Things didn't turn out too well for the Farrington girls volleyball team against Moanalua during the regular season.

The Governors picked a great time to turn things around.

Behind the one-two punch of Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo and Fenumiai Tofilau, Farrington beat Moanalua, 25-18, 16-25, 25-20, 25-21, in a winners' bracket match of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference tournament last night at McKinley.

"Right now, everything is gravy," said Farrington coach Reagan Agena. "We've been working really hard, a lot of hard effort. Good for them. I'm proud of them."

It was the first time in three tries this season Farrington had beaten Moanalua. On Sept. 3, host Moanalua beat Farrington in three; six days later, Moanalua swept host Farrington. Both matches were under the best-of-3 format.

"Coming into this game we didn't know what to expect because we lost to Moanalua twice," said Tofilau, a 5-9 senior. "We just had to play our game and worry about our side."

Last night, with Brandy Vergado-Duclayan setting, Tatupu-Leopoldo had 18 kills and Tofilau added 17. The rest of the team combined for 15 kills.

"We had to improve our focus. We had to believe in each other," said Tatupu-Leopoldo, a 5-foot-11 junior.

Farrington, the East's No. 3 team, improved to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in the double-elimination tournament. The Governors will play Kahuku on Tuesday night.

The winner of that match will advance to Thursday's final of the tournament. An "if necessary" final will be Saturday.

Moanalua, ranked No. 5 in The Advertiser's poll and the East's No. 1 seed, fell to 12-2, 1-1.

In the first set, Moanalua jumped to an 8-3 advantage behind three kills by Erin Perez. At that point, Farrington had three hitting errors, but didn't have another for the remainder of the set.

The Governors tied it 9-9 on Desiree Klemin's kill and took the lead on the next point, an ace by Sandrea Shippy. It was part of a 12-2 run that put Farrington up 15-10.

The Governors stretched the lead to 23-16 after a Nä Menehune hitting error.

Tofilau had six kills and Tatupu-Leopoldo had five kills without an error in the set.

"We were able to get a lot more productivity from the outside," Agena said.

The second set was tied 7-7 before Moanalua reeled off seven of the next eight points. Farrington got within 15-12, but Coty Barrientos got her first three kills of the match to spur Moanalua's 10-4 set-ending run.

Farrington took a 16-5 lead in the third set with the help of Tatupu-Leopoldo's two kills, two aces and one block. The Governors also served tough during the surge, and Moanalua hurt itself with five hitting errors and one service error.

"With that kind of service (by Farrington), we had a couple of errors," said Moanalua coach Tommy Lake. "We didn't execute when we did get a pass."

Nä Menehune closed to 19-16, but the Governors went on a 4-1 spurt to regain control.

The final set was tied 15-15, but a 5-1 run gave Farrington breathing room. Moanalua fought off two match points before Klemin's kill ended it.

Moanalua will play in an elimination match tonight at McKinley.

KAHUKU 3, 'AIEA 0

The Red Raiders' Amanda Tonga was just too tall and powerful for Nä Ali'i.

Tonga, a 6-foot-1 senior, had 14 kills and five blocks as Kahuku handed 'Aiea its first loss of the season, 25-23, 25-14, 25-22.

"She's definitely a force on our team," said Kahuku coach Uila Fotu Vendiola. "She's one of the key players we look to."

Hoonani Apo added 11 kills for the Red Raiders, ranked No. 3 by The Advertiser and the East's No. 2 seed. Kahuku improved to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the tournament.

"We're very proud of our team tonight," Fotu Vendiola said. "We executed our game plan very well. We couldn't be happier to be where we are right now."[0x0b]

Nä Ali'i, ranked No. 4 and the West champion, dropped to 13-1 and 1-1.

Kahuku held off a late rally by 'Aiea in the first set. Kahuku led 24-21, but Nä Ali'i scored the next two points on a Red Raiders hitting error and Danielle Grace's solo block. But Kahuku's Malia Tonga ended it with a well-placed dink.

In the second set, Kahuku took a 16-6 lead and never lost steam. The Red Raiders' largest lead was 24-10. 'Aiea scored four in a row before Elizabeth Blake's kill closed it out.

In the third set, Kahuku went on an 8-3 run to take a 17-10 lead. 'Aiea got within 20-18, but couldn't get any closer. Blake ended the match with a kill just inside the end line.

Tonga had eight kills in the third.

"We just played with all heart," she said. "We came here just like a regular game, just not worry about anything but the game."

Grace had nine kills to lead 'Aiea, which will play an elimination match tonight at McKinley.