Campbell sweeps past Kaimuki to title

They are, in some ways, the last-minute champions.

Campbell, which had a late start to the preseason and was an underdog in the playoffs, swept Kaimuki 25-20, 25-23 last night to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference championship.

A boisterous crowd of about 1,000 at McKinley Student Council Gym saw senior setter Randy Kalauli use all his floormates for a balanced attack that stymied the Bulldogs.

"I'm grateful," Campbell coach Shane Duhon said. "It deals totally with their trust in our coaching staff and their dedication to the sport."

Kalauli amassed 19 assists in a near-flawless performance. Guiliano Stevenson had six kills, Zachary Manuel and Joseph Atimua tallied five each, and Lopa Lesa added four.

A year ago, Kalauli was a libero at Molokai. This season, he arrived at Campbell, but the team didn't have a promising start.

"We started one week before our first game," he said. "I give props to our football players. Seven of them, it's their first year."

Desmond Tautofi led Kaimuki (11-4) with 10 kills. Charley Tauanuu, Joshua Gacusana and Rodney Maui had four kills each.

Campbell (10-4) avenged a regular-season loss to Kaimuki by staying composed while the Bulldogs committed 14 hitting errors. The Sabers had only seven hitting misfires.

Kaimuki was within 13-11 in the first game, but three service aces by Scott Cayabyab fueled an 8-2 run.

The Bulldogs rallied with a kill and two aces by Tauanuu and pulled within 23-20. Campbell closed out the first set with kills by Kalauli and Manuel.

The Sabers blitzed the 'Dogs with a 12-5 run to open the second set, but Tautofi got hot and sparked a Kaimuki comeback attempt. The 6-foot-2 sophomore scored three points in a row to bring the Bulldogs within 23-21.

Manuel pounded his final kill to bring Campbell within a point of the win, but a hitting error plus a kill over the middle by Tauanuu pulled Kaimuki within 24-23.

Lesa's tip over the right side off a block gave the Sabers a hard-earned win.

"They gave it their best. We're going to states, so this is not over," Kaimuki coach Jared Westhaver said.