WAIMEA — Kauai High School came up the middle to blemish Waimea High School’s undefeated second round string of victories Friday night before an enthusiastic audience that nearly filled the Clem Gomes Gym on Waimea’s Senior Night. Tied 2-2 following
WAIMEA — Kauai High School came up the middle to blemish Waimea High School’s undefeated second round string of victories Friday night before an enthusiastic audience that nearly filled the Clem Gomes Gym on Waimea’s Senior Night.
Tied 2-2 following four sets, Waimea opened the fifth and deciding set on an ace from Raelee Samio only to give Kauai a break on an error in the middle.
Kauai’s Rebecca Zenger broke the see-saw, stringing up a 3-3 deadlock from the service block, and continuing to lace up five unanswered points that included a pair of Menehune miscues and hits from Jolea Pillos and Hailey Iha for a 7-3 lead.
A Waimea service error coupled with bangs from Kauai’s Zenger and Maria Gojkovic for the 13-7 bulge.
Waimea’s Keana Silva took the service block for five to bring the match close, 12-14 behind a pair of hits from Samio, Daysha Nelmida Rice and Gabrielle Peleras, and a Kauai miscue.
The crowd of blue-shirted and red-shirted fans raised the roof when Nelmida Rice pounded the Menehune to 13-14 only to have the Raider back row step aside and follow a Waimea backrow hit sail over the out-of-bounds, triggering a Raider bench avalanche to celebrate the 15-13 win.
Kauai won the long night in five sets, 24-26, 25-19, 25-13, 17-25 and 15-13.
“Adrenalin,” said Waimea coach Chad Delanoza. “The unforced errors did us in. The girls were playing on high emotion because it’s Senior Night. This was a tough lesson, a tough way to learn about life. Credit goes to Kauai High School for bringing us a good game.”
Waimea celebrated the final home game for two of its senior girls — Daneica Muraoka who has been one of the Waimea anchors in the middle, and Ayline Bravo, an exchange student from Chile who filled in as libero during Waimea’s last game, allowing Tehani Togioka much-needed recovery time.
“I told the girls we all play for the same team following our loss to Kapaa Tuesday,” said Kauai coach Kehau Regidor of the varsity squad who turned out smartly dressed in pink breast cancer jersies emblazoned with “Raiders” across the back. “Coaches say, ‘Whoever makes the less errors is going to win.’ Everyone is at their peak now. We were passing and setting good tonight — you can’t have anything without passing and setting.”
Vanessa Alcones filled the spot, doing setting duty for the Raiders along with getting a service ace in the third set.
“She’s only a sophomore,” Regidor said. “She was the quarterback tonight, setting up the strong middle.”
The Raiders relied on the middle, including Iha and Zenger winning over the Menehune counterparts of Samio and Muraoka while getting support hits from Gojkovic, Rachel Curnan, Kahiau Kaimina‘auao, Zenger and Jolea Pillos. Kauai libero Darien Kealoha-Albarado put together a good service string in the second set, joining Zenger who served up six unanswered points in the third set.
Earlier in the evening, the Waimea junior varsity took Kauai in three sets — 25-10, 25-13, and 25-10 — to keep its winning streak intact with two games remaining.
Kauai next hosts Island School Tuesday, and closes the season by hosting Kapaa Friday night at the Kauai High School gym.
Waimea travels to the Bernice Hundley Gym Tuesday before closing the season at the Wilcox Gymnasium Friday at Island School.
“Every game is going to be great,” Delanoza said. “It’s always great for the fans when the games are close.”
