HondaReport.com - Girls' Volleyball: Mira Costa tops Kalani for Ann Kang Invitational title

For a third time in a row, Mira Costa proved worthy of a championship at the Ann Kang Invitational Girls' Volleyball Tournament. Kalani, meanwhile, met all expectations by reaching the championship final.

This story was originally published on Premium content Saturday, 10:11 p.m.

HONOLULU—It wouldn’t quite be another spectacular tournament at Iolani without another Mira Costa crowning.

Mira Costa High School (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) captured its third championship in a row, overwhelming Kalani 25-16, 25-14 Saturday nigh at Iolani gymnasium.

Led by smooth-setting Taylor Carico and the 1-2 punch of Alix Klineman and Jessica Hardy, the Mustangs proved too powerful for the fatigued Lady Falcons.

Mira Costa, ranked No. 2 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, proved its elite status in full. Klineman reigned at the net like no other player in the tournament.

“Last year, I had a smaller role. This time, it’s more familiar to be here, and I’m more down to earth,” said Klineman, who was just a freshman when Mira Costa won a year ago. “I wanted to do well for the people who were coming here for the first time.”

Kalani toppled tough foes in Buena (Ventura, Calif.) and Redondo Union (Calif.) in losers’ bracket play Saturday afternoon. That earned the Lady Falcons a shot at Mira Costa, which had lost just one set—to Saint Francis—through the entire tourney.

Kalani, which outlasted several powerful teams in pool play and championship-round competition, was bidding to become the first local team since 1997 (Pearl City) to win the tourney. Kalani played with just seven on the tourney’s opening day due to injuries.

A successful conditioning program made up for the gap, but in the end, Mira Costa was dominant. For Kalani, playing a third-straight game after landing in the losers' bracket, the tourney was a positive step forward.

“We had a good finish last year, and now we’re trying to get the younger ones not just to go along for the ride, but to be leaders and risk-takers,” Kalani co-head coach Joey Miyashiro said.

Kalani, which finished third in the state last season, is currently No. 48 in the PrepVolleyball.com poll. The Lady Falcons, a relatively young team last year, was No. 1 in the state most of the 2003 season.

This time around, despite the loss of setter Marisa Okamoto to graduation, the Lady Falcons were steady thanks in part to new setter Dara Waialae.

Klineman, at 6-foot-4, controlled the net at will. The gangly, cat-quick 14-year-old finished with eight kills and one roof. Her presence and energy were not measurable.

Hardy, a 5-10 junior, delivered five aces. Four of them came in the first game, when a rested Mira Costa squad was en fuego.

With Mira Costa unbeaten in the championship round, Kalani needed to win twice for the title. The drama was deflated early. With USC-bound Carico delivering perfect sets, Mira Costa’s offense was efficient. Lauren Bledsoe and Klineman anchored a much taller Mustang wall.

“We’d watched them and we kind of knew their tendencies. They like to pick No. 11,” Mira Costa head coach DaeLea Aldrich said of Miyashiro.

Klineman shadowed Kalani’s Tamari Miyashiro throughout the match. Miyashiro finished with a match-high 13 kills, but no other Lady Falcon was an offensive factor.

Like Klineman, the 6-2 Bledsoe is just a sophomore. “We passed well and the blocking was good,” Aldrich said. “Taylor did some great things, and she did it with a sore shoulder.”

Mira Costa, behind four quick aces by Hardy, zoomed to an 8-1 lead. Kalani rallied, with two kills apiece by Miyashiro and Amber Kanoa, to within 11-8.

However, Mira Costa went on a 6-1 run, with four kills in a row by Hardy. Kalani got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Mira Costa seized command of the second set early, again diffusing Kalani and its hearty fans. The Mustangs led 8-1 and cruised the rest of the way. Kalani, worn out after nine matches in four days, fell behind 19-4 before mustering a semi-rally down the stretch to make the final score respectable.

Look for Mira Costa to make a fourth attempt at defending its tournament crown. “We’d love to come back to this wonderful island. We want to thank Iolani and the parents, and certainly Mr. Kang,” Aldrich said. “Anne did a great job here, and she’d be proud of the tradition they’re keeping alive.”