Yokota players celebrate their third Far East Division II girls volleyball tournament title and first since 2017, with a four-set victory over E.J. King. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Something changed in that second set, when Malia Hutchins stepped to the service line.

Yokota was trailing by one set and was behind 12-10 behind pre-tournament favorite E.J. King. But when Hutchins began serving, the script began to change.

She totaled seven aces and fellow senior Trinity Stegall added 21 kills and four block points as the Panthers rallied to capture their first Far East Division II volleyball tournament title in six years.

They beat the Cobras 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 Wednesday on their home court.

“Our energy as a team was way up” from the second set forward, said Hutchins, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “We had a really good talk. We all wanted to win, we were all determined and that really helped.”

It was the Panthers’ third D-II title, but their first since 2017. And Hutchins said this one was extra special.

“We haven’t had a Far East because of COVID, and we hadn’t won one since 2017,” she said. “It feels surreal.”

Yokota also beat the Cobras for the first time in four encounters, including a three-set loss earlier in the tournament.

“Nothing that happened during the season matters,” Hutchins said. “If we lost to them during the season, it doesn’t apply. This was when it counts. And we showed that.”

Yokota’s Malia Hutchins (2), hitting against E.J. King’s Sarah Goleman, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. It was her serving that helped turn the Far East Division II girls volleyball tournament final around. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Erica Haas (9), one of three returners to Yokota's girls volleyball varsity lineup, was named to the Far East Division II All-Tournament team after helping the Panthers win the title. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stars and Stripes)

E.J. King's Mila Nishimura-Reed skies to spike against Yokota's Trinity Stegall and Kayla Bogdan. Nishimura-Reed and Stegall were named to the Far East Division II girls volleyball tournament All-Tournament team. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Yokota's Trinity Stegall (25) spikes against E.J. King's Mila Nishimura-Reed and Maliwan Schinker. The three were named to the Far East Division II girls volleyball tournament's All-Tournament team. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Stegall said the team adopted a one-point-at-a-time philosophy the rest of the way.

“I was determined to just get the next point. The next point. Even if we made a mistake,” she said. “Everyone matched energies and I think that’s what made us pull through. I didn’t think about winning until it actually happened. Because things can change in a few seconds.”

Led by Mila Nishimura-Reed, who finished with 19 kills, the Cobras pulled ahead quickly in the first set and led by two points in the second when things turned around.

Yokota’s momentum continued into the third set when the Panthers seized a 9-3 lead. The Cobras chipped away, cutting the gap to 23-22, but Yokota quickly closed the set with two points.

The fourth set resembled the third, as the Panthers went up 15-8 before King rallied to within 19-18. But Yokota went on a 6-2 run and the title was theirs.

“I’m so proud of the team,” Hutchins said. “We had just three returners, the rest were new or had played just one year. We had so much improvement this season.”

The Cobras finished the season 31-3 and came in second in the two tournaments they entered. Coach Rick Andrew said it simply wasn’t King’s night.

“Yokota played well and in the moments they needed to be big, they came up big. I applaud them,” Andrew said. “We made too many service, passing, receiving errors, uncharacteristic of us. In the end, we didn’t play our best game.”

Cougars end 19-year Far East title drought

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Academy of Our Lady of Guam extended its record for most Far East Division I Tournament titles with its 10th, but first since 2004.

The Cougars used a nine-point run to pull away in the third set and held off a fourth-set rally to beat American School In Japan 25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 25-23 Wednesday at Humphreys High School.

The highest-finishing DODEA-Pacific team was four-time D-I champion Kubasaki, which took the third-place match in four sets over Okinawa island-rival Kadena.

The Dragons finished 3-4 in pool play, opened their playoff round by beating Nile C. Kinnick in four sets, then lost to ASIJ in four in the semifinals. Their win over the Panthers was their fifth in six tries against Kadena this season.