Nanakuli, Pearl City boys advance in OIA volleyball
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
Nanakuli's Aaron Amaral showed yesterday he's the kind of player who can determine the outcome of a match from the front row, behind the service line and by setting.
Amaral had 17 kills, four aces and dropped in on two blocks as Nanakuli beat host Moanalua, 25-27, 25-13, 25-21, in the first round of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association boys volleyball playoffs.
"I feel like I could have done better," said Amaral, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter/setter. "It was a good performance and I just thank my team because they stuck with me throughout this whole match."
After unleashing his jump serve, he played setter until rotating back to the front row.
"I have to give it 110 percent on every play," Amaral said.
Amaral, a four-year starter, mixed up his repertoire with powerful spikes, and well-placed roll shots and dinks.
"He took it up another level," Moanalua coach Doug Hee said. "I wish I had two of him. He just raised his level of game and really hurt us today. I can't say enough about how well he played. He won the game for them."
Amaral needed to have both calves stretched out when the teams switched sides midway though the final game and had three kills and an ace over Nanakuli's final 11 points.
"Aaron has put in a lot of years on this team and I'm glad his teammates can give him what he needs this year," Golden Hawks coach Rosalind Palakiko said. "He plays from the heart. Players like that you cannot coach, it just comes naturally."
Nanakuli (7-4), the West's No. 6 seed, will play Radford (West No. 2) on Wednesday at Kahuku. The Rams received a bye in the first round.
The Golden Hawks beat the Rams on Sept. 29.
"We played them during the season; they played us pretty tough," Palakiko said. "We have some things we need to readjust. It should be a good match."
Senior middle blocker Clarence Sesepasara added 11 kills for Nanakuli.
The first game was tied 15 times. A kill by Sesepasara tied it at 25, but the Menehunes got the final two points on a net violation and an ace by Davis Tanaka.
Moanalua (8-3), the East's No. 3 seed, got only three kills in the second game, while the Golden Hawks pounded 17.
Nanakuli went on a match-ending 7-3 run with junior Anson Amaral ending it with a kill.
PEARL CITY 2, CASTLE 1
After a self-described "horrible" performance in Games 1 and 2, Pearl City's Joshua Fial turned things around in the final game of a 17-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory yesterday over Castle.
Fial, a 6-foot senior middle blocker, had six of his eight kills in the third game with most coming on quick sets and step out moves.
"The first game, the passing wasn't so well so the setting wasn't good," Fial said. "I couldn't do nothing with the sets I was getting. And some of the good sets I did horrible the first two games."
Pearl City (8-3), the West's No. 4 seed, advanced to play Kalaheo (East No. 1) on Wednesday at McKinley.
Castle (6-5), the East's No. 5 seed, gave Pearl City four of its final eight points on two hitting errors and two service errors.
"It came down to mistakes," Pearl City coach Dayne Teves said. "At the end of the third set, their mistakes cost them the game."
Senior middle blocker Jeremy Pahukoa-Malia added seven kills for Pearl City.
Castle starting middle blocker Keala Aulelaua injured his left ankle late in the first game after stepping on a Pearl City player's foot under the net.
Castle was already without middle blocker Kealii Bertlemann, who has a sprained ankle, according to coach Pat Gomes-Woolsey.
"We just had to work with what we had. Overall, I think they did pretty good," Gomes-Woolsey said.
Yesterday's other results
At Leilehua
Mililani def. Roosevelt 25-13, 20-25, 25-22
Leilehua def. Kaimuki 25-20, 25-15
Wednesday's Matches
At Kahuku
Kahuku vs. Leilehua, 6 p.m.
Radford vs. Nanakuli, 7 p.m.
At McKinley
Waiphau vs. Mililani, 6 p.m.
Kalaheo vs. Pearl City, 7 p.m.
Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8041.
