Boys, girls take must-win matchesFrom TGI Staff Reports The Kaua’i High School boys stared defeat in the face Wednesday in a must-win situation at the 2000 Nissan State Volleyball tournament. But the boys’ eyes did not waver. Instead of folding
Boys, girls take must-win matchesFrom TGI Staff Reports
The Kaua’i High School boys stared defeat in the face Wednesday in a
must-win situation at the 2000 Nissan State Volleyball tournament.
But the
boys’ eyes did not waver.
Instead of folding when they trailed 8-0 to Maui
in the first set, the Raiders regrouped. Kaua’i lost the first game 15-9, but
used the momentum it had gained to steamroll Maui 15-7, 15-7 in the second and
third sets.
“It’s the first time in a decade or two, I think, that a team
from Kaua’i has made it out of the pool round,” Kaua’i coach Shawn Doo said in
a telephone call from Honolulu. “We just finally came out and got some momentum
and we’re able to play consistently.”
The Raiders now face Punahou in the
quarterfinal round Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center on the
UH-Manoa campus.
The Buffnblu walked through their pool play, blasting
Roosevelt 15-7, 15-5 on Tuesday, then cruising by Waiakea, a team with a
perfect record this season, 15-10, 15-12. Punahou has won the past six state
tournaments.
“When we found out we’d be playing Punahou,” Doo said, “I just
told the guys to replace the name with another school’s name. I just asked them
to forget the name of the school they are playing.
“They are
beatable.”
Mark Rodrigues led the Raiders with 11 kills Wednesday. He got a
considerable amount of help from outside hitter Mauricio Fabro, who sent 10
balls to the floor.
“Matt [Miguel] moved the ball around really well
tonight from the setter’s position,” Doo said. “Our middles [David Medeiros,
Jason Kashiwabara] got in the game, and we just played really well as a
team.
“Now, we just have to come out scrappy against Punahou and prove we
are one of the best teams in the state.”
Girls
In their first-ever
trip to the state tournament, the Kaua’i girls also have qualified to play in
the quarterfinal round at the state tournament.
After losing a nailbiter to
McKinley Tuesday, the Raiders came out smoking Wednesday evening. Playing in t
he final game of the pool sessions, Kaua’i cruised to a 15-10, 15-11 win over
Molokai.
The Raiders’ victory earns them the right to play the winner of
Pool C, St. Francis.
St. Francis cruised to two wins in its pool. It
defeated St. Joseph 15-7, 15-4 Wednesday and Moanalua, the top seed in that
particular pool, 15-9, 15-12.
Attempts to reach Kaua’i coach Richard
Roberts at his hotel in Honolulu were unsuccessful. Also, because the
Kaua’i-Molokai game was the final of the evening, statistics were not included
on the final results fax Wednesday night.
