Surfia Grounds had six of her 19 kills in the final set and Alessandra Siazon’s block on match point gave No. 2 Moanalua a five-set win over No. 7 Kahuku in a Wednesday night thriller at Na Menehune’s gym.
Moanalua improved to 5-0 in OIA East play (27-4 overall) with the hard-earned 25-20, 20-25, 15-25, 25-22, 21-19 win over a Kahuku team that is both improving and healing from early-season injuries.
Grounds added two aces and two blocks. Nora Carey and Kingston Auvaa had nine kills each while Cherish Mathews had seven kills.
Kahuku, which lost in four sets at home to Moanalua to begin league play, dropped to 3-2 (12-11 overall). Haley Kotobalavu led the way with 19 kills and six aces. and Makamae Schilling had 14 with four aces.
Down 2-0 in the final set, Kahuku scored six unanswered points, including three aces by Kotobalavu. Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting trusted his starters, made no substitutions, and Moanalua rallied to take a 9-6 lead. Two of the kills came from Carey.
Kahuku was within 10-9 when Grounds clutched up with back-to-back kills and Carey delivered an ace. Down 13-9, Schilling had a kill and two aces in a row to bring Kahuku within one point.
Kahuku’s serve gave Moanalua some discomfort in the opening set with six passes out of system. Moanalua made up for that with scoring balance and two aces. Grounds had four kills and one ace, and Carey also had four kills. Six Menehune had at least one kill as they opened a 16-7 lead and coasted to a 1-0 lead.
Playing without All-State selection Talia Soliai-Tui (knee), Kahuku found a way. Down 9-3, the Lady Raiders went on a 10-1 run. Ana Kaufusi registered two aces and Schilling had one during the run as Kahuku targeted Grounds in the back row. Kahuku led 14-11 after Kotobalavu’s kill.
Moanalua rallied to tie the game, but Kahuku scored on kills by Nyla Lolotai-Johnson and Kotobalavu for a 21-19 lead.
Moments later, Schilling’s roll shot from the back row opened Kahuku’s lead to 23-20. Siazon’s hitting error closed set two as Kahuku tied the match at 1-all.
The visitors in black took command in set three. At 8-all, Kaufusi had back-to-back kills and continued to provide sideline-to-sideline defense at the net. Kotobalavu caught fire as Moanalua’s serve cooled off. She had five kills and an ace in the third game. A 17-8 closing run gave the Lady Raiders a 2-1 edge in the match.
Moanalua’s big home crowd was mostly silent and subdued in the first three sets, with the exception of the JV and White teams. It was no homecourt advantage whatsoever.
In the fourth set, Kotobalavu made use of the brisk winds of Moanalua’s ceiling fans, using her floater serve for three aces in a row and an 8-5 Kahuku lead.
Moanalua’s serve-receive improved significantly after that, sparking a 10-3 run. Sakoda Frank’s ace opened Na Menehune’s lead to 15-11. Kahuku got no closer than two the rest of the set as Moanalua tied the match, 2-all.
In the White Division matchup 21-15, 19-21, 15-8. Moanalua won the junior varsity match 21-18, 21-17.
