Moanalua takes battle of unbeatens

It took little more than a half-hour for a marquee volleyball matchup in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East to go from showdown to letdown.

Third-ranked Moanalua and No. 4 Kaiser came into their final regular-season match with identical 10-0 records. That was about where the teams’ similarities ended in a 25-16, 25-13 Moanalua blowout win on Na Menehune’s senior night.

With the win, Moanalua (11-0) seized the East’s top seed in the upcoming OIA tournament, giving itself a favorable road to what would be its first Red title since 2007.

"They’re a really good team. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Kaiser yet," Moanalua coach Tommy Lake said.

"They’re a lot better than what they showed tonight. I just feel like we got on a roll and we kept the momentum going."

The hosts had plenty to celebrate as they sent off their five seniors in style.

Senior hitter Erin Perez led the way with six kills, and no one on the opposite side of the net could respond in kind; Na Menehune kept the Cougars off-balance with effective serves. Moanalua had a 6-2 advantage in aces.

The combination of a meeting of unbeatens in their final home match lent Na Menehune boundless energy. They limited Kaiser to eight kills for the match.

"For the seniors we wanted to go hard the last game of the season," the 5-foot-9 Perez said. "We know Kaiser’s a good team. We always want to compete against them. Undefeated, you gotta go hard or go home."

Kaiser went home, and quickly, showing none of the fire that earned it a signature win against Kahuku on the North Shore last week.

Kaiser had the taller front line, but it was Moanalua that outblocked its foe 5-0. Middles Analise Austin and Silerolia Gaogao combined on a stuff to end a lopsided Game 1.

Kaiser’s hopes at a comeback were severely dampened when senior hitter Katiana Ponce dished two aces to start Game 2. It spurred a 7-1 run to start the frame, and Kaiser’s players were noticeably demoralized. They would get no closer than 13-8.

"She’s a tough server, one of our best," Lake said. "We always start her serving, wherever she is. If we can get her going, that helps us get started."

Kaiser (10-1) still gets a first-round bye in the tourney as the East second seed in its quest for its first Red title. The contest showed coach Ernest Noborikawa that his squad has much to work on in the meantime.

"We had absolutely no passing tonight. Our passing broke down and we couldn’t run anything," Noborikawa said. "We didn’t make the adjustments on the serving. Look, if you can’t pass, you can’t hit."

Many of the Moanalua fans in the packed gym stayed to watch the postgame senior festivities. The players dressed up and entertained the crowd with dance routines.