LIHUE — Kauai High School boys volleyball wrapped up its season with a three-set win over Island School Monday night.
Despite the Voyagers staying close, and taking the lead in several occasions, the Red Raiders controlled the night, sealing the Kauai Interscholastic Federation season with a 25-20, 25-14, and 25-23 string of victories at Kauai High School.
“Tonight is for the seven seniors,” said Kauai coach Enoch A‘ana. “This is one of the few Kauai teams that have stayed together for four years, starting play from when they were freshmen. One of the seniors — Kaimani Tecson — was a starter for the four years he’s played.”
In keeping with his goal of playing everyone, A‘ana started play with his non-seniors, battling the Voyagers point-for-point through the 15th mark in the first set.
Dylan Date of the Voyagers was strong in the middle, and a smack in the first frame pulled Island School to within a point, 15-14.
Kauai answered with a pair of bangs from Samuel Asano, and coupled with Voyager miscues, the Raiders controlled the set with Rence Soriano and Miles Davis sealing the deal with confident hits.
“We celebrate Miles Davis, tonight along with the seniors,” A‘ana said. “He’ll be moving to the mainland with his family and we won’t see him next year.”
During the final set, Voyagers found light as hits from Kainoa Merano, getting strong cheer from the Raider fan base on his whacks, and Date pulled Island School to within 19-18 when Kauai committed a passing error.
Service errors from both sides, and a Raider passing error knotted the match, 20-20 before Alae Miike blocked a hard Raider hit for the lead, 21-20. The lead was short-lived as the Voyagers walked into a service error, and a Tecson hammer put Kauai in control 23-21.
Another service error pulled the Voyagers to within 23-22 before Raiden Pagatpatan whacked out a lead, 24-22. But another Kauai service error kept the Voyagers in the game before Tecson closed the curtain with a solid bang.
“Too many errors,” A‘ana said. “We had too many to keep track of. But tonight is for the seniors.”
A‘ana, who earlier in the night meshed both teams together in leading the national anthem, called out Miike, the only senior on the Island School team, for recognition before the Voyagers adjourned to the locker rooms and silently slipped away through the back door.
Red Raider seniors accepting accolades from its fan base included Travis Duran, Joshua Garcia, Kyson Ikehara, Raiden Pagatpatan, Roed Pagatpatan, Hunter Yoshioka, and Tecson.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
