KAHUKU — For the second time in five days, the upset bug has bitten the North Shore's most powerful athletic department.

Roosevelt's unheralded boys volleyball team stunned previously unbeaten Kahuku, 25-16, 12-25, 25-23, last night in O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference action. The upset comes just after the Red Raiders' No. 1-ranked football team was knocked off by Castle, 23-6, on Friday.

In volleyball, the teams in the OIA Red Eastern Division play one another twice, so last night's loss only dropped Kahuku (5-1) into a first-place tie with Kalaheo with six matches left in the regular season. The Red Raiders have yet to face Kalaheo.

"At this point, it's still in our boys' hands," Kahuku coach Howard Kaulula'au said. "It just depends how much they want it."

Last night, Roosevelt (3-3) showed it wanted the road victory by snatching a 3-2 lead in the first game and never trailing thereafter. The Red Raiders tied it at 14-14, but Roosevelt pulled away with the help of a series of Kahuku errors.

"It was mostly the little things — not being in the right place, trying to pound the ball and pushing it too far," Kaulula'au said. "But we knew Roosevelt is a good team. We split with them in the McKinley (preseason) tournament."

The Red Raiders regrouped in the second game, jumping out to an 8-1 lead sparked by Charles Bell's three aces.

In the third game, however, Roosevelt came roaring back and built a 22-18 lead. Kahuku scrambled to tie it at 23-23, but the Rough Riders ended it with two kills by Kaina Palama.

Palama finished with 12 kills and Jordan Murakami added eight kills for Roosevelt, while B.J. Yeager led Kahuku with nine kills and Bell added eight kills, two blocks and three aces.

"This is a good win for our momentum, I think it'll bring the team more up for the rest of the season," Murakami said.

Rough Riders coach Kaui Mendonca said he was pleased with how his team stayed composed after Kahuku rallied to tie the third game.

"We've lost some tight games before, and ideally we would have liked to close this one out sooner," Mendonca said. "But this is a big win for us as far as morale and self-esteem. Kahuku is a very good team that can pass, set and hit."

The Red Raiders suffered a big loss earlier this season when Junior Ale, a 6-foot-2 All-OIA East hitter, left the team to concentrate on basketball. Ale was an Advertiser All-State first-team selection in hoops last year.

"It does make a difference not having Junior, and it was heartbreaking for us when he left," Kaulula'au said. "But we've got to move on."

GIRLS

Kahuku wins: Camilla Ah Hoy had nine kills and three blocks, and Lily Latu added five kills and three blocks as Kahuku remained unbeaten with a 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Roosevelt. The two teams entered the match tied for the OIA Red East lead with 5-0 records.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.