PEARL CITY — 'Aiea pulled away in the final moments of a tight match last night and outlasted rival Pearl City, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association girls volleyball showdown.

Na Ali'i improved to 4-0 in the OIA's Red Conference Western Division, tied for first place with Mililani, which won at Radford last night. Pearl City, ranked No. 10 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, fell to 3-2.

'Aiea and Pearl City went back and forth for much of last night's match, and it appeared to maybe be headed to a fifth set after the Chargers took a 13-9 lead in Set 4. Middle blocker Mele Samisoni had a kill and two aces to lead Na Ali'i on a 5-0 run to take a 14-13 lead.

After it was tied 17-17, 'Aiea scored eight of the match's final nine points.

"We just came together and worked together as a team," said Samisoni, a 5-foot-9 junior. "We all want it, because last season didn't go too well. So we pushed hard."

Na Ali'i got off to a slow start, trailing 9-4 in the first set before coach Blythe Yamamoto called timeout to stop the bleeding. 'Aiea rallied to tie it 10-10, and the teams traded points until 'Aiea took the lead for good at 16-15 on a kill by Kelly Leopoldo.

Danielle Grace's kill put Na Ali'i up, 23-20, and they sealed it after a Pearl City error and a kill by Ashley Li'ili'i.

'Aiea jumped to a 9-4 lead in the second set, but the Chargers sided out after a long rally and went on a 7-0 run to lead 12-10. Na Ali'i grabbed the lead back at 13-12, but Pearl City went up for good at 19-18 and clinched it on an ace by Tabytha Inong.

The third set was the tightest, with neither team leading by more than two points. The Chargers took a 23-22 lead on a kill by Tiana Inong, but 'Aiea stole the set with kills from Taylor Fetui, Kerstyn Randall and Leopoldo.

Pearl City rebounded strong to take the 13-9 in Set 4, but Chargers coach Stephanie Shigemasa said their inability to serve-receive proved costly.

"Our passing killed us; that's how we gave up all those points," Shigemasa said.

As for the final run by Na Ali'i to break from the 17-17 deadlock, Shigemasa said 'Aiea was able to come up with more digs and keep balls alive.

"The difference was in the defense," Shigemasa said. "They seemed to want the ball and go after it more than we did, and that made the difference especially in the long rallies."

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