‘Iolani earns tough victory over Mid-Pac

All the ‘Iolani Raiders want is a chance.

They made it happen Tuesday night, outlasting a gritty Mid-Pacific squad 25-14, 14-25, 25-21 before a crowd of about 100 at the Raiders’ gym.

‘Iolani improved to 4-3 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu with a key match coming up at Kamehameha (5-2) on Friday. A win by the Raiders would create a tie for second place in the first-round standings and force a tiebreaker match that could have an effect on the state-tournament berth scenario. The ILH has two berths, and one has already been claimed by unbeaten Punahou.

For now, the sixth-ranked Raiders are grateful for a win over the Owls, a team that has been in and out of the Top 10.

"I wanted us to be more consistent coming off that first game. Mid-Pac had an exceptional second game. We tried a few things ourselves," ‘Iolani coach Jenic Tumaneng said.

Setters Loxley Keala and Anna Uhr used all of their arsenal to keep the visitors honest defensively. Keala finished with 17 assists, four kills and four of her team’s 10 aces. Uhr had four aces of her own, including three in a row during a crucial stretch in the third set that gave the Raiders an 8-6 lead. They never trailed again.

"She’s a freshman and she’s stepping up to what we ask her to do. She’s handling it pretty well," Tumaneng said.

Uhr finished with nine assists.

Renn Isobe had a team-high six kills for ‘Iolani. Eesha Chun-Dela Cruz and Haley Robinson had five kills apiece, and Hoakalei Dawson and Sara Watanabe tallied four kills each.

Camille Ganahl had five of her team-high eight kills in the third set to keep the Owls close. Michelle Robinson also had eight kills.

Shelbi Miyashiro, who recently returned from a leg injury, dished out 13 assists and had an ace. Kelly Nakandakari added seven assists.

"We have a very talented group, when they play with energy, they can play with anyone in the state. When they get quiet, that’s when they struggle," Owls coach Drew Pascua said.

The Raiders dominated the opening set while the Owls had seven hitting errors. MPI was within 8-6 before ‘Iolani went on an 11-2 run.

The Owls adjusted their rotation in the second set and came up with three aces to even the match. They went on a 10-0 blitzkrieg behind the play of Robinson and Aubree Rosehill-Ching for an 18-6 lead and coasted in.

MPI had momentum in the third, taking a 6-3 lead but ‘Iolani, behind Uhr’s three consecutive aces — all floaters, helped the Raiders take a 19-12 lead.

Robinson and Ganahl each had two kills during an 8-3 run by the Owls, cutting the lead to 22-20. But ‘Iolani’s Robinson, middle blocker Haley, came through with a step-out kill for a three-point lead.

‘Iolani sealed the victory on Keala’s final ace of the night.

"Everybody was ready in that third set. We had to execute. We had to listen to our coaches. and it paid off," said Haley Robinson, who had four of her five kills in the third. "I hope Mid-Pac does well. We play KS on Friday and we have to focus on that and get ready."