Moloka'i coach Matt Helm found himself telling his team the one thing he didn't want to say at the end of the match. Communicate.

Second-seeded Moloka'i managed to pull itself together and pull off a vocal rally to beat University High, 15-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-19, 15-10, in last night's quarterfinals of the New City Nissan /Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Girls Volleyball Division II State Championships at Moanalua High School.

The Farmers (12-2), the Maui Interscholastic League champions, play Word of Life (14-6) in tonight's semifinal. Moloka'i is the only Neighbor Island team to make the semifinals.

"We need to communicate from the get-go and stay confident and know they belong here and belong in the state tournament," Helm said.

Danna-Lynn Hooper-Juario led the Farmers with 11 kills and Kalei Adolpho and Kailana Ritte-Camara added 10 each. Quiet for most of the match, Adolpho had six kills in a pivotal fourth set to help the Farmers force a fifth.

"We had to keep the rhythm going from the fourth set, bring energy and go into the fifth set on a good note," said Adolpho, a 6-foot sophomore who spoke to the team before the fifth set and finished with eight solo blocks and a block assist.

"I told them it's our last set and last chance to win."

Quynne Eharis had 17 kills, Ruth Tusi added 16 and Kayleen Fitzgerald had eight to lead the Jr. 'Bows (11-11), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu third-place finisher. Early on, University High's tough serving threw fits into Moloka'i's serve-receive, and Eharis and Fitzgerald were quick and efficient down the middle.

"We did better when we started passing better, having fun and talking," said Eharis, who had five blocks.

Down by two sets, the Farmers rallied in the fourth set. Marissa Sterner served eight straight points to give the Farmers an 18-14 lead. Sterner had a service ace during the run and Hooper-Juario added two kills.

After a University High timeout, Chelsea-Nicole Poligratis had a kill to cut the deficit to 18-15, but a Jr. 'Bow hitting error and a solo block by Adolpho gave the Farmers enough room to close out the fourth set.

Adolpho and Ritte-Camara combined for a block to break a 4-4 tie in the fifth set. The Farmers would not trail thereafter.

Ritte-Camara served back-to-back aces to make it 11-6. University High closed to 13-10 on Tusi's kill, forcing Moloka'i to call a timeout. Tusi's last two attempts went out to end the 2-hour match.

"We can't pressure ourselves," Ritte-Camara said. "We had to stay calm and believe in ourselves."

FIREBRANDS WIN

Kainoa Ocasek had 19 kills and Crystal Powell had 16 as Word of Life beat No. 3 Kapolei, 25-19, 18-25, 26-24, 25-23, in a quarterfinal match at Moanalua.

"We believed in ourselves and we believed in each other," Ocasek said last night. "God helped us the whole way."

Marie Nataniela had 16 kills and 13 digs and Marie Nataniela had 10 kills for Kapolei (16-1).