Moanalua, Mililani to vie for title after semifinal victories

Their head coach is mourning, and Na Menehune of Moanalua have responded with perhaps their best volleyball of the year.

Kalai Leopoldo and Nalu DeMello slammed 11 kills each as Moanalua swept Kapolei 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 on Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the OIA Division I boys volleyball tournament at James Alegre Gymnasium.

Six-time defending league champion Moanalua (13-0) advanced to Thursday’s final, which will be played at Radford. Kapolei will play in a third-place match tonight at Farrington.

Middle Duncan Clark, a 6-foot-4 junior, added nine kills and Bhrycen Asuncion chipped in seven. Caleb Casinas added four kills, two blocks and an ace for Moanalua’s balanced attack. Senior Zackary Miyamoto, a 6-foot senior, dished out 37 assists and had one kill and a half-block. Casinas, Leopoldo and Asuncion combined for 5.5 of their team’s eight blocks.

Coach Alan Cabanting met with the team on Sunday following the death of his mother. He flew to Guam and will return before the start of the state tournament.

“Everyone’s been stepping up, being accountable,” said Miyamoto, one of six seniors on the squad. “Before he left, we made him a poster and signed it.”

The poster read, “We love you, Coach!”

The longtime boys and girls coach would have loved seeing his team’s precision on Tuesday, particularly at serve. Na Menehune had five aces with just six service errors, but more than that, they didn’t allow Kapolei to get into system consistently. When the Hurricanes got clean plays, big hitter Willie Tupua Richardson was lethal. The 6-1 senior finished with a team-high 12 kills, but was largely unable to get untracked as the ’Canes’ passing game struggled.

Bronson Alop had all seven of his kills in the third set for Kapolei. Gavin Andaya added 15 assists, one kill and an ace, and Keola Transfiguracion tallied 10 assists.

The ’Canes were tough at the net in the opening set with five blocks. Kama Cunningham (2.5 blocks) helped keep the springy ’Canes close at 15-13, but they never closed that gap.

After collecting five blocks in the opening set to match Moanalua, Kapolei’s block was never the same. Richardson had just two kills in the first game, but had four in the second. It wasn’t enough with the ’Canes hitting just .111. Moanalua opened a 10-5 lead and was never threatened as Miyamoto spread the wealth.

The third game was the closest, with Alop and Andaya connecting. The ’Canes rallied to tie the set at 13, but two hitting errors and an ace by Moanalua’s Kylan Tomita doused the threat.

“We’re a better team than we showed,” Kapolei coach Moani Nahulu-Mahelona said. “Every time we got momentum, it just stopped. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We just overthought everything.”

Moanalua has been business-like and consistent. Interim head coach Austin Zavala has enjoyed the maturity of his senior-heavy team.

“The guys have banded together to do what they’re supposed to do. Coach Alan’s absence takes away from this team, but they’ve been a lot of fun to coach,” said Zavala, a sixth-year assistant coach.

Mililani 3, Waipahu 1

The Trojans (12-3), the regular-season first-place team in the West, rallied for a 16-25, 25-22, 25-20, 31-29 victory, getting 24 kills, two aces and a block from outside hitter Sila Fuiava. Mililani was deeper and more consistent with serve and serve-receive after Waipahu picked up an early edge with aces and blocks early.

Mililani also got a big boost from 6-2 Nathaniel Johnson, who finished with 15 kills, two aces and three blocks after a slow start. Samuel Palompo chipped in six kills and an ace, and setter Chance Guillermo, a 6-foot sophomore, fished out 46 assists with four kills.

Guillermo’s three blocks turned out to be a crucial factor. Mililani outblocked Waipahu in the last three games 7-4. For the match, Waipahu had just three aces and 13 service errors, including no aces in the last three sets.

Jeminae Solomua led Waipahu (10-3), the West’s third-place team, with 14 kills, one ace and one block. Bradley Tacata added 13 kills and two aces. Nofoalii Saolotoga finished with 39 aces and three kills. Both teams had already sealed berths in the state tournament. Waipahu will meet Kapolei in the third-place game today at Farrington following the fifth-place match, which begins at 5:30 p.m.