KAPA‘A — The 2010 girls volleyball season began with a back-and-forth battle at the Kapa‘a High School gym, Tuesday night, the Red Raiders ultimately coming away with a hard-fought five-set win over the Lady Warriors. Kaua‘i High moved to 1-0
KAPA‘A — The 2010 girls volleyball season began with a back-and-forth battle at the Kapa‘a High School gym, Tuesday night, the Red Raiders ultimately coming away with a hard-fought five-set win over the Lady Warriors.
Kaua‘i High moved to 1-0 with a 26-24, 19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-11 win over Kapa‘a, with Teal Basquez leading the Raiders with 17 kills and 11 digs on the night.
The final set was even through the first 20 points, with Kaua‘i then taking a one-point edge at 11-10. With Kapa‘a ready to level the score again, Basquez came up with the biggest dig of the contest, a diving save in the back right corner. The Raiders took control of the rally and grabbed a 12-10 lead with the point.
Seizing the momentum, hey won the next two, setting up four match points.
The evening ended two points later on a Kapa‘a service error.
Malia Kagawa had a big all-around performance, finishing with eight kills, 13 assists, seven digs and four aces.
Shyanne Sadora had 12 kills and nine blocks, while Waileia Kanealii had 22 assists and seven digs.
Kapa‘a’s front line frustrated the Raiders from the outset, giving up nothing easy at the net and sending back a multitude of Kaua‘i kill attempts.
Tiore Daligcon and Jessilyn Artaho-Aki each led the Warriors with 18 blocks, followed closely by Ciarra Wainwright and Justice Kimura, who had 15 and 10, respectively.
Tylenn Morita was the top finisher for Kapa‘a, putting an end to 15 points with kills, to go with five blocks.
Aki had a match-high 27 assists.
The opening set was controlled by Kaua‘i early, but Kapa‘a responded to even things up at 21-21, then grabbing a set point on a Morita finish off an Aki feed to go up 24-23.
But Kaua‘i responded in kind with a Jennifer Grady kill, followed by a Sadora kill, each on Kagawa passes. Leading 25-24, the Raiders ended the set to go up 1-0.
The second set was much of the same, as a Kagawa ace tied things up at 17-17, before Kapa‘a forced a Kaua‘i timeout by taking four of the next five points and a 21-18 edge.
This time the Lady Warriors didn’t let up, continuing with the momentum and evening the match at a set apiece.
Tied at 8-8 in the third, the Raiders used a 9-2 run capped off by a Kanealii ace for a 17-11 lead.
Down 24-19, Kapa‘a saved two set points before Basquez finished off a Kanealii feed to go up 2-1 in the match.
Kapa‘a held a small lead throughout much of the fourth set, though Kaua‘i never trailed by more than four points. With a 23-21 lead, the Warriors gave themselves three set points on a finish by Kimura.
Kapa‘a then forced the to the fifth and decisive set when a Raider kill attempt did not find the court.
In the night’s first match, the junior varsity Raiders swept the Warriors, taking the first two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-15, before also winning the third exhibition set, 25-18.
In other KIF action, the Waimea Lady Menehune took on the Island School Voyagers at Island School.
The junior varsity match went to Waimea, who won the first two sets 25-7 and 25-18.
Island won the third set 24-26.
Results from the girls varsity match were unavailable before press time.
The season’s second matchups are Friday, as Waimea hosts Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i hosts Island School. Each will begin with JV at 5 p.m., followed by varsity no earlier than 6:30 p.m.
