HONOLULU — Days after Kamehameha suffered a gut-wrenching reverse sweep loss to Punahou in the 2023 state boys volleyball championship game, Warriors players held a team meeting.
“I said, 'I'm going to come back to this game, and I'm going to win this game,'” Kainoa Wade recalled.
The Warriors stumbled through the ranks until then, defeating ILH rival and 10-time defending champion Bouffant Bleu, 25-27, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21. Star was true to his word. Saturday night at Blaisdell Arena.
[Note: See below for more photos of the match.]
Wade, who is 6-foot-9 and plays for Kamehameha, had 34 kills on 76 swings and frequently went over the blocks of Buffan Blue. And in the virtuoso's last warm-up game before an expected early appearance, he got some timely help from Kamehameha's role players. He plans to graduate next spring and play for his father at the University of Hawaii.
The Tournament Most Valuable Player stepped up to the media table and faced off against the Kamehameha faithful after helping them defeat Punahou for the first time in five tries this season and bringing the Koa's first trophy since 2011 to the Kapalama hillside. .
“It's unbelievable. I just wanted to get the players back to school and fight for the players, the coaches,” Wade said. “We've been through a lot. We were beaten down but we never gave up. This group never loses confidence and it showed tonight.”
It was Kamehameha's sixth overall victory (14 wins, 5 losses).
In Division II, University Lab had 40 kills and 21 digs from Coa Lavoie and Junior Bowes defeated Le Jardin in five sets to win the school's first boys volleyball state title.
For Punahou coach Rick Thune, Wade's performance reminded him of future Olympian Mika Christenson, who led the Warriors to a championship in 2011. Punahou's 10-game winning streak would begin the following year.
“He's an all-world talent. Kainoa Wade is special,” Tune said. “How many plays have you seen, it's just a la-ta-tat play, they chuck it and he comes flying in and kills the ball. I mean, defending it. You can not.”
Wade added 11 digs, an ace and four blocks. Additionally, Connor Williams had 10 kills and Christian Togiai had five kills. Setter Brayden Van Coolen had 41 assists.
Libero Harizen Soares scored 16 goals and helped stabilize the Warriors' passing, which has been their weakness all season. Kamehameha went through several lineup changes and variations in attack before figuring out a winning formula. Soares, who started the year as a hitter, has returned to his natural position in the back row.
“It started a little bit tough,” Soares said of the season. “We knew we had to go to each other and love each other and support each other. That support allowed everyone to come together more and as we got closer, the volleyball (level) continued to rise.”
Kamehameha libero Harizen Soares, the emotional heart of the team, turned his head to the sky after winning the title. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Punahou got 11 kills from Adam Hyder and 10 each from Evan Porter and Naru Akana, but Buffanbleu has the dependable arm he had last year, who will graduate early this spring to play at UCLA. Kahale Kurini was not there.
Bouffant Bleu (15-1) didn't feel the need until Saturday night when it suffered its first loss of the season. They never trailed more than four sets all year. In one match, Kamehameha couldn't even score 20 points in a set against them.
Kamehameha's batting average was .250, while Punahou's batting average was just .138.
“They played their hearts out tonight,” Thune said of Kamehameha. “Did we have our best game tonight? No, but that happens sometimes and they rose to a whole new level.
“All record records come to an end, and that's okay. My sons have to learn that lesson too.”
When last year's state finals on the North Shore started going against Kamehameha, he couldn't contain his emotions. Coach Sava Agpoon said he had instructed his assistants to keep a check on his morale.
Friday night's set loss to Moanalua in the semifinals was a timely reminder. Punahou took the first set with an extra point, and the Warriors didn't falter this time.
The Warriors' finishing rush came in the fourth set at 20-20.
Wade recalled looking up at Cannon Activities Center last year when he led 22-20 in the fourth set and was three points away from the title. Punahou fought back with five wins.
“This year I'm going to look up from 10pm to 8pm and say, 'I'm not going home tonight.' I'm not going home tonight,” he said.
He duly scored the championship point from the right antenna along the sideline, and a wild celebration began. He dove to the floor for Blaisdell, and his teammates ran over and piled on top of him.
Agpoon, who is in his third year as the national team coach, said he and his staff are far from satisfied.
“That's something I've been working on all along. Kainoa mentioned creating a legacy in a previous interview. We don't want it to be a one-off. We want to make it multiple, like how Chris Blake is doing it with the (Kamehameha) girls program.”
University Lab took home the program's first boys volleyball state championship. (Spectrum OC16/Jimmy Bender)
University advances to Division II
Core Lavoie was tired of it.
University Lab's star players had suffered disappointing losses in the state championships in basketball and volleyball the past two years. No more.
The Junior Bowes defeated ILH foe Le Jardin 25-22, 25-27, 27-25, 25-27, 15-12 in a battle of teams for the school's first state title in the sport.
ULS (14-0) capped off its undefeated season with a big game from Labai, who made 98 swings and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
“We were really hungry for it,” LaBaai told Spectrum OC16's Jimmy Bender. “I mean, I guess we just couldn't stand to lose anymore. We really wanted this, and it motivated us to work hard every day… and really just embrace it. .”
Labai had five kills in the fifth set, and Mika Nakasato (26 kills) defeated the championship winner.
Elijah-Shor Flores led Le Jardin (9-7) with 31 kills and 12 digs, and Lakea Kamahele added 19.
The Warriors won their first title since 2011. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Sava Agpoon achieved a victory in her third season as Kamehameha national coach. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Kainoa Wade will graduate early and play at the University of Hawaii next year. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Setter Brayden Van Coolen expertly directed the Warriors' attack. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Connor Williams (left) celebrates after scoring a big point. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Punahou setter/hitter Naru Akana tried to take a shot past the blocks of Kaipo Houpai-Waikoloa and Braden Van Coolen. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Punahou middle James Taras attempts a shot against Kamehameha's Pokehi Awai. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Poukihi Awai celebrated a solo block in set four. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)
Kainoa Wade had a number of hits off the top of Punahou's blocks. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Kainoa Wade was overjoyed by the cheers from Warriors fans. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
University of Hawaii men's volleyball coach Charlie Wade greets former player and Kamehameha assistant coach Philip Hamler. (Spectrum News/Brian MacInnis)
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. Contact him at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
