Warriors sweep past Lunas

Kamehameha Maui assures itself best finish ever at state

By ROBERT COLLIAS, Staff Writer
PUKALANI — Five years of varsity volleyball, three straight state tournaments, and now a program-best finish for the Kamehameha Schools Maui boys.

The Warriors advanced to their first final-day appearance at the New City Nissan State Championships with a 25-17, 25-18 win over Maui Interscholastic League rival Lahainaluna on Friday at the King Kekaulike gym.

Kamehameha Maui (8-4) will face Waianae, a 25-17, 25-19 winner over Kamehameha Hawaii on Friday, today at 4 p.m. at King Kekaulike for fifth place.

‘‘It helps to know what the other team can do, what their strengths and weaknesses are,’’ Kamuela Kalehuawehe-Valentine said of playing the Lunas for the third time this season, all Warrior wins. ‘‘We just tried to capitalize on that.’’

Kalehuawehe-Valentine led the way for the fourth-seeded Warriors, who lost in two games to Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-up Roosevelt on Thursday, with eight kills and two blocks. Chris Lawrence had 10 assists and Kekoa Mountcastle added four kills for the winners.

‘‘We played a lot more as a team tonight,’’ Kalehuawehe-Valentine said. ‘‘Last night we didn’t feel together and it was frustrating. But this is the best we have done at state and we have a chance at fifth, which is big for the program.’’

Kamehameha Maui coach Robert Brede said that he was concerned his team might feel a hangover from the Roosevelt loss.

‘‘We didn’t let that happen and I’m happy about that,’’ Brede said. ‘‘I told the boys how important playing tomorrow was and they came out loose. We got everybody into the match except for one guy who was sick. This is just super experience and we have a lot of guys coming back.’’

The Warriors broke open a 17-16 first game by finishing on an 8-1 run. Kalehuawehe-Valentine had a kill and a block in the run, but every other point in the streak was scored by a different player.

After a Paul Salvador dink brought the Lunas (6-7) within 17-15 in the second game, the Warriors went on another dominant run, 8-3, to end the match. Kalehuawehe-Valentine had a pair of kills in that run, which was marred by Lahainaluna errors.

Still, for the Lunas — the fifth-place overall team in the MIL — it was a successful state tournament. It featured their first state tournament win, in three games over Kalaheo in the first round, and an appearance on the court against top-seeded Punahou in the quarterfinals.

The Lunas return eight of 12 players on their roster for next season.

‘‘This was just great, a beautiful experience for us,’’ Lahainaluna coach Tommy Akima said. ‘‘To get this far — I just respect all of the teams here so much — to beat Kalaheo, to play Punahou, it has been fantastic. It really sets a good foundation for us in the future.’’

• Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com