Girls volleyball

For awhile, let’s say half of the opening set, ShaRae Niu simply looked like a setter par excellence. Left side, right side, middle, middle and more middle to Phoebe Grace. Regular sets, and later quick sets, quick back sets, whatever was needed, Niu delivered. But then there was this: Kahuku won its 19th OIA girls volleyball championship not just on Niu’s smooth dimes, and not just with great offensive balance or even a terrific, persistent block. Kahuku’s serve was thundering, […]

The Kahuku girls volleyball team finished a perfect OIA season with another fitting sweep. The Red Raiders, who have not lost a set all season, beat Mililani 25-15, 25-15, 25-17 for their 12th OIA championship and first since 2012. Mililani, the top seed out of the West, left it all on the floor but there was little doubt the Red Raiders, the top ranked team in the Star-Advertiser poll since the preseason, would roll. The victory gives the East side […]

Before Kamehameha attempts to defend its Division I state girls volleyball title, the Warriors had something they wanted back. Kamehameha reclaimed the ILH girls volleyball championship with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 25-18 win over Punahou on Thursday evening at Kekuhaupio Gym. The victory gave the Warriors, ranked No. 2 in the state behind Kahuku, their 19th overall ILH title and seventh under current head coach Chris Blake. Kamehameha was the two-time defending ILH champion in 2015 when it lost to […]

It can seem like a tangled web, but not to taskmasters like Deren Oshiro, who is the ILH girls volleyball coordinator. Here’s what the ILH tiebreakers and potential scenarios are. Division I Two state-tournament berths. Kamehameha is in. ‘Iolani and Punahou are in contention for the final berth. 1. If Kamehameha (3-1, 12-2 overall) and Punahou (3-1, 9-5 overall) each win its final match, they will play off for the second-round title. > A Kamehameha win in the second-round playoff […]

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away… > Goliath in blue Twenty state championships into the program’s history, Kamehameha is/was/always will be a girls volleyball dynasty, winning two of the past five state championships, and before that, six state crowns in a row, all under coach Chris Blake. It can be argued that the Warriors are still a dynastic presence, a great balance of finesse and power. Besides, it is improbable that any program will gather […]

The streak was never really in jeopardy this year, and the Kahuku girls volleyball team showed why. The Red Raiders beat Leilehua 25-5, 25-15, 25-19 in the OIA girls volleyball playoffs on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the state tournament. They still have the OIA championships to finish, but they will participate in the New City Nissan State Volleyball Championships for the 16th consecutive year beginning Oct. 25. No other school has a longer streak. Kahuku hasn’t missed […]

Moanalua’s defense was so good on Thursday night that it made Hawaii Prep World wonder what was making it click. During the late stages of a three-set sweep of Kailua in the OIA quarterfinals, all it took was a look over the shoulder of the statistician to see that junior libero Hula Crisostomo was the dig leader with 11. That was enough evidence, since Crisostomo is the little one at 5 feet 1 in the back row and sometimes takes […]