Even amid internal chaos, everything at Kahuku comes out OK.

The sixth-ranked Red Raiders took the floor with a makeshift lineup and beat Kaiser 25-21, 21-25, 15-12 on Thursday night at Kaiser.

The Red Raiders were without regular setter Penina Snuka, who sprained her ankle last week, and gave Rachel Blake the start.

Blake had 13 assists in the first set, but slowed after that as Kahuku’s offense sent the ball over the net with two hands more often than it did with one. Nearly everyone was playing out of position to cover for Snuka.

Kahuku coach Camilla Ah-Hoy turned to outside hitter Talia Brown in the third set, making her the setter and she carried the Red Raiders with four assists, two digs and a kill.

"We have to find a lineup that works," Ah-Hoy said. "Yes, we were without our main setter, but that effects everyone. They seemed to have more of a connection with Brown, but both girls did well."

Kahuku improved to 4-0 and won its first match of the season against an OIA Red team, but it wasn’t easy. In their previous four games, all sweeps, no team had been able to score more than 18 points off the Red Raiders. Kaiser, which dropped to 1-4, did that and more.

The Cougars made their intentions known from the outset, jumping on the Red Raiders to take a 13-9 lead.

Kahuku went on an 8-2 run to take a two-point lead, and Adora Anae kept her foot on the Cougars’ throats. Anae had seven kills in the set, including three in a row at one point, all of them bombs off sets from Blake. Anae finished the match with 14 kills and 14 digs.

But Anae couldn’t help Kahuku in the second set, burying five kills but staying a step behind Kaiser’s Annika Rigterink the whole way. Rigterink had eight kills in the set and provided the telling blow when she bombed a kill over the net that Kahuku got a hand on but was called for a lift.

Rigterink led the Cougars with 12 kills on 25 attempts.

The teams played even in the third set, finding themselves knotted at 12 when Kahuku’s Sina Tonga buried a kill for the advantage and Rigterink rose high over Kahuku’s block only to hit it into the net.

Ashley Mataele ended it for Kahuku with an ace on the next play.

Kahuku next plays Roosevelt at home on Tuesday, while the Cougars visit Anuenue.

"The level of intensity was higher, going from White to Red, and Kaiser did a good job. They dug a lot of balls. A lot of factors go into our performance tonight." Ah-Hoy said.