation’s top three high school boys volleyball teams and emerged with a 3-0 mark. Punahou swept Shittenoji 25-22, 25-23, outlasted Sundai 24-26, 27-25, 25-15, 25-21, and then rallied past Toa 26-28, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19. Coach Rick Tune welcomed the opportunity for his team, a group that he considers potentially his best ever, even after six consecutive state championships — […]

Maybe Kana‘i Akana absorbed the sport before he could walk. Maybe it’s just natural. But life with family peppering volleyballs at the beach doesn’t account for a near supernatural focus and drive in the game. “The thing I love most about Kana‘i,” Punahou coach Rick Tune said, “that guy can have a singular focus and be relentless about getting it.” Akana,featured in Tuesday’s Star-Advertiser, has the kind of ferocity and unity with teammates that helps make Punahou (7-0) the standard-setter […]

On paper, maybe Jordan Inafuku has one advantage. The ‘Iolani boys volleyball coach knows many of Punahou’s standout players quite well. At least the ones who play for Spike N’ Serve Volleyball Club, which Inafuku coaches. The reality, though, is that when Punahou plays any team, even a powerhouse like ‘Iolani, they are a big blue machine. Ryan Wilcox didn’t get a surplus of opportunities, yet had eight kills. Wilcox’s presence opened up the other side for Kana‘i Akana, who […]

Hawaii Baptist is an underdog in boys volleyball for the first time in a long time and coach Teoni Obrey is loving it. Winning nine of the last 10 state Division II championships is a good feeling too, but the Eagles are up on a higher level now. Lumps will appear — and they’ve already started appearing on the team’s proverbial forehead — before the Hawaii volleyball world finds out if the school will flounder or succeed in D-I. But […]