Moanalua girls slip past Kaua'i

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Moanalua High School girls volleyball team got a scare from Kaua'i last night before winning 25-23, 25-20 in Nissan State Championships first-round action at Punahou's Hemmeter Field House.

HOUT

Moanalua probably was a favorite to reach the elite eight, but had to struggle past a promising Kaua'i team yesterday. The Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation champion Red Raiders led throughout much of the first game and were up 23-18 before the Menehunes went on a 7-0 run to end it.

"Playing catch-up isn't fun," said Moanalua junior outside hitter Danie Hout, who finished with a match-high 11 kills. "It's a lot of pressure. They were what we expected — maybe a little better — but we came out playing really flat. You could see it even in the warmups; there was no intensity."

Setter Kathleen Yee landed a dink to start Moanalua's final rally, and she added an ace and then a soft kill to put the Menehunes up 24-23, their first lead since 3-2. Hout then angled a kill past Kaua'i's block to win it.

"We needed to finish it, to close it (when it was 23-18)," Red Raiders coach Richard Roberts said. "The KIF was real tough this year — the first round ended in a three-way tie and we had to go to a playoff. But tonight it was a little more consistency and a little more defense from Moanalua."

Kaua'i stayed even with the Menehunes again for half of the second game, which was tied 12-12. But a series of errors by the Red Raiders and two kills by Moanalua freshman middle blocker Brianna Amian helped the Menehunes open a 22-16 lead. Kaua'i closed to 23-20 on a kill by sophomore Kehau Silva, but an error made it 24-20 and the match ended on setter Resina Nataniela's kill.

"We picked it up in the second game," Moanalua coach Tommy Lake said. "In the first game, we weren't set on defense. We were kind of standing around or wandering, and we were anticipating too much instead of reading. You want to be reading the defense, instead of just guessing."

Hout added eight digs and Nataniela contributed nine kills for the Menehunes. Silva led the Red Raiders with nine kills and Holly Iloreta added nine digs.

• ROOSEVELT DEF. HAWAI'I PREP: Shellane Ogoshi had nine kills and Kristen Tanabe eight to lead the Rough Riders to a 25-22, 25-19 sweep of Ka Makani.

Roosevelt scored the final three points of the first game — the final two on back row kills by Tanabe and Ogoshi — to pull away from Hawai'i Prep. In the second game, the Rough Riders built a 20-12 lead before Ka Makani rallied to close to 21-19. Nicole Okada's kill started a 4-0 run for Roosevelt to end the match.

Okada added eight digs and Melissa Aki contributed three blocks for the Rough Riders. Somia Quan led Hawai'i Prep with five kills, and Megan Pautler added 10 digs.

Roosevelt, which took fourth place in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association, will play OIA champion and No. 1 seed Kalani (14-0) in a quarterfinal match at 8 tonight.

• KAMEHAMEHA-O'AHU DEF. KEALAKEHE: Kristen Ponce had seven kills and Mounia Nihipali added five kills and eight digs to lead the Warriors past the Waveriders, 25-15, 25-17.

Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up Kamehameha will play Maui Interscholastic League champion and No. 4 seed Seabury Hall in a quarterfinal match at 5 p.m. today at Hemmeter.

Kealakehe stayed as close as 15-13 in the first game, but Ponce had two kills and Nihipali had a kill and an ace to spur a 10-2 run for the Warriors.

In the second game, freshman Alexis Robins served 18 consecutive points as Kamehameha jumped to a 20-2 lead.

Waveriders senior Antoinette Alapai finished with a match-high 10 kills, and Corinna Oliva added seven digs.

• KAHUKU DEF. KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI: Sophomore Camilla Ah Hoy had eight kills and senior Chazel Fiso added 10 digs as the defending state champion Red Raiders swept the upstart Warriors, 25-13, 25-19.

Kahuku will play Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion and No. 2 seed Punahou in a quarterfinal at 6:30 p.m. today.

The Red Raiders used a 6-0 run to break a 3-3 tie in the first game and never led by fewer than five thereafter. But in the second game, the Warriors — a team made up of freshmen and sophomores — stayed with Kahuku and trailed only 19-18 before the Red Raiders ended it with a 6-1 run.

Freshman Sayble Bissen led Kamehameha with five kills.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.