girls volleyball: Waimea finishes 8th at HHSAA

LIHU‘E — The Waimea Lady Menehune girls volleyball team saw its season come to a close Saturday, finishing in eighth place in the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association state tournament.

After a perfect 12-0 season in the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation sent coach Chad Delanoza and the team to Honolulu to take on the state’s other top squads, Waimea suffered a heartbreaking first-round defeat to Kailua. A 16-14, fifth-game loss ended the team’s unbeaten run.

They managed to rebound and win their first contest in the consolation bracket, besting Seabury Hall 25-19, 28-26.

The season came to an end Saturday in another extremely close match, with Waimea falling 25-15, 24-26, 15-13 to Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy. Waimea held a late lead in the match, a 13-11 advantage in the deciding game, but struggled to close the door, which was also the case in the loss to Kailua.

After the match, Delanoza said that what he was most proud of was the team’s ability to pull together through adversity. He said each player had an important role in the team’s success and each girl was able to “be part of a big puzzle.”

He feels that all the lessons learned by this young team this year will only help them get even better in the future.

“With each experience, we get better prepared for next season,” he said.

Jayme Jacinto, a key component to the team’s success all season, led the Lady Menehune Saturday with nine kills, also adding eight digs.

Outside hitter Hamiha Arquette, the team’s lone senior who made the trip for the tournament, had a strong final performance with eight kills and just one error.

Middle blocker Brandee Victorino had six kills and an ace, while Jazzy Bradbury and Robin Moura had five and four kills, respectively. Setter Fiare Moe led both teams with 25 assists.

The team ends the season with an overall record of 13-2.