LIHU‘E — The 2010 Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys volleyball season is underway, as the Kapa‘a Warriors held off the Kaua‘i Red Raiders, Wednesday night at the Kaua‘i High School Gym. Kapa‘a came away with a four-set victory, 17-25, 25-9, 25-17,
LIHU‘E — The 2010 Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys volleyball season is underway, as the Kapa‘a Warriors held off the Kaua‘i Red Raiders, Wednesday night at the Kaua‘i High School Gym.
Kapa‘a came away with a four-set victory, 17-25, 25-9, 25-17, 25-22, coming back from a late six-point deficit in the fourth to start the year off with a road win.
Setter Kekoa Colipano did most of the feeding for the finishers up front, notching 14 assists in the match. He also tallied three kills and two aces.
One of his running mates from the Kapa‘a varsity basketball team, Stephen Greenleaf, was on the receiving end of many Colipano feeds, finishing the night with 10 kills.
Sean Shigematsu showed off his size and touch with six kills and three blocks.
Weston Moniz was an impressive all-court player, totaling six kills, six assists, two blocks and an ace, while Preston Ikehara-Yasay chipped in five kills.
For Kaua‘i, Lucas Riley led the team with seven kills. He also showed off his hops defensively, coming away with six blocks.
Jon Butac set up his Raider teammates with 14 assists.
Cody Morden had five kills and Silas Gerardo came alive to give the Raiders a boost in the fourth game, finishing three kills and pounding three aces.
The Warriors jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the opening game, but the Raiders put together a 15-5 run after that, capped by a Kevin Reyes ace, to take a 17-11 lead, which they held on to in the eight-point win.
Kapa‘a came out hot again in the second, but this time did not give an inch, scoring the game’s first eight points and running out to a 13-2 advantage.
It continued to finish rallies and not make mistakes, taking a 23-5 lead on a Jason Iloreta ace.
Kaua‘i scored four quick points, but the comeback attempt was a futile one, as Kapa‘a notched the 16-point win with a Shigematsu block.
The Raiders turned the tables in the third, starting off as the sharper team and led 7-3 after a number of quick points.
But an 8-1 Kapa‘a run, which included three aces from Greenleaf, turned the tide. It continued to separate from Kaua‘i, grabbing an 18-11 advantage to force a Raider timeout.
The teams traded points and Moniz and Ikehara-Yasay combined on a feed and finish to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth game was tight from the onset, as back-to-back Gerardo aces put Kaua‘i up 5-3, but the teams evened up again at 9-9.
The match appeared to be headed to a deciding fifth game when Gerardo’s third ace gave Kaua‘i an 18-12 lead.
However, Kapa‘a rallied yet again, evening the game at 21 points apiece on a Colipano ace that just passed over the net.
Leading 24-22, the Warriors claimed victory on a Raiders service error to end the match.
In junior varsity play, Kapa‘a took two of three games against Kaua‘i in its 25-19, 25-17, 18-25 victory.
The Waimea Menehune and Island School Voyagers tangled in another KIF varsity match, Wednesday night at Waimea High School.
Match results were unavailable at press time, but will be available in a future issue of The Garden Island.
