Moanalua in OIA Red final
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Moanalua girls volleyball team quickly went through a victory tunnel provided by its fans after last night's victory over Farrington.
Na Menehune players certainly deserved it.
Kaylee Ponce had 22 kills, and Lahela Kaili-Laroyo added 13 kills and four blocks as Moanalua outlasted host Farrington, 25-18, 16-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-10, in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference tournament.
"We pulled through and we had to come back," said Moanalua coach Tommy Lake. "We were down, we were struggling."
Moanalua, the East runner-up, will play Kahuku for the title tonight at 7:30 at McKinley.
Kahuku, the East champion, is 3-0 in the double-elimination tournament, so Moanalua (12-4 overall, 3-1 in tournament) will have to defeat it twice for the title. If a second championship match is necessary, it will be played Saturday at McKinley at either 6 or 7:30 p.m.
Kahuku (15-0) beat Moanalua in a five-set thriller in an earlier tournament match Tuesday.
The fifth set last night was tied at 8 before Na Menehune took over. Two consecutive double blocks put Moanalua up 12-9. After a kill by Farrington's Keui Remigio, Na Menehune had another double block.
"In a fifth game, we have a lot of subs so I put in the biggest blockers," Lake said.
A Farrington hitter error and Carsen Mata's ace ended it.
"We just had to stay together and not give up," Ponce said.
In the fourth and fifth sets, Ponce had eight kills without an error and an ace for Moanalua, ranked No. 5 in The Advertiser's Top 10 poll.
In the first set, Ponce finished with seven kills, and Deena Dela Cruz served five in a row to give Na Menehune a 23-14 lead.
Farrington, the East's No. 4 team, led 13-11 in the second set before Fraustina Sagapolu served six in a row, including an ace, to give the Governors a 20-11 lead.
In the third set, Moanalua led 17-16 before Farrington's Desiree Klemin served seven in a row to get the Governors to set point. The rally included two aces and three kills by Remigio.
In the fourth set, Farrington (11-7, 3-2) led 16-11 before Moanalua took over. Kaili-Laroyo sparked the 14-3 set-ending rally with three consecutive kills.
Fenumiai Tofilau had 12 kills for Farrington, which will be the OIA's No. 3 team in the state tournament.
"We played with a lot of heart," said Farrington coach Reagan Agena. "We missed a few opportunities."
Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.