KAPA‘A — The Waimea Lady Menehune girls volleyball team stayed perfect through the early portion of the season, picking up a 25-21, 25-20, 25-16 win over the Kapa‘a Lady Warriors at Kapa‘a High School on Wednesday night. The win bumps
KAPA‘A — The Waimea Lady Menehune girls volleyball team stayed perfect through the early portion of the season, picking up a 25-21, 25-20, 25-16 win over the Kapa‘a Lady Warriors at Kapa‘a High School on Wednesday night.
The win bumps Coach Chad Delanoza’s team up to 3-0 with wins against each of the other Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation opponents so far. Wednesday was to be a true test, since Waimea’s first two matches were on its home court.
Kapa‘a moves to 1-2 on the season, with both losses still showcasing a competitive team and strong frontcourt play.
Waimea’s Fiare Moe was the playmaker all night, setting up teammates for scoring opportunities. Moe had six assists in the first game, 10 in the second and nine more in the third, totaling 25 for the match.
Her main targets were middle blocker Brandee Victorino, outside hitter Jayme Jacinto and opposite Robin Moura. Jacinto led the way with 13 kills for the match. Victorino tallied eight and Moura had seven.
Waimea took control of the first game early, collecting eight straight points to take an 11-3 lead. Kapa‘a rallied back to get within four at 16-12, before four straight Waimea points upped the lead back to eight. The Lady Warriors managed to claw back and trailed 23-20, but that was as close as they would get, ultimately losing the opening game by four points.
The second game was tighter through the first half of action, with Kapa‘a staying within striking distance and trailing 11-9. Waimea then started to finish off plays with the precise striking of Jacinto and Victorino being the ultimate catalyst. They took 10 of the next 13 points to grab a 21-12 advantage.
Kapa‘a again hung tough and a couple of late aces by Mele Yama and Leinaala McCabe kept the game in doubt at 24-20.
However, Moe found outside hitter Hamiha Arquette for the final finish and the 25-20, game two victory.
Kapa‘a’s spirit was not broken and the team gathered prior to the third game to re-energize and pump themselves back up. Yet an early run that netted Waimea a 9-4 lead never really diminished and back-to-back aces by Victorino later gave her squad a 20-12 edge. The 25-16 final put an end to the night’s action.
Yama did much of the assisting on the night for Kapa‘a, tallying 10 over the three games. Jessilyn Artaho-Aki added four.
Kapa‘a Middle blocker Tori Tuttle was again a force up front with seven kills in the first game, but her opportunities were limited throughout and she finished with 11 on the night. Outside hitter Taryn Kaui and Artaho-Aki each added four.
“I’m happy with the way we played tonight,” said Waimea’s Coach Delanoza after the contest. “This is a good start for us.”
Delanoza added that he and his team are not going to rest on their early success.
“I’m not satisfied yet and I think the girls realize that, too.”
He said that the team is still growing and still learning and is slowly coming around, but added that Wednesday’s win was an important one.
“This was a big win for us tonight,” he said.
