Tupelo Christian is heading into the season with some work to do when it comes to replacing talent, but the Eagles believe they’ve reloaded.

The Eagles have hopes of going on a deep playoff run. TCPS went 23-7 last season but was bounced in the second round after making deeper playoff runs the previous two years, including a trip to the North half title match in 2024.

“Definitely a tough class to replace, though we had seven juniors on the court, too,” TCPS head coach Eric Laskowski said. “That puts us with seven seniors this year, so I feel pretty good.”

TCPS lost a lot from last year, including setter Corinne Pace, libero Maggie Oxford and outside hitter Addison Eaves, who was second on the team in kills. But returning senior Ana-Miller Coker, who had a team-high 267 kills last year, is a good starting point for this year’s team.

“We’ve added to her vertical, and her range is great from the defensive side,” Laskowski said. “Obviously, when you have somebody who’s led the team offensively and they’re back, that’s always a good sign.”

Pace had over 400 assists in each of the last two seasons, and she’ll be succeeded at setter by Addison Dixon. Dixon had 298 assists last season, so the Eagles’ offense should be in good hands.

“She’s a very strong, very solid setter,” Laskowski said. “Smart, great court vision. She can take the ball herself if she has to. She scores a lot taking the ball herself. Great hands, moves well, we’re super excited, the girls are super excited to have her back. She’s going to be huge for us, no doubt.”

Kylan Johns will be taking over at libero after Oxford registered a team-high 383 digs last year. TCPS has its work cut out for itself this season, but the Eagles have consistently been competitive in recent years. They’re in a good spot to be so again.

“It’s a very experienced squad,” Laskowski said. “This is TCPS’ first four-year class. This is my fourth season, this is the first time the kids have been with it for all four years. I’ve had them for four years, so we’re excited. We feel like our biggest limitation is ourselves.”

TCPS opens the season Aug. 1 at the Pontotoc Tournament.

Lionel Gannon saw the ups and downs from inside the building.

Moanalua’s 2026 campaign was lively, and even with solid success in preseason tournaments, there was no obvious reason to believe Na Menehune would shock the world.

The team grew stronger, turned errors into lessons and ended the OIA’s state-championship drought. Gannon was more than the best player on the best team. He was unflappable, doing all the little things with excellence as Moanalua became the first non-ILH program to win a state title since 1979.

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter’s state-tournament numbers were efficient and crucial.

>> 19 kills (.424), 1.5 blocks, one ace and four digs in a three-set quarterfinal win over Hawaii Baptist

>> 26 kills (.404), two blocks, two aces, one assist, eight digs in a four-set, semifinal win over Mid-Pacific

>> 18 kills (.250), 1.5 blocks, one assist, seven digs in the four-set win over Punahou for the crown

The senior’s reaction to top honors as the Player of the Year in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Boys Volleyball coaches and media selections was, as usual, emotionally understated and on point.

“It’s surreal, obviously. It’s everything I’ve worked for and dreamed of. Honestly, I’m just super glad we won. That’s the main thing that matters,” Gannon said. “If it wasn’t for everyone that supported me, my family, my coaches, my teammates, I would never have been able to do it.”

Alan Cabanting was voted Coach of the Year after steering Moanalua to its first state title. Le Jardin coach Makana Wade was second in the voting, followed by Punahou’s Rick Tune. Gabriel Maunupau of Mililani and Maria Taiafi-Husseini also received votes.

All season long, Cabanting put trust into his team and highly composed leaders like Gannon.

“That silent confidence is what we’re going to miss. He doesn’t talk a lot. He just shows it, models it and the boys playing around him somehow feed off that confidence,” Cabanting said, “knowing that if I mess up, Lionel’s going to be there to help us out.”

A hitter with every kind of touch on his swing plus high IQ was immeasurably valuable.

“He was so savvy with his attacks. Punahou took his cross and he hit line. There were several times where defenses took the line and the tip, and he goes deep corner into a 1-6 area. Being able to see that and knowing he doesn’t have to swing hard to get his kills,” Cabanting said

It was a season to remember.

“It all starts with the mentality that we had going into the season,” Gannon said. “All of our teammates were super bought-in into our system. We knew we had to do everything right to eventually take down Punahou. It’s cool to see a month after, I’ve known so many people for so long, it’s great. Everyone has a different personality and it’s great we were able to mesh together and form a great team chemistry.”

For one night, in the midst of chaotic Kona low weather, in a match that was postponed and moved from Laie to Pearl City, a packed house of loud spectators got to see history. In a rarity, the match was not televised due to the postponement. It felt surreal, but for Moanalua, it was about fundamentals and a defense sparked by the consistency and occasional spectacular play of libero Darric Abe.

“Punahou is one of the best serving teams. That was one of our main focuses throughout the entire season, making sure that our serve pass was really good,” Gannon said. “That allowed us to be competitive in the match. When we were down, I knew that we would never be out because we could bring it back with our serve receive.”

Star-Advertiser’s Fab 15: Boys Volleyball

Rk

Name (School)

Pos.

Notes / Stats

1

Lionel Gannon (Moanalua)

OH

63 kills at state tourney, 18 in final win vs. Punahou

2

Cameron Porter (Punahou)

OH

Closed out a brilliant career, 25 kills vs. Moanalua

3

Sava Miocinovic (Mid-Pacific)

OH

27 vs. eventual champion Moanalua in states

4

Jarryn McCutcheon (Moanalua)

OH/Opp.

Stepped up with 17 kills in the state final

5

Kanalu Akana (Punahou)

S

125 assists, 12 kills, three aces in HHSAA tourney

6

Tanoa Scanlan (Punahou)

OH

Steady player with 11, 15, 15 kills in states

7

Nikola Miocinovic (Mid-Pacific)

S

122 assists at states, including 44 vs. Moanalua

8

La‘akea Kamahele (Le Jardin)

OH

59 kills in three tourney matches for first D-II state title

9

Darric Abe (Moanalua)

L

12 digs in comeback win vs. MPI, 14 digs vs. Punahou

10

Jason Rivers (Hawaii Baptist)

OH

28 kills vs. KS-Hawaii, 17 kills in loss to Moanalua

11

Julian Romine (Mid-Pacific)

Opp/MB

19 kills, 3.5 blocks in semifinal loss to Moanalua

12

Kaito Duranceau (Mililani)

OH

43 kills, 7 aces, 24 digs at the state tourney

13

Brennan Nakayama (Le Jardin)

L

103 assists in state matches, 39 in D-II state final

14

Elau Hoopai-Waikoloa (Hana)

OH

50 kills vs. Seabury Hall, 39 kills, 4 aces vs. Pahoa

15

William Niethammer (Punahou)

L

Tallied 3 aces, 28 digs at the state tournament

Awards

* Player of the Year: Lionel Gannon (Moanalua)

* Coach of the Year: Alan Cabanting (Moanalua)

Honorable Mention

Taylor Chung (Moanalua), Nathaniel Kawai Koahou (Kamehameha), Luke Pragnell (Maui), Seth Kimura (Mililani), Nahua Lloyd (Punahou), Samuel Mokan (Hawaii Baptist), Josiah Talamoa (Pearl City), Micah Kalima-Keohohina (Radford), Cooper Long (Kamehameha), Brennan Flores (Mid-Pacific), Piikoa Kamoku (KS-Maui), Tui Ika (Radford)

Hawaii Prep World

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