Kalaheo serves up a handful of aces, beats McKinley

Casual volleyball fans might not know the importance of an on-target, hard-driving serve.

It might not always become an ace, but it throws the opponents off. Such was the case for Kalaheo (2-0 Oahu Interscholastic Association) on Wednesday night in a 25-17, 25-10 victory over host McKinley (0-2).

"Our passing and our serving," Mustangs coach Roberta Downey said, when asked about her opinion of what was most impressive in the win. "If our serving is on, we are (close to) unstoppable. If our passing is good, anything can happen. Our serving was so tough that they had a hard time passing to their setter. A win is always good, but there’s always things to work on. Our blocking is something that can be better. A lot of their (the Tigers’) kills went off our hands."

It’s not a surprise that McKinley coach Chad Giesseman mentioned that his team’s biggest problem in the match was its serve- receive.

"We couldn’t pass (well)," said the coach, who said he’s still in the process of shuffling players around, trying to find the best place for everyone. "I feel our strength is in our defense, which will keep us in games. We usually are a strong serving team, too, but not tonight."

Syenna Masaki had a huge night, with 12 kills for the Mustangs. Two setters had a hand in keeping the Kalaheo offense going — Leslie Sanchez-Arrelano (11 assists) and Siana Yamaguchi (nine assists). Yamaguchi also pounded eight kills and had three aces.

"Our chemistry and our bond is special," said Masaki, and that closeness was evident in between sets, when the girls jumped around and danced to the music playing in the gym. "We try to maintain the game and have fun at the same time."

After playing fairly well in the first set, the Tigers looked out of sync in the second.

"We kept looking at the scoreboard and we knew it was going to be hard to catch up," said McKinley hitter Victoria Koli, who led the team with five kills, all in the first set. "And for some, the game was already over."

Koli, a senior outside hitter, said she would take the time to impress upon her teammates that the match isn’t over until the winning point is scored.

Kalaheo’s huge six-point run that gave the Mustangs a 14-3 lead in the second set was the back-breaker. Yamaguchi’s three aces came in a row during the surge.

Later, Kalaheo finished the match, with the final three points coming on a Yamaguchi kill and a block each by Violet Subee and Tyler Meredith.