LIHUE — The Warrior wahine worked out of a late deficit to seal a victory in four sets. Kapaa High School’s varsity girls volleyball team defeated Kauai High, 3-1, Friday evening at the Red Raiders’ home gym. “The first two
LIHUE — The Warrior wahine worked out of a late deficit to seal a victory in four sets.
Kapaa High School’s varsity girls volleyball team defeated Kauai High, 3-1, Friday evening at the Red Raiders’ home gym.
“The first two sets, they came to play. Then the same happened (like) in Waimea where in the third set, we didn’t have that push,” said Warriors head coach Evan Costa. “We let Kauai High back in, and they took advantage of that. Then they had us on the ropes in the fourth set. We were looking at a fifth set.”
In the fourth set, Kauai had a 23-19 lead and were in position to force a fifth set after losing the first two games. Kapaa (8-2 KIF, 3-1 second round) then scored five unanswered points to take a 24-23 lead. Three of those points were scored by senior middle blocker Siokapesi Paua. She had five kills and a block in the game.
Two Warriors seniors — setter Kunani Tuttle and outside hitter Haaheo Mahinai — scored the team’s next two points to win the set, 26-24. Mahinai had the game-winner.
“Once we lost that point, when it was 23-19, we just told each other, ‘OK, right here we need to push. We worked too hard. We can’t give it up now,’” Mahinai said about the team working out of that late deficit.
Kapaa won the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-23. Mahinai also had the game-winning kills in those sets as well. She ended the game with eight kills and an ace.
Mahinai said she wasn’t aware she scored those game-winners because she and her teammates are focused on the big picture.
“I really don’t look at the score as much. We just play the game to three (wins), so we’re not really worried about that,” she said. “We try to stop the other team from getting a run so we can be up all the time.”
Kauai (4-6 KIF, 1-3 second round) won the third set to avoid getting swept at home, 25-22.
Red Raiders head coach Dorene Matias said losing that lead was disappointing, but she wasn’t disappointed in her team’s effort. Though the team isn’t in contention for the second round, she hopes her girls can end the season positively with two games remaining in the regular season.
“I know the majority of the girls didn’t give up. I know they didn’t, or else we wouldn’t have hung in that long. They didn’t give up knowing that they weren’t in contention for the KIF,” Matias said. “They came. They gave me everything they could. I’m still proud of them.”
Costa said he’s glad his team was able to recover to win that fourth set, but would rather his team win in straight sets because the chance was there.
“They ended up figuring it out, digging deep and pulling out the fourth set,” he said. “Everybody, all 14 girls, whether you’re in the game or not, you got to stay in the game and be ready when you’re called.”
Tuttle had 36 assists, four kills and two aces for Kapaa. Junior middle blocker Paea Tafea had 11 kills and four blocks. Senior backside hitter Tori Daligcon-Pomaikai had 13 kills.
Senior outside hitter Adrienne Graycochea had 17 kills, a block and an ace for the Red Raiders. Senior setter Leisa Eto had 12 assists and six kills. Sophomore libero Tia Takasaki had five aces and a kill.
The junior varsity Red Raider girls won their match versus the Warriors, 2-1, winning the first and second sets, 25-21 and 25-18. The JV Warriors won the third set, 25-15.
In the night’s other Kauai Interscholastic Federation match, Waimea (8-2, 4-0 second round) defeated Island School in straight sets, 25-12, 25-6 and 25-14, to remain unbeaten in the season’s second round. The JV Menehune also won in straight sets against the Voyagers, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-23, in Puhi.
Waimea will host Kauai and Kapaa will play at Island School (0-10 KIF, 0-4 second round) on Tuesday. The JV matches will begin at 5 p.m. and the varsity will follow.
