Iolani Alumni

The Stanford Men’s Volleyball team concluded its fall season with two wins and two losses at the UC Irvine Fall Invitational this past weekend. The Invitational marked the end of an eight game stretch that began in mid-October with the Husky Oil Can-Am Challenge where the Cardinal went 3-1.

Freshman Brad Lawson ‘08, the 2008 Hawaii State Player-of-the-Year, had a strong fall recording highs of 12 kills in a five-game win over UC Irvine and 13 kills in a four-game win over Alberta.

Junior setter Kawika Shoji ‘06, an AVCA 2nd Team All-American last season, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Can-Am Challenge.

Stanford will open their season on January 9th, 2009 at the UCSB/Elephant Bar Challenge in Santa Barbara.

Note: There are six players from Hawaii on the Stanford roster: Kawika Shoji (Iolani), Brad Lawson (Iolani), Spencer McLachlin (Punahou), Max Halvorson (Punahou), Erik Shoji (Punahou), Jordan Inafuku (Kamehameha)

Four Iolani seniors will be playing at the college level next season after making commitments to compete at Division I universities yesterday, the first day of the early signing period.

From Iolani.org: “David Fink signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at Oregon State. Chelsea Hardin signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Maile Scarpino also made a verbal commitment to continue her academic career and volleyball career at Hofstra University in New York.”

Two-sport standout, Breland Almadova verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Hawaii. The 6-1, 180 pound outfielder was an Advertiser All-State honorable mention selection last season. His father Brian played football at UH from 1980 to 1982.

[Photos: Iolani.org & Honolulu Advertiser]

With wins over UC Davis and Pacific at home last weekend, the Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball team improved to 18-4 on the season and are in sole possession of 2nd in the Big West Standings at 7-2.

Freshman Lauren Minkel ‘08 has appeared in every match for the 49ers recording 125 total digs and 4 kills from her position as a defensive specialist. In a three-game sweep of Pacific on Saturday, she finished second on the team in digs with 4 and recorded 1 kill in 1 attempt (1.000).

Update: Iolani lost to Kamehameha in five games, 18-25, 27-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11. They end their season at 14-3.

With a three-game sweep of Mid-Pacific (25-11, 25-14, 25-19) in the opening round of the ILH Playoffs (Round 2), the Iolani Girls Volleyball team advanced to the semifinals to face No.2-seed Kamehameha tonight at 6:00pm at Iolani School.

The Raiders need to finish in second or higher in this round in order to have a chance to compete for the second and final berth to the 2008 Hawaii Girls Volleyball State Tournament (Punahou secured an automatic berth by winning the first round) which begins on November 5th. The second round playoff is a single-elimination tournament using a best of five format (like college).

[Photo: IolaniGirlsVolleyball.org]

Freshman Leinani Keanini ‘08 and the USF Dons are off to their best league start in program history after winning back-to-back games this weekend - against St. Mary’s on Friday and No.18 Santa Clara on Saturday.

In a five-set win over the Gaels, Keanini made three appearances for the Dons recording one dig. Opposite the net, former teammates Kapua Kamana’o ‘07 and Megan Burton ‘06 led the way for St. Mary’s. Kamana’o, a sophomore setter, recorded 60 assists to go along with 11 digs while Burton, a junior middle blocker, totaled 13 kills (.343) and 10 blocks.

On the season, San Fransisco is 15-4 and undefeated in West Coast Conference play at 5-0 after winning their last eight consecutive matches.

The Punahou Buffanblu made quick work of the No.2-ranked Iolani Girls Volleyball team, defeating the Raiders 25-10, 25-20. It was the final home match for five seniors - Kelly Pang, Kelli Ching, I`isha Keliikoa, Chelsie Hardin, and Jana Tokuhama - who were each honored following the game.

At 12-2, Iolani will finish in 3rd place in the first round of ILH play and needs to finish in 2nd or higher in the next round to keep their state tournament hopes alive. Kamehameha and Punahou are tied at 13-1 atop the ILH and will likely playoff for the first round title (and automatic state tournament berth).

The Iolani Football Team moved up to No. 5 (from No. 8) in the most recent Star-Bulletin Hawaii Football Top 10 Poll after upsetting previously unbeaten and top-ranked St. Louis. With the loss, the Crusaders fell to No. 2 while the Buffanblu moved into the top spot. The Raiders received 6 (of 33) first place votes.

Important Note: Iolani will play the Kamehameha Warriors on Saturday, October 11 at Kamehameha Field at 7:00pm (an hour after kickoff of the UH game). The game was initially scheduled for Friday afternoon at Aloha Stadium, but has since been changed.

If you haven’t seen them play, this is your chance to catch the Iolani Girls Volleyball team in action live tonight on OC16. The Raiders, currently tied for 1st in the ILH after knocking off top-ranked Kamehameha last weekend, will take on the Maryknoll Spartans at 5:00pm on Oceanic Channel 16.

Former UH Wahine volleyball player, Raeceen Woolford ‘03 is featured in this month’s edition of the ESPN 1420 Magazine. The reigning Miss Honolulu, who just two months ago finished as the third runner-up in the 2008 Miss Hawaii pageant, is looking to pursue a career in women’s health or pediatrics.

Take a look at the rest of the September/October 2008 edition of the ESPN 1420 Magazine online »

Update: The Iolani Football team improved to 4-0 in the ILH after defeating the Damien Monarchs 33-6 on four touchdown passes by junior quarterback Jarrett Arakawa. Two-way standout Kela Marciel caught two passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns (46, 58).

Update: The Iolani Girls Volleyball team upset #1-ranked Kamehameha in three sets (27-25, 23-25, 28-26) to pull into a first place tie in the ILH.

Off to a 3-0 start in league play, the Iolani Football team will take on ILH rival Damien this Saturday in a tough matchup that could decide the Division II title. The Monarchs are currently 2-1 and the leading contender to challenge the Raiders for the crown.

In their previous matchup, Iolani jumped out to 21-0 lead in the first half and held off a late Damien rally in the fourth quarter to earn the 27-21 win.

The game will kickoff at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 27th at Kozuki Stadium on the Iolani campus.

Just a half an hour before kickoff, the Iolani Girls Volleyball team will face the top-ranked and undefeated Kamehameha Warriors in a rematch of last year’s state final.

Iolani (8-1) is currently 2nd in the ILH, one game behind Kamehameha and a half game up on Punahou (7-1). (The Warriors defeated the Buffanblu in three sets on Tuesday evening.)

First serve is set for 1:30pm on Saturday, September 27th at Kekuhaupi’o Gym on the Kamehameha campus.

Two tough opponents. Two big games. Where you gonna go?…

[Photos: Star-Bulletin (above) & Honolulu Advertiser]

Update: Iolani finished 3rd in the Bronze bracket and 19th overall (4-3).

Update: The Iolani Girls Volleyball team finished 3rd in pool play (1-2) and will compete in the Bronze qualifying round on Saturday. The Raiders lost to nationally ranked La Costa Canyon 25-21, 25-22 and later fell to Liberty 21-25, 25-22, 12-25.

The Iolani Girls Volleyball team, ranked No.39 nationally in the ESPN Rise Fab 50, opens pool play today at the Durango Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Durango Classic, now in its 14th year, features 32 teams from across the country, many of the ranked nationally. This year, 13 of 32 participating teams are ranked in ESPN Rise Fab 50 with four in the top ten.

Iolani has been been placed in Pool C along with La Costa Canyon, Liberty and host Durango. La Costa Canyon is currently 2-0 and the highest ranked team in the pool at No.8. The Raiders will play three games today at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 4:00pm (HST) and need to finish in the top two to advance to the Championship Qualifying Round on Saturday morning.

Side Note: Kamehameha, the top ranked team in Hawaii, is also competing in the Durango Classic. They are currently ranked No. 33 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

St. Mary’s sophomore setter Kapua Kamana’o ‘07 (right) and junior middle blocker Megan Burton ‘06 (left) are in town this week to compete in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational which runs through Saturday.

The Gaels entered the 4-team tournament with an undefeated 6-0 record, but fell to the No.10-ranked Rainbow Wahine yesterday evening in straight sets, 22-25, 16-25, 8-25.

Kamana’o recorded 27 assists and 5 digs while Burton put down 4 kills.

St. Mary’s will face the No.9-ranked Washington Huskies tonight and the winless Pacific Tigers on Saturday. Both games will begin at 5:00pm Hawaii time.

More News: The duo along with Word-of-Life graduate Shanteal Satele were featured in a recent article on the St. Mary’s Athletic Website. Read the article »

[Photo: SMCGaels.com]

Junior QB Jarrett Arakawa completed 19 of 29 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns to help the Iolani Football team defeat Damien 27-21 in their first ILH regular season matchup. The Raiders built a 21-0 lead at half and hung on in the final minutes as the Monarchs cut the lead to six points late in the fourth.

Senior running back Kellen Imada carried the ball 22 times for 97 yards and Brandon Ball led all receivers with five catches for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Video: Brandon Ball 77-yard touchdown reception »
Video: Carl Gibson interception for touchdown »

More Football: The Intermediate Football team fell to Kamehameha 14-13 on a late touchdown by the Warriors with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter.

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The #2 ranked Iolani Girls Volleyball team (5-0) hung on for a 16-25, 25-10, 27-25 victory over Word of Life in their toughest ILH matchup thus far in the 2008 season. Junior Mahina Haina and senior Chelsea Hardin led the way for the Raiders with 14 and 10 kills respectively while I’isha Keliikoa and Alissa Youart contributed six kills apiece.

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Iolani freshman Lorens Chan captured the Barbers Point Invitational with a final round 73 to defeat runner up Matthew Ma ‘02 by one stroke.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

The Iolani Girls Volleyball team, currently ranked 2nd in the state behind defending state champion Kamehameha, opened the ILH season this week with wins against St. Andrew’s Priory (25-14, 25-10) and La Pietra (25-6, 25-13).

After falling to three top-ranked mainland teams in the Ann Kang Invitational, the Raiders went on to win the McKinley Volleyball tournament and have yet to lose to a Hawaii team.

This season, Iolani, the state runner-up in 2007, returns All-ILH first team selections Malie Yoon, Chelsea Hardin (committed to Cal Poly) and Mahina Haina as well as two-time All-State libero Kelly Pang who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

Special Note: Seven players on the Iolani roster are 5-9 or taller. (Wait… What? I don’t think the boys basketball team is much bigger than they are. Haha.)

It may be the middle of the summer, but remembering Iolani’s dramatic upset victory over Punahou to capture the 2008 Hawaii Boys Volleyball State Tournament still brings a smile to my face… (Thanks, Wes)

A panel of coaches and media members from the Honolulu Advertiser honored Iolani outside hitter Brad Lawson ‘08 and head coach Mike Among as the 2008 Hawaii State Player and Coach of the Year.

Playing through injuries to his knee and wrist, Lawson emerged as an unstoppable force this season, carrying the Raiders to a 16-4 record and leading them to an improbable win in the state finals over the undefeated Buffanblu. He is currently featured on the cover of the July issue of Volleyball Magazine as the top player in the nation and will be heading to Stanford next fall to join former teammate Kawika Shoji ‘06.

In his third season as the head coach of the Raiders, Mike Among made his second appearance in the state finals in 2008, capturing his first state championship. With the win, Iolani snapped Punahou’s four-year streak of 74 consecutive regular and postseason victories.

View the entire 2008 Honolulu Advertiser All-State Volleyball Team »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Kainoa ‘99 and Teoni Obrey ‘92, both standout athletes during their time at Iolani, were each named the 2007-08 ILH Boys Volleyball Coach-of-the- Year in their respective divisions… but not for the Raiders.

Teoni was the head coach at Hawaii Baptist Academy, the 2008 ILH and State Division II Champions. HBA captured the ILH crown with a record of 10-4 and went on to win the state championship, defeating Hilo in the finals (25-13, 25-16). They did not lose a game in the state tournament.

Kainoa was named the ILH Division I Co-Coach-of-the-Year along with Punahou’s Rick Tune for his role in leading the Mid-Pacific Owls to an 11-5 record in the ILH. The underdog Owls posted upset wins over Kamehameha and eventual state champion Iolani.

During his time at Iolani, Kainoa was an All-State performer in baseball and a three year letterman in volleyball. He went on to play baseball at BYU and was later drafted to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003.

[Photos: Honolulu Advertiser]