WAIMEA — After finding a groove in game one and losing it in game two, Waimea smashed Kaua‘i High in game three, sweeping the Red Raiders at Clem Gomes Gym last night and clinching the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys varsity
WAIMEA — After finding a groove in game one and losing it in game two, Waimea smashed Kaua‘i High in game three, sweeping the Red Raiders at Clem Gomes Gym last night and clinching the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys varsity volleyball’s first round with a 4-0 record.
The game scores were 25-13, 26-24 and 25-13.
After falling behind 7-2 in game one, the Menehune got an unexpected spark and fire from sophomore middle blocker Kalen McCracken, who came in with energy, blocks and kills, said Waimea Head Coach Tony Magaoay.
Behind his energy, Waimea moved ahead, took game one, and started strong in game two as well, building leads of 7-1 on solid play and Quinn Gonsalves’ ace, and 10-5, before Kaua‘i High came roaring back behind the serving of Darren Lapitan and Tyren Hasegawa, tying the game at 16 and 17 and setting the stage for the dramatic end of game two.
After the 17-17 tie, the lead changed hands a few times, with neither team able to get more than two points ahead to the end.
Waimea started strong again in game three, behind the service of Xavier Quirao, charging out to a 6-0 lead, and the Raiders could get no closer than within seven points of Waimea after trailing 11-5.
Gonsalves continued the theme of McCracken’s fire in games two and three, racking up seven kills, two aces, a block and an assist. David Kaohelaulii had seven kills and three blocks in the last two games, Kalani Apilado had at least six blocks, two digs and a kill, and setter Jared Matsumoto had at least 16 assists, two digs and two blocks.
Kaleo Cummings provided Kaua‘i High’s firepower in game two, with four kills. He also ended with two assists. Austin Simao had four kills and three blocks in games two and three, and Hasegawa had five assists, two kills and two blocks in the final two games.
Magaoay was disappointed in Waimea’s play in game two. “They let them back in the game. They thought they were out to have fun,” he said of his players building another lead then losing it.
In game three, Kaua‘i High came out flat, he said.
“We just gotta get back (on the practice floor) and get better. We have to be as best as we can be,” Magaoay said, saying his boys don’t always bring loud enthusiasm with them to practice.
“It’s hard to light the fire.”
Kaua‘i High Head Coach Merrill Carvalho responded “good question” when asked what happened to his troops. “Our boys weren’t focused at all tonight.”
Asked what adjustments might need to be made, he said, “We just gotta take it one practice at a time. We got one more round to go,” he said, indicating the Raiders are looking at some hard practices upon returning to campus at the end of spring break next week.
“We gotta learn how to finish.”
First, though, they must travel to the Bernice Hundley Gym and take on Kapa‘a on Saturday. The varsity clash starts around 6:30 p.m.. with the junior-varsity match at 5:30 p.m.
Kaua‘i High exacted a bit of revenge in Waimea, taking the junior-varsity contest 25-11, 25-13 and 25-16.
