'AIEA — Moanalua went the distance to outlast Pearl City last night.

Kaylee Ponce had 16 kills, Lahela Kaili-Laroyo 14 and Latricia Taifane 13 to lead Na Menehune past the Chargers, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 20-25, 15-9, in the quarterfinals of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red volleyball tournament.

Moanalua (10-3), the East's second seed, advances to today's winner's bracket match against 'Aiea (13-0).

"We have other players to rely on, not just a star hitter," Ponce said of the team's effort.

Moanalua was on the verge of clinching the win when it served for the match at 14-4, but the Chargers (10-4), the West's third seed, buried five straight kills that sandwiched two Moanalua timeouts to keep the fifth set alive.

"We kept telling ourselves to get everything in, play the ball, nothing hits the floor and to hustle," said Pearl City sophomore Marie Fujii, who led the team with 11 kills.

Pearl City's Tonisha Buford had three kills during the late run, the last of which closed the deficit to 14-9.

After a Moanalua substitution, Kaili-Laroyo hit a line shot from the left side to end the two-hour match.

"We started to get frustrated," Taifane said. "We told ourselves it's not about win or lose, just play and have fun. We played up to our level."

Moanalua's early run through the fifth set was in stark contrast to Set 4. Tied at 9, Pearl City pulled ahead with a 5-0 run during which Moanalua had two hitting errors and a net violation.

"I think basically we were nervous," Ponce said. "We just had to relax and take it easy."

Fujii's kill on an overpass gave the Chargers a 23-17 lead, their largest of the set. A Moanalua block cut the deficit to 23-19, but Pearl City would eventually win it on Fujii's kill.

"We played excellent and our team did awesome," Fujii said.

Tied at 15 in the third set, Moanalua went on an 8-2 run to pull away. Kaili-Laroyo had four kills and one block during the surge.

Moanalua rallied from a 20-18 deficit in Set 2, tying it at 20 on Taifane's kill, and going ahead 21-20 after Pearl City was called for a double contact.

Kills from Ponce and Taifane made it 23-20, and Moanalua had a kill out of the back row and one from Taifane to win the set.

Moanalua led 21-19 in the first set, but four straight errors gave the Chargers a 23-21 lead. After a Moanalua block cut the deficit to 23-22, Na Menehune served the ball out on the next play, and Fujii's service ace ended the set.

Now, Moanalua needs to regroup for tonight's 7:30 match at McKinley. Taifane said her team needs to be "prepared mentally," but pointed out the squad is pretty strong-minded.

"We have no doubts about tomorrow," Taifane said.

Keani Passi had 10 kills and Buford added eight for the Chargers, who remain in contention for one of the league's six state tournament berths.

"We want to go far this year," Fujii said.

'AIEA IMPROVES TO 13-0

Host 'Aiea remained undefeated, rallying past Farrington, 23-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-18, 15-11, in the quarterfinals.

Na 'Ali'i (13-0), the West's top seed, took the fifth set after multiple Farrington (8-6) errors down the stretch. Three straight Governor errors gave 'Aiea an 11-9 lead and an 'Aiea block made it 12-9.

An 'Aiea service error made it 12-10, but a Farrington dump set that went into the net made it 13-10, and Kerstyn Randall's service ace put 'Aiea ahead 14-10.

After a Farrington timeout, Junitta Fonoti's kill cut the deficit to 14-11, but the Governors served long to end the match.

"We're both good teams and it's not over until the last point," said 'Aiea senior libero Michelle Lambayan. "In Game 4, we stuck together and stayed focused and positive."

Farrington, the East's fourth seed, led 7-3 early in the fifth set before 'Aiea rallied.

Lambayan said the match was a good lesson for her team, which saw several players miss recent practices due to illnesses, and had a different starting lineup in the first set.

"We pulled together," she said.