Wailena Kawaiaea had nine kills, while teammate Sherae Hanchett contributed a game-high 12 and fellow senior Chelsea Emmsley had seven in the 30-28, 14-25, 25-18, 25-18 win, the Dragons' first of the the Maui Interscholastic League season.

"(Kawaiaea) really put up for us tonight,'' Hana coach Louis Ho'opai said to The Maui News. "(Sherae and Chelsea) are normally our key players, but she was a key player tonight.''

Hana (1-1) never led by more than four points in the first game, which lasted nearly a half-hour. A net violation sealed the win.

The Lunas (0-3) stormed back in the second game, scoring four unanswered points right away thanks in part to back-to-back kills from Julynn Ii and Megan Medeiros.

"(I told them) to relax, to play and be confident in themselves,'' said Lahainaluna coach Hano Ganer. "They can pull it off if they really try hard.''

An eight-point run midway through the second game permanently secured the Lunas' lead, despite a diving dig by Hana's Jy-Len Ho'opai in an effort to regain some ground.

"The first set, I thought, 'We're too close, you know, we can pick up this game,' '' said Lahainaluna captain Roxy Padron. "Everybody just picked it up and I was like, 'Keep on going.' ''

The Dragons stayed strong, much to the delight of their coach.

"I was kind of nervous on the second set,'' Ho'opai said. "I thought they were going to fall apart, but they came back and played hard''

In the third game, Lunas sophomore Lahela Akima kept one volley alive with a save off the back of her hand, but the Dragons' steady attack kept them safely ahead.

Jy-Len Ho'opai recorded 26 assists, and freshman Alohilani Kapoi had a team-high five blocks.

The Lunas, led by Ii with 11 kills and Medeiros with nine, tied the fourth game at 10-10, but Hana won the next point and remained in front the rest of the way — Kawaiaea contributed back-to-back kills down the stretch.

"I don't know what was behind (my game), but I knew we had to have this game,'' Kawaiaea said. "So far so good, but when our other players come back (from injuries), we're going to be much better.''

Hana was playing for the first time since Saturday's loss to King Kekaulike.

"This game, we really improved from our (opening) game at King Kekaulike...it was much better,'' Ho'opai said.

The Dragons head to Molokai today, while the Lunas will try to earn their first win of the season against Maui High on Thursday.

Padron, who had 29 digs, isn't worried. The fourth-year varsity player said she has even more motivation this year, and she's pleased with the Lunas' improvement, particularly in their communication on the court.

"We're getting better — every game we're improving — so we'll be ready for the tournament,'' she said.