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Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveDecember 11, 2021, 5:02am
Fri, Dec 10, 2021 @ Kaimuki [ 7:00 pm ]
KAIMUKI—A new state champion will be crowned in 2021.
Top-seeded and No. 6 University Lab clawed back from a two-set deficit to stun defending state champion Damien 23-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-15, 17-15 to advance to the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships Division II title match to face No. 7 Le Jardin at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center at 5 pm.
"Coach (Lee) Lamb over there, they are a phenomenal team. We are fortunate to be in the final and to be playing them. We have our work cut out for us and hope we can bring the intensity tomorrow and compete with them," University Lab coach Brad Miller said.
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu champions make their first D2 title game appearance since 2010 and are seeking their eighth overall state championship. University Lab was dominant from 1984 to 1990, winning seven-straight Division I state titles in that stretch.
"We fought all this way to get here and we never gave up. We were down two in the first and we just pushed through," Milan Ah Yat said.
Ah Yat had her best performance of the season and led the way with 32 kills and 19 digs.
"She put us on her back," Miller said of Ah Yat. "I told Ken (Makena Tong) find her, she's got the hot hand. Milan played her best game of the season and that's an amazing volleyball player right there."
Makena Tong distributed 54 assists to go along with 17 digs, Pii Carvalho added 17 kills, and Maiah Kalima-Izumi had a team-high 34 digs and landed seven aces.
"She did great. She's our leader and our setter," Ah Yat said of Tong. "We look up to her and I'm really proud and I'm happy she pulled it off."
"I told the girls to get Makena going so she got more offensive. She's been our team captain and she puts girls in situations to terminate the ball. We did pass well tonight, but she means so much," Miller said of Tong.
The Monarchs held a slim, two-point lead following a kill from Kaila Kalama-Bajet, but Tong tied the game at 10 and gave Jr. Bows the lead with a block. Damien and University went through five lead changes until Liliana Dutcher placed a kill off Tong's assist for a 16-15 lead. Kenna Wengler's attempt went into the net as the University benched cleared and fans stormed the court in celebration.
"Damien played amazing and they deserve so much credit for that," Miller said.
The Monarchs created breathing room late in the first set with a five-point lead, 22-17, but the Jr. Bows went on a 6-3 run to get within one, but the Wengler connection was too much to handle as Damien took set one, 25-23. Kody Wengler had 10 of her 18 kills in the first two sets.
The second set went through eight lead changes until Damien broke a 21-all tie and finished the second set on a 4-0 run after capitalizing on University's errors.
Kalama-Bajet had a team-high 27 kills along with 10 digs and a block and had eight of her kills in the third set. The Monarchs took a commanding, 22-15 lead and were knocking on the doorstep of sweeping the Jr. Bows until University mounted a rally of their own.
"Everything was kind of going against us. At that point, I was telling the girls, ‘One point at a time.' The girls had that never-quit-attitude. They weren't going down without a fight. It teetered our way somehow and we're fortunate. It was an amazing volleyball game," Miller said.
Ah Yat jumpstarted a 7-0 run with a kill and Kalima-Izumi added two service aces. Kody Wengler's kill put Damien up, 24-22, but University tied the set at 24 and took the lead on Dutcher and Chazmine Oda's block. Damien tied the set at 25, but Ah Yat placed another kill from Tong and the Jr. Bows won the set off a double-contact violation.
"It definitely carried us," Ah Yat said of the momentum gained. "The whole time we were staying focused and the momentum helped us push through."
University jumped out to a hot start from a pair of aces from Kalima-Izumi, but Damien made a run to tie the set at 8. The Jr. Bows pulled away for good with a 10-3 scoring run and went up by as much as 11 before winning the set by 10 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
Six different Monarchs tallied double digit digs, Kenna Wengler passed out 51 assists and Emily Brown had six total blocks as Damien faces Maryknoll in the third place game at 3:30 pm.
The Monarchs and Jr. Bows split the season series with Damien winning on Sept. 25 while University returned the favor and won on Nov. 8.
No. 7 Bulldogs overcome slow start to top Spartans in four
Le Jardin dropped the first set but won the next three to return to the title game for the first time since 2018. The set scores were 28-30, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22.
Bulldogs' coach Lee Lamb is seeking his third-overall title with the school and his first since 2017.
Sydnee Walker led Le Jardin with 19 kills, 24 digs, an ace, Reese Diersbock added 16 kills, 17 digs, and Gennezia "Nene" Hawkins passed out 41 assists in the win.
"They were unbelievable. Sydnee was generating opportunities in the back row. They were thumping the ball on us and she found herself in good spots. Nene is athletic and she's going to chase down a lot of stuff and Reese was grabbing the ball high and making good choices," Lamb said.
The first set went through 15 lead changes and went the distance until Brooke Kimura and Paige Nakanelua put down back-to-back kills to give the Spartans a thrilling, 30-28 win in set one.
"We're flat out, not great starters," Lamb said. "It's been our situation all year. They (Maryknoll) played good ball. Them playing great volleyball and us making unforced errors could be contributed to their play. Trying to go above and beyond or do too much. We settled in after that."
Similar to the first set, the second set was tied up at 8, before the Bulldogs started pulling away. Le Jardin went up by as much as six, but saw that lead evaporate as Maryknoll got within two and then one after Heidi Vaneah Deal Cruz's service ace. However, the Bulldogs scored the next three points to claim the second set.
Le Jardin was able to gain momentum and go up by as much as eight in the third set.
With their backs against the wall, the Spartans were able to build a five point lead, 19-14 after Kimura's kill. Walker ignited the Bulldogs rally as it went on an 11-3 run to win the match.
"That's what we talked about going into the fourth set. They are going to reset and everyone is a new one. Expect them to come out and play hard. The main thing for us it's about staying steady. Not to get too emotional or up or down, just stay steady and they did that," Lamb said.
Avery Perreira had a team-high 19 kills, 27 digs, Nakanelua had 23 assists, Maile Masutani added 15 assists, and Rozalynn Cabuena had a game-high 40 digs in defeat.
Le Jardin swept the season series with a four-set wins on Oct. 22 and Nov. 6.
Maryknoll was seeking their first-ever title game appearance in school history.
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