On May 4-9 2026, The HHSAA Girls water polo state championship took place at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, on Oahu. The Kaiser girls water polo team went into the competition being the second seed, due to their 11-0 win streak and OIA Championship win. During the state competition, Kaiser played 3 different teams, on 3 separate days. The first team they played in the quarterfinal was Iolani with a close score of 8-7 but still securing their first win. The second team they played in the semi finals was Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, with an unfortunate 3-9 loss. The last team they played was Kahuku in the finals competing for third place. Fortunately, the Cougar girls were able to bounce back and secure their 3rd place finish with a score of 10-6.Since the Kaiser Cougar girls were the top seed in the OIA division, they were given a couple extra days of practice to prepare, while other teams had to already begin competing. Kaiser’s first opponent was Iolani, one of the more competitive teams on Oahu. A lot of preparation went into having to play against Iolani. Things like watching back their film, working on specific plays, and focusing specially on specific players, all led up to the big win. In the first half of the game, the Cougars were ahead in score, but Iolani was able to bring it back to tie the game in the third quarter. In the final quarter, Kaiser was able to score the game winning point, leading them into the semifinals to play against Kamehameha Schools Kapalama. The points scored in the Iolani game consisted of Maile Judd with 5 goals, Elliana Schifnner with 2 goals, and Puuwai Paresa with 1 goal.
In the semifinals, the Cougars were matched with Kamehameha Schools Kapalama. Kamehameha has won many state championships including, back to back 1st place victories in 2023 and 2024. When the game first began, the score was tight, and stayed close up until the end of the second quarter, that’s when the score began to separate more drastically. The game ended with an unfortunate 3-9 loss. Despite the loss, scoring on such a dominant opponent was an accomplishment for Kaiser’s team. The points scored by Kaiser’s team members in this game were by Catherine Laffey with 2 points, and Elliana Schiffner with 1 point.
The last game for third place was against Kaiser’s biggest OIA rivals, Kahuku. The Cougars have played Kahuku multiple times in regular OIA games, but during the OIA championship game, the score was so close that the game went into overtime. With the Cougars barely making it by with a score of 12-10. Never in a season has Kaiser won against Kahuku in all 3 games before . This would include beating them in the regular season, OIA champs, and the final round for third place. If the Cougars were able to beat them in the game for third place, it would be a new record. The Cougars were successful and won the game with a decisive 10-6 score. The goals made in this game were scored by Alyssa Tongg with 3 goals, Catherine Laffey with 2 goals, Isabella Sieberer with 2 goals, Maile Judd with 2 goals, and Puuwai Paresa with 1 goal. Beating Kahuku all 3 times, and coming in 3rd in the whole state, has never been done before in Kaiser water polo history.
This year’s Kaiser girls Waterpolo season was an unforgettable experience for all and many girls made lots of memories and great achievements. One outstanding achievement was for Norah King who made the Girls Water Polo State Championships All-Tournament Team. King was the only public school athlete on that list, a huge accomplishment for herself and Kaiser High School.
