HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Desmond Dela Cruz watched his kill drop past Kalaheo's Ken Uchida and Shawn Hipa last night.
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No. 7 Waianae rolls over Kalaheo in Red semi
The Waianae Seariders certainly know how to ride a wave.
With 10 kills from Anthony Robinson and a balanced attack, seventh-ranked Waianae routed Kalaheo 25-20, 25-7 last night in the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoffs.
Waianae will face the Roosevelt-Mililani winner tomorrow night at McKinley for the league crown.
Robinson, a high-flying, 6-foot outside hitter, added two service aces and a block despite a tall Kalaheo block.
"We just knew they were giants," coach Fulton Dela Cruz said. "It was like David versus Goliath."
Waianae's height disadvantage was not a factor, particularly at the net. The Seariders won their share of jousts, and a busy back row led by libero Mickey Molina was relentless.
Junior Aaron Fogatu led Waianae's serving attack with three of his team's seven aces.
"We knew things would be harder in the playoffs. We used our heads and outsmarted them," he said. "We found the pukas."
Dual setters Desmond Dela Cruz and Aaron Robinson were nearly flawless. Dela Cruz finished with seven assists and two kills, while Robinson, Anthony's older brother, amassed 10 assists, two kills and two aces.
"Our motivation all year was to be a family, not just off the court, but on the court," Desmond Dela Cruz said. "Everybody stepped it up."
The Seariders (13-1) got a little extra fuel for their fire long before the match.
"The boys were talking earlier," Dela Cruz said. "One of Kalaheo's players said, come semifinals, they're gonna romp us. The team took it as a tool to strive for more -- no holding back, no regrets."
It was a frustrating night for the Mustangs, who had nearly as many hitting errors (11) as kills (13). Christian Kepa led unranked Kalaheo (9-5) with six kills and five assists.
"I was pretty angry," coach Gavin Cook said after a post-match talk with his team. "I told them this Waianae team was going to come with a lot of energy. They're fiery and get a lot of momentum. I think our guys got caught up with the crowd, with TV."
The first game was tied at 9-all when Fogatu delivered two aces to spark Waianae's 8-2 run. Three service errors and three hitting errors hurt Kalaheo, which rallied to tie the match at 19-all and 20-all.
However, Fogatu and Marcus Fonoti pounded kills, and two more errors by Kalaheo gave the Seariders a 24-20 lead. Dela Cruz ended the set with a kill from the opposite slot.
"We couldn't let go of the bad things that happened, dwelling on mistakes instead of stepping forward," Cook said.
Waianae seized a 9-3 lead in the second game and was never threatened.
"I was worried (before the match) because we had a lackadaisical practice yesterday," Cook said. "I think they got overconfident after we beat Kalani."
Kalaheo will play for third place tomorrow.
"There's nothing like a big loss to get you fired up," Cook said.
Roosevelt 2, Mililani 0
Kenneth "Kenji" Rewick pounded 10 kills and Joby Ramos pierced the Trojans' defense with five service aces as the unbeaten Rough Riders won 25-21, 25-18 in the other semifinal.
Roosevelt (14-0) never trailed in either game and had just five hitting errors in the match. Ramos, a sophomore, added 13 assists and four kills, while Kainoa Mitchell tallied five kills and an ace. Kaina Palama tallied three kills and two aces.
Warren Duke and Reid Pangelinan led Mililani (10-4) with six kills apiece. Bronson Sagon had nine assists.
In the first game, Mililani pulled within 18-15 before Roosevelt got kills from Mitchell and Rewick, along with a roof by Aaron Mochizuki and an ace by Palama to take control.
The Trojans rallied from a seven-point deficit in Game 2 and were within 19-17 on a kill by Warren Duke. Ramos took command with two dump shots and three aces in a row.
"Yesterday's practice was kind of sketchy, so I was worried a little bit," Roosevelt coach Kaui Mendonca said. "They passed well tonight."
Rewick is one of four transfers who joined the team this season. "Our team is playing together now," the 6-foot-6 junior said.
Roosevelt defeated Waianae in a preseason tourney. "They're a lot better now," Rewick said. "They bring a lot of energy, so we gotta bring more."
Ramos agreed.
"They can pass and they're scrappy on defense," he said. "They don't make errors. The cause other teams to make errors."
Also
McKinley def. Kalani, 25-22, 21-25, 25-13
Pearl City def. Castle 2-1
ILH DIVISION I
Kamehameha def. Iolani 25-22, 25-19
Damien def. Maryknoll 24-26, 25-23, 25-20
ILH DIVISION II
Hawaii Baptist 2, University 0
The Eagles pulled away midway through both games on serving runs to sweep the Junior Rainbows 25-18, 25-18.
Ryan Leung had eight kills and Kyle Baretta added six.
Setter Matthew Lui's 4-0 serving run in Game 1 helped HBA jump ahead at 17-10. In Game 2, senior libero Devin Pang's serves helped the Eagles pull away from 18-17 to 22-17.
ILH SOFTBALL
Iolani 3, Maryknoll 1
The Raiders used three singles and an error to score all their runs with two outs in the third at Moiliili Park.
Kryn Masutani and Kelli Ann Lum had run-scoring hits to back the four-hit pitching of Kapua Kailio.
Iolani |
003 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
3 |
9 |
2 |
Maryknoll |
000 |
010 |
0 |
-- |
1 |
4 |
3 |
Kapua Kailio and Kai Masutani; Ariel Silva and Kim Okaneku. |
Leading hitters--Iol: Kylie Ahlo 3-4; Kryn Masutani 2-3, RBI; Jana Tokuhama 2b; Kelli Ann Lum RBI. Mryk: Jessica Guillermo 2b.
Kamehameha 6, Pac-Five 0
Dara Paragaduan and Shalese Javillo each scored two runs as the Warriors beat the Wolfpack.
Amber Waracka held Pac-Five to three hits while pitching the complete game.
Pac-Five |
000 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
3 |
1 |
Kamehameha |
003 |
300 |
0 |
-- |
6 |
7 |
1 |
Annie Lariosa, Sheridan Mahilona (6) and Britney Hagihara. Amber Waracka and Pipi Kalakau. W--Waracka. L--Lariosa.
Leading hitters--Kam: Dara Paragaduan 1-3, 2 runs; Shalese Javillo 1-2, 2 runs; Jamie Milwood 3-3, HR, 5 RBIs.
Mid-Pacific 4, St. Francis 1
The Owls' Kristin Yama hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to break open a tie game and beat the Troubadours.
Desi Dung pitched the complete game for Mid-Pacific, limiting St. Francis to five hits.
St. Francis |
010 |
000 |
0 |
-- |
1 |
5 |
1 |
Mid-Pacific |
100 |
000 |
3 |
-- |
4 |
9 |
2 |
Pitisi Tualau and Briana Tobio-Asato. Desi Dung and Kayai Kochi. W--Dung. L--Pitisi.
Leading hitters--StF: Tobio-Asato 2-3. KS: Jen Hamamoto 2-3; Kristin Yama 3-run HR; Courtney Niino 2-3.