HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Roosevelt's girls volleyball team celebrated after beating Moanalua in the OIA's Division I final.
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The girls’ last crown was in 1979
The third time was the charm for the relentless Rough Riders of Roosevelt High.
Guided by the deft touch of setter Hoku Oleole, Roosevelt used a balanced attack to edge Moanalua 25-20, 21-25, 25-19 last night to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association girls volleyball crown.
Roosevelt trailed 19-18 in the final set when Kahea Pupuhi caught fire. She pounded three kills as the Rough Riders (12-3) scored the final seven points of the match.
A frenzied crowd of more than 1,000 at McKinley Student Council Gym saw Roosevelt make it a 1-2 sweep for the OIA boys and girls championships. It was also Roosevelt's first OIA girls championship since 1979, when Robin Goo coached both the boys and girls.
Oleole finished with 19 assists and four kills for Roosevelt.
"I feel overwhelmed. We've been on TV before, so we know how to focus," the senior said.
Their ability to concentrate was key in a match filled with momentum swings and high-decibel crowd noise.
"In the first game, we played our best. Later, we were down, but that's when we talk and encourage each other," Oleole said. "We were just hoping for the best."
Moanalua (13-2), the top seed in the East, won both regular-season matchups with Roosevelt, but could not overcome a stellar defensive effort by the smaller Rough Riders.
Emily Maeda led the Rough Riders, ranked fifth in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, with eight kills and three aces.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Emily Maeda of Roosevelt soared to put one of her eight kills past Melanie Manutai of Moanalua last night.
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"Everything connects real good. It's more smooth on defense, setting, hitting," said Maeda, a junior. "We're playing with more heart now."
Kayla Motoyama and Pupuhi added six kills apiece, and Jacey Tagavilla tallied five kills and three roofs.
"We were definitely more focused," said Motoyama, referring to the earlier losses to Moanalua. "They're a great team. They're taller than us, but defensively, we're solid. Defense is something we work on a lot at practice."
The title tastes a bit sweeter for Roosevelt, especially because they reached the OIA finals a year ago, only to lose to Kahuku.
"Nothing rattles them. They believed they could win this," coach Bryan Camello said. "It's the feeling we belong, that it's just another game. Last year, just getting to the finals was a big thing."
Roosevelt will have a first-round bye and begin play in the state championships on Tuesday. Moanalua will start on Monday.
Kaleinani Kabalis led Moanalua with nine kills. Brianna Amian had eight kills, two roofs and an ace, and Melanie Manutai tallied seven kills and two aces.
Roosevelt took command early in Game 1 and led 11-5. Moanalua pulled within 16-13, but three aces by Maeda were too much to overcome. Her third ace of the game gave the Rough Riders a 22-14 lead as they took the first set.
Kabalis, a junior, had five kills in Game 2 to lead Moanalua. After going up 4-0, the Menehunes never relinquished the lead. An ace by Pupuhi brought Roosevelt within 23-21, but she committed a service error before Manutai put the game away with a kill.
Roosevelt zoomed to an 11-3 lead to open the final set thanks to six errors by Moanalua. Still, the Menehunes rallied with Kabalis at serve and Manutai taking command . She had two kills and two roofs during a run that gave Moanalua a 19-18 lead.