Menehune hold off Red Raiders

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

At practice, the Moanalua girls' volleyball team loves passing the time. And it pays off at match time.

Using a strong passing game, the Menehune downed Kahuku, 15-10, 14-16, 15-12, to remain unbeaten in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division last night at Moanalua gym.

Moanalua improved to 7-0, while Kahuku dropped to 6-2. It was the defending OIA champion Red Raider' second consecutive loss. On Tuesday, they lost to Farrington.

"Three-fourths of our practice is passing," Moanalua coach Sheri Sagayaga said.

Added Kahuku coach Mona Ah Hoy: "Moanalua passes well. They have excellent defense and passing. We wanted to serve them tough, they still passed well. They're just a good passing team."

Beneficiaries of Moanalua's deft passing — primarily from back row specialist Shaye Kitada — were middle blocker Patti Hardimon (13 kills) and outside hitter Sina Nataniela (8 kills).

On the other side of the net, Kahuku struggled with its attack because it was not consistent with its passing.

"In volleyball, you can't pass, you can't run anything," Ah Hoy said. "We got big hitters, but in order to feed our big hitters, we needed to pass and we didn't have that tonight."

Making passing difficult was Moanalua's serving. The Menehune got four aces in the first game, three consecutive by outside hitter Danie Hout that gave Moanalua a commanding 11-3 lead.

Hardimon had four aces in the second game off her devastating jump serve. She said it took her two years to master.

"I finally was confident enough to use my jump serve this year," she said.

The senior is an all-around player who also passes well and can swing with the best.

"Patti is just an awesome athlete," Sagayaga said. "She always plays her game."

Among the Menehune strategies was to serve to Kahuku's best player, Tuli Peters, a good passer in her own right. But by keeping her occupied with serves, it neutralized her ability to set up her hitting, which is as dangerous as Moanalua's Hardimon.

Moanalua dominated the first game, taking leads of 6-2, 9-3, 12-4 and 13-8 before Kahuku closed the gap to 13-10 before falling, 15-10.

The outset of the second game looked like a Moanalua sweep. The Menehune jumped to a 7-2 lead, only to see the Red Raiders tie the game at 7 with Krisha Kai and Peters serving.

But after a sideout, Hardimon's jump serve got three successive aces. After another sideout, an ace by Janelle Hara and a kill by Hout put the Menehune up 12-7.

Kahuku stormed back to tie the game at 12.

Moanalua looked like it was going to put the match away after pulling ahead 14-12. But Peters, who had been blocked previously for Moanalua's sideout and 13th point, exacted revenge with a kill for a sideout. The Red Raiders returned with four unanswered points to force a rally scoring third game.

"I guess we kind of let them get into our heads, let the crowd get into our heads," Hardimon said. "We were playing as individuals rather than a team. I think that's why we went down in the second (game)."

In the third game, the teams tied seven times before Moanalua strung four consecutive points to take a 12-8 lead.

The Red Raiders pulled to 12-10 and 13-11 and 14-12 before the Menehune put them away.

"We didn't adjust," Peters said of her team's struggle.

It was a big win for the Menehune and not just because it kept them undefeated. It gives them an edge on the Red Raiders if there are ties in the standings after the season. Also, Moanalua must still play Kalani, Farrington and McKinley.

"(Beating) Kahuku helps a bit more mentally," Sagayaga said. "We get to see our weaknesses and we'll just take that at practice."

• Punahou's Cubi-Otineru honored: Punahou sophomore Aneli Cubi-Otineru has been named Student Sports Inc./PowerBar Athlete of the Week for the West Region.

Student Sports, Inc. is a national magazine and Web site based in Torrance, Calif.

Cubi-Otineru had a match-high 37 kills and 20 digs in the Buffanblu's three-game loss to Iolani on Oct. 4, then had 14 kills and 10 digs the next day in a victory over University.

Cubi-Otineru was a first-team all-state selection last year.