Back in the regular season, these two powerful (both undefeated at the time) teams met at 'Iolani gym. The Warriors were ranked number three in the nation. Not many gave 'Iolani a chance to win that match. But they did, coming back after a first game close loss, to dominate the next two games. It was a huge win for the Raiders that propelled them to the number one ranking in the state and a big blow to the Warriors.
Going undefeated during the regular season earned the Raiders a bye in the first round of the ILH tournament. In the semi-finals, the Raiders made short work of Sacred Hearts (25-7, 25-20) to show that the layoff created no rust. In the meantime, the Warriors cruised past MPI (25-11, 25-13) and dominated a strong Punahou team 25-17 and 25-17.
Could the Raiders repeat their victory? The Warriors were now playing at home, in front of a huge, loud crowd and seemingly playing better than at the beginning of the season.
The first game was tight, real tight, with ties at 5, 14, 17, 18, 20 and 21. There was one point where the Raiders held a 12-7 lead, but the Warriors roared back behind the strong play of Kanani Herring (7 kills), Jordan Meredith (6 kills) and Alex Akana (5 kills). At 21-21, though, it was the Warriors that grabbed the momentum. The defining point of the first game and maybe even the match for me was at 23-21, Warriors. After a partial block at the net of a Raider spike, Herring ran down a ball that must have been 40 feet out of the court, almost to the Warrior band. She dove and was able to punch it up and back toward her waiting teammate, Cassidee Young, who made a backwards hit from way out all the way back to the Raider side. The Raiders couldn't handle the ball which made it 24-21 and eventually 25-21 to close out the game.
In their previous meeting, the first game was similar to this first game, as the Warriors won it but it was close. The Raiders, buoyed by that close loss, then dominated. Not this time. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-1 lead, then 15-9 and 21-13. The Raiders finally got a run going closing the lead to 21-18. The Warriors then regrouped and finished off the game with a 4 point run.
This was a very good match with flashes of the intensity of the first match. There were some truly spectacular and long points. I'm looking for and expecting even more excitement on Tuesday at Iolani gym (6pm) to set up what should be one of the best volleyball games in Hawaii this year. You know that the Warriors fans will be there in force. This will be a great game to come out and show your support for this team!
On the line is the coveted first seed in the HHSAA State Championships.
For more photos, please see iolani-events.org
