WAIMEA — The Menehune girls won at home to start the second round 2-0.
Waimea High School’s varsity girls volleyball team defeated Island School in straight sets Saturday night at Clem Gomes Gym in Waimea in Kauai Interscholastic Federation play, 25-19, 25-12 and 25-18.
Waimea (7-1 overall) helped its chances at back-to-back league championships after clinching the season’s first round two weeks ago.
“Every game is exciting. We’re continuing to work to get better in every game,” said Waimea head coach Chad Delanoza. “Tonight, it was a match for us that we needed to make sure we dot our i’s and cross our t’s. If not, they came here and snipped us from the back the last time around. For us, we needed to take care of the ball, take care of our side of the court and continue to play.”
Waimea’s lone loss this season was a 3-2 defeat against Island School in Waimea on Sept. 12.
When asked if that loss still hung over the team prior to Saturday’s match, Delanoza said the team put it behind right after.
“We talked about it. We addressed it as soon as the loss happened,” Delanoza said. “In life, as much of a competitor you are, you’re not always going to be on top. The ones that know how to get back on their feet, those are the competitors that we want to be.
“You cannot take away anything from Island School in that match. They did what they set out to do, and we just didn’t do a good job on our side of the court. So one, it taught us a lot of things. We addressed, and we went back to work. We’re still working. Every game isn’t a blowout for us, but it feels good to be at this point.”
In the second set, Waimea went on a 13-1 run to extend its lead to double digits. The set was won on a kill by senior outside hitter Gabrielle Peleras.
Waimea again built a double-digit lead late in the third set. The team clinched the win on a kill by junior middle blocker Isabella Bateman.
“I wanted to see us play together a little bit more. Not so much on the offensive side, but to play good team defense,” Delanoza said. “We did that at times. When we didn’t do that, that’s when we gave them the runs and let them back in the matches. That’s something we’ll work on heavily once we get back in the gym and heading toward the rest of the season.”
Facing a 24-14 deficit in the third set, Island School (1-7 KIF, 0-2 second round) went on a four-point streak to cut Waimea’s lead to single digits.
Voyager junior outside hitter Ashley Mecham had three kills during that run until Bateman scored the match’s last point.
“We still have things we got to work on. We are a young team — two seniors and three sophomores,” said Island School head coach Kylie Silva. “The sophomores, they’re stepping up. They’re doing what they got to do. They’re trying, but we just need to stop playing scared and just go.”
Even with Island School getting its first win at Waimea during the first round, Silva said he and the team did not go into Saturday’s match with heightened expectations.
“We wanted to play our game and just move on,” Silva said. “It was a good win for us. It was a confidence-booster, but we didn’t look too much into it. It was a little battle within the big war. We knew we were going to play them again in their home gym. We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. We found out what we got to work on and where we’re at right now.”
Peleras ended Saturday’s match with 11 kills and an ace. Bateman ended with five kills and two blocks.
Menehune senior outside hitter Keana Silva led Waimea with 12 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Raelee Samio had nine kills and a block. Senior setter Leiko Yamauci had seven kills, an ace and 12 assists. Freshman setter Breanna Moises had a game-high 23 assists.
Mecham was Island School’s leading scorer with nine kills, three aces and a block. Voyagers senior outside hitter Izzy Ancharski ended with three kills and an ace. Junior setter Katie Cook had three kills, two aces and six assists. Sophomore setter Sydney Jona had eight assists and an ace.
Waimea also won the junior varsity match against Island School. The JV Menehune girls won all three sets, 25-13, 25-9 and 25-10.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
