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Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveMay 12, 2024, 12:33am
Sat, May 11, 2024 @ Blaisdell [ 5:00 pm ]
Koa Laboy finished with 40 kills and Micah Nakasato added 26 as University Laboratory School outlasted Le Jardin Academy in five sets to win their first-ever New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II Boys Volleyball Championship at the Neal Blaisdell Center.
Set scores were 25-22, 25-27, 27-25, 25-27, 15-12.
After losing in four sets to Saint Louis in last year's final, the Jr. Bows returned to the title game and finished this season unbeaten (14-0 overall) to clinch their first-ever state championship in school history.
"We had many guys on the basketball team that fell short to Seabury Hall, Kohala the year before and falling short to Saint Louis. This has all been fuel to us to go out and take this. We all wanted this so bad," Laboy said. "It feels great to make history I'm so glad to execute and get it done."
"It means everything. Since middle school, I've always dreamed of winning a state championship for our school and to be the first one, it's an honor and I'm so grateful to be a part of it," Nakasato added.
"I'm grateful for our kids and our coaching staff. I'm grateful for everybody, including our AD Walt (Quitan)," ULS coach Jonah Reyes said. "It's an amazing. It's such a great feeling. Especially what happened last year. Coming up short. We had a lot of kids with that taste in their mouth and to be finally be able to finish. It's hard to beat a team three times, last year we found that to be true. This team (Le Jardin), they're well-coached and hats off to them, they played a great game. We're grateful we're able to execute when we needed to."
The Bulldogs (9-7 overall) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end but made its own history by making the championship game for the first time in school history.
Laboy hit .235 for the match on 98 swings to go along with 21 digs, a block, and three service aces. He amassed 78 kills on 167 swings in three state tournament games.
"I kept thinking next play, next play. Even though I hit it out, I told the setter I'm going to side out this play. I have to stay confident as my mom would say," Laboy said.
Kawehi Kaneakua facilitated the offense with 68 assists and tallied 140 for the tournament. Kenna Quitan had 21 digs and three aces.
"I wouldn't want another setter. Kawehi, knows when to set everyone and there's so much trust in him from everyone," Laboy said.
Laboy was named to the All-Hawaii Division II Boys Basketball First Team and collected more honors his junior year as he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in volleyball.
"He's a great kid and an awesome athlete. He's just a competitor. You can't ask for a better player than that, a more coachable player than Koa (Laboy). We're grateful for that, between him and Micah, we blend really well together, we're grateful we have this team," Reyes said.
In the final set, Nakasato had six kills on 13 swings, including the match-clincher and Laboy added five kills. ULS took a 11-8 lead following Laboy's kill but the Bulldogs came back to get within one. Ethan Blas pushed the lead back to three before Elijah-Shore Flores brought Le Jardin within two twice. From the left pin, Nakasato placed his final kill to seal the match.
"Just heart and leave it out on the court, stick as a team. We pushed through. It was unreal, I didn't know I hit it in and everyone was jumping," Nakasato said.
Flores hit .347 for the match with 31 kills on 72 attempts and Laakea Kamahele added 19 kills and 10 digs in the loss.
New City Nissan/HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships
All-Tournament Team (as selected by the media)
Division II
Elijah-Shore Flores, Le Jardin
Micah Nakasato, University
Jackson Swirsky, Le Jardin
Kenna Quitan, University
Kawehi Kaneakua, University
Alika Piette, Le Jardin
Most Outstanding Player: Koa Laboy, University
Brennan Nakayama passed out 61 assists, Alika Piette led all players with 27 digs and Jake Heidsieck added 19 digs for the Bulldogs.
ULS closed out the first set on a 4-0 run after trailing 22-21. Laboy tied the set and took the lead on an attack error. Quitan placed two of his aces in the frame and Laboy landed one of his three aces and Nakasato closed out Kaneakua's assist.
The Jr. Bows landed nine service aces for the match.
Le Jardin led by as much as four in set two but ULS came back to force extras. The set went through five lead changes until the Bulldogs pulled away with a kill from Flores and Swirsky and Kamahele combined on the block to tie it up. The Jr. Bows hit .316 in the frame while the Bulldogs hit .406.
Set three went into extras as Flores nailed a kill from the left pin 24-22, but ULS capitalized on an attack error. Nakasato landed his kill from the back row to tie it at 24. The Jr. Bows cashed in on Bulldog miscues to score the next two points. Laboy and Nakasato combined for 14 of the team's 16 kills.
With their backs against the wall, Le Jardin kept it close despite hitting .154 in the fourth set. The Bulldogs led by as much as three twice but ULS tied the set at 20. The set would go through five lead changes until Flores placed a kill from Nakayama and forced it to a fifth set on Nakasato's attack error.
ULS was named the top seed in the tournament and swept Kau and Molokai in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to reach their second consecutive title game.
Le Jardin overcame Island School in the opening round in five sets and outlasted Konawaena in five sets to reach the title game.
ULS beat Le Jardin in five sets back on Apr. 3 and swept the Bulldogs on Mar. 19 in the ILH regular season.
Trey Ambrozich, a All-Hawaii First Team selection for basketball, did not play this season due to injury and Laboy missed time as well.
"We had injuries all season. But everyone stepped up when we needed to and this team has heart. It comes from within. I'm so proud of everybody," Nakasato said.
Le Jardin was seeking its first state title in school history. Lee Lamb won Division II state titles with the girls program in 2016, 2017 and 2022 and was seeking his fourth overall title with the boys program.
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