Taking chances can prove costly, but it's better than not taking any at all.

Top-seeded Hawai'i Baptist took its chances at the service line, ripping away with a tough jump serve en route to a 25-22, 25-13 win over enduring Pahoa in last night's semifinals of the New City Nissan/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division II volleyball state championships at Radford's James Alegre Gymnasium.

The Eagles (12-4) advance to play No. 3 Hilo (12-4) in today's championship match at Radford at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings defeated Hawai'i Prep, 25-7, 25-20, in an all-Big Island Interscholastic Federation semifinal match last night at Farrington.

Hawai'i Baptist's tough serving paid off with six aces and threw off Pahoa's passing. It also accounted for nine service errors.

"It's totally worth going for it," Hawai'i Baptist's Brandon Kaneshiro said of his team's jump serve. "If you (serve) out, it's better than hitting into the net. It's a chance for them to take it."

The Daggers (10-7) were resilient in Game 1, much like they have been lately, before fading away in Game 2. Financial support from family, community members and alumni on Monday helped cover travel costs, making it possible for Pahoa to make its first state tournament trip. The inspired Daggers then won their first-round game over Hana and upset No. 4 Campbell in the quarterfinals before errors ended their charging run.

"They gave it their all," Pahoa coach Ikaika Marzo said. "HBA is one heck of a team. You can't take anything away from that."

The Daggers rallied from a 6-1 deficit in Game 1, slowly chipping away at the Eagles' lead and tying the game at 18 to force Eagles coach Teoni Obrey to call a timeout.

Pahoa closed to 20-19, but a tip over the net for a kill by Hawai'i Baptist's Kyle Barretta and a ball hit out by the Daggers made it 22-19, giving just enough of a lead for the Eagles to finish the game.

Pahoa closed to 24-22, but Leung's kill ended the game. Kaneshiro had five kills and two aces in Game 1.

"Today was just a hard and off day for us," said Leung, who led the Eagles with eight kills. "Tomorrow we'll be much better."

Hawai'i Baptist's serving and Pahoa errors helped the Eagles take a 11-5 lead in Game 2. But four straight Hawai'i Baptist errors cut its lead to 11-9. After a Hawai'i Baptist timeout, two Pahoa net violations helped swing the momentum. Two kills from Leung made it 16-9 and the Eagles pulled away down the stretch.

"We just got to serve better, cut down on unforced errors," said Obrey, who added his team is passing well.

The Daggers play Hawai'i Prep (9-8) in today's third-place match, a rematch of last Saturday's BIIF third-place match won by the Daggers.

"We played them twice this year and beat them twice," Marzo said. "We know what they're capable of and know what their weak spots are."