Leilehua starts OIA with win over Radford

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KRYSTLE MARCELLUS / KMARCELLUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
Leilehua’s Jordan Tolentino put down a kill during Tuesday’s win.

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Leilehua rallied improbably from a surprising Set 3 deficit to win its league opener against Radford.

The Mules trailed 10-3 in Set 3, fended off several Rams serves for the match and won 15-25, 25-23, 20-18 in an OIA girls volleyball match Tuesday in Wahiawa.

Elisha Levasa led Leilehua (1-0) with 11 kills and two blocks and Saramasina Docktor added five kills. The Mules qualified for last year’s Division I state tournament.

"We just had the mind-set that we were going to push through," Levasa said. "We weren’t going to let them take this from us."

Radford (0-1) won last year’s OIA Division II title and remains in Division II. OIA teams play each other in the regular season regardless of their classification. Rachel Nance led the Rams with six kills and Noel Phillips had five kills and five blocks.

In the final set, the Rams jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Chloe Snyder had two kills in the middle and a block to give Radford the head start. The Rams led 10-3 before a service error set off a serious momentum swing.

"That was our mistakes," Levasa said of the deficit.

The Mules chipped away at the lead and tied it at 13 on a block by Levasa and Ember-Punahele Manaea.

Radford served for the match at 15-14, but gave it up on a service error. The Rams served for the match again at 16-15, only to give it away on a hitting error. Radford tied it at 18 on a kill from Marisa Kealoha, but a service error gave Leilehua the lead and Levasa’s kill sealed the win.

"Coach said everything is mental," Levasa said. "Everything that has to do with this is our mind-set."

Megan Malepeai’s kill off an overpass put Radford ahead 21-18 in Set 2. But Leilehua rallied for a 23-21 lead after two kills from Levasa and three Radford errors. Radford got kills from Phillips and Snyder to tie the set 23, but a Radford service error and a kill from Levasa gave the Mules Set 2.

Radford’s serving made it tough for Leilehua to pass the ball in Set 1. Anika Anderson had three of the Rams’ six service aces in the first set. Radford finished with nine aces for the match.