Iwamoto leads Kalani over Aiea in playoffs

Kalani's offense was struggling and, with an eight-point early lead already squandered, needed a new source to take things up a notch against Aiea in last night's Oahu Interscholastic Association Girls Volleyball Championship quarterfinals.

That source, as it turned out, was its setter.

Senior Melia Iwamoto put down lightning-fast dump shots for two of the last three points of the game -- including the match-winner -- and helped Kalani hold off host Aiea, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22.

Early in Game 3, the upstart Falcons seemed poised to bounce Aiea from the winners bracket. Then Na Ali'i, the West's top seed, stormed back from a 9-1 deficit to take a 17-15 lead in the final game of a seesaw match.

Falcons coach Daryl Tamashiro described his team's rapid change of fortunes as "an emotional roller coaster" and explained that sometimes in such situations, teams play better when they're down.

Kalani (7-6) earned an automatic berth into the state championships and a date with Roosevelt in the OIA semifinals on Thursday.

Iwamoto hit eight kills while alternating between setting and hitting for her team, and added a pair of aces. Her late-game heroics spurred Kalani, down 22-21, on a 4-0 run to win the match.

The setter was eyeing the court just beyond the net on the right side, where there appeared to be a gap in the Aiea defense. Iwamoto, 5-foot-7, elevated above the net in that spot for both of her dump shots, the only ones she attempted the whole match.

"I kind of thought 'get the game done and get the shot,'" Iwamoto said. "I thought 'this is the time to hit it over there.'"

Tamashiro decided beforehand to add a new wrinkle.

"(Melia) is our main setter, but now in the playoffs we need another arm to swing, and we're gonna let her swing," said Tamashiro. "Everybody kind of sees us without Melia (attacking) ... so we're just trying to keep it up and keep it fresh toward the end."

Iwamoto also enjoyed success at the service line -- during the Falcons' 9-1 sprint to open Game 3, eight of the points, including two aces, were a result of her booming jump-serves.

"It's easier for me cause the team is taking the role of leadership kind of away from me, taking it off my back. Our team is getting together, and I can swing away," she said.

No. 5 Roosevelt 2, Pearl City 0

Emily Maeda hit six service aces and added four kills to help lead Roosevelt over Pearl City 25-18, 25-14 in the OIA Girls Volleyball Championship quarterfinals.

The Rough Riders (11-1) also turned to the serving ability of senior Hoku Oleole, who dealt the Chargers 10 straight balls for eventual points in the middle of Game 2 and helped put her team up 13-4, a deficit too large for Pearl City (9-5) to overcome.

No. 8 Kahuku 2, Mililani 0

The Red Raiders had little trouble sweeping the Trojans out of the playoffs, 25-14, 25-15, in their attempt to win their fifth OIA title in six years.

No. 4 Moanalua 2, McKinley 0

The Menehunes survived a scare from the Tigers in the first game to win 25-23, 25-19 and move on to a date with Kahuku in the semifinals on Thursday.