KAHUKU — A surprise development before the match still did not make the Kahuku girls volleyball team's showdown with Moanalua an easy one last night.

Playing without two-time Advertiser All-State outside hitter Kaleinani Kabalis, Moanalua gave the Red Raiders all they could handle before falling, 18-25, 25-18, 25-19.

Kahuku remained unbeaten at 6-0 in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's Eastern Division. Na Menehune fell to 4-1.

According to Moanalua athletic director Joel Kawachi, Kabalis "did not meet Moanalua's academic standards" in the school's latest grade check. The OIA has a minimum standard for eligibility, but schools are allowed to impose their own higher standards as they see fit.

"My first reaction was, 'Wow, that's a big loss for them,' " said Kahuku senior outside hitter Leilani Tafuna, who noticed Kabalis out of uniform when Na Menehune walked into the gym. "She was the main girl we expected to defend."

But even with Kabalis out, Moanalua showed little ill effects in surprisingly taking the first game. Na Menehune scored five straight points to grab an 11-6 lead, then stretched it to 16-8 and 19-11.

Sarah Robinson and Kaylee Ponce each had five kills to lead Moanalua in the first game.

"I'm proud of our girls," Na Menehune coach Tommy Lake said. "We did well even without our big hitter."

Moanalua also hung tough throughout much of the second game, despite falling into an 8-3 hole out of the gate. The Red Raiders finally got some separation with four straight points to make it 21-15, then closed out the game with Nile Te'o's two kills and aces by Tajana Santiago and Alayna Galeai.

"We always tend to start slow, and it happened again in the first set," said Tafuna, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, who finished with a team-high 10 kills. "We went with a different lineup in the second game and made some tweaks."

Said Lake: "We missed some serves, and I saw in the Roosevelt match (vs. Kahuku Tuesday) that they came out tougher in the second and third games."

Kahuku led throughout the third game, although Na Menehune got as close as 22-19 after a kill by Carsen Mata. That was followed by two Moanalua errors, and Tafuna ended it with her third ace of the match.

"With or without Kalei, Moanalua is a tough team," said first-year Red Raiders coach Uila Fotu Vendiola. "I didn't want our girls to let their guard down, but we came out flat anyway. But Moanalua is a really good team; they don't only rely on (Kabalis)."

Robinson finished with a match-high 12 kills and added two aces and a block. Ponce added nine kills, Latricia Taifane contributed three blocks and Mata had six kills.

"That was nice to see," Lake said. "Sometimes we rely on Kalei too much, but tonight Sarah stepped up, Kaylee stepped up ... When we get Kalei back, I think our team will be even better."

Read Wes Nakama's blog on prep sports at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.