Nainoa Frank slammed 12 kills as Kalaheo swept Waipahu 25-15, 25-21, eliminating the Marauders from title contention in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference volleyball playoffs.

Setter Silila Tucker dished out 23 assists, Reeve Troberg had six kills, and the team’s lone senior, Jordyn Reindollar, added five kills.

Kalaheo, ranked No. 7 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, will meet nemesis Moanalua tomorrow at McKinley’s gym. The Mustangs (13-2) lost to Moanalua last week in the double-elimination tourney and will need to defeat Na Menehune twice to capture the league championship.

For now, Kalaheo can enjoy the fruits of its labor. Coach Edwin Chun and his team have worked diligently on getting better consistency and intensity for a full match. He got one of the two last night.

"We’re one step closer to our goal. We have to step up our consistency. Still have a lot of unforced errors," Chun said. "We have to learn how to keep momentum on our side."

The Mustangs hit .465 and added four aces, including three by Troberg in a second-set rally.

"It was a good win. We played with a lot of emotion," Tucker said. "We’ve got to focus and believe in ourselves."

Sophomore Vailuu Luuga, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, led Waipahu (12-3) with four kills. The Marauders hit a good percentage (.413), but didn’t get many opportunities, thanks to Tucker’s variety of targets.

Kalaheo was explosive from the start, dominating the opening set. The second set, however, was a mix of unforced errors and big hits. Waipahu took its biggest lead, 11-7, after a string of hitting errors by Kalaheo.

Instead of building on the lead, the Marauders committed a series of mistakes as well. Kalaheo rallied from an 18-14 deficit with 9-0 run. Troberg had all three of his aces as the Mustangs went up 23-18.

Junior Triton Tatupu’s kill brought Waipahu within 24-21, but Frank ended it with a decisive blast over the middle.

Waipahu had already clinched one of the OIA Red’s six state-tourney berths. The Marauders played much better in the second set, for whatever reason.

"I guess the jitters were kind of out," coach Julna Pasicaran said. "It’s too bad. We tried going over their block. We’ll learn. We’ve got to play better defense, cover and we’ve got to adjust. Sometimes you can’t help it, but you’ve got to adjust to what’s going on. It’s a tough loss. We’ve got to get ready for states now."

The Marauders got two kills and six assists from senior Christopher Fidow, and three kills from Clyde Ortega.