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Hout’s hitting powers
Moanalua over Kahuku
Danie Hout pounded 21 kills as Moanalua stunned Kahuku 21-25, 25-15, 25-23 last night in a pivotal Oahu Interscholastic Association East Division girls volleyball showdown.
With two key wins this week -- the other at Roosevelt on Tuesday -- Moanalua improved to 5-0.
Kahuku dropped to 5-1, sharing second place with Farrington, which lost its first match against Kalani on Tuesday. Much of the regular season remains, but Moanalua has come a long way since the early weeks of preseason, when Kahuku and Kalani were substantially ahead.
"This was a good measuring stick for us," Moanalua coach Thomas Lake said. "We can still get a lot better."
Hout was a big reason for Moanalua's elevation. She had just five hitting errors and provided steady defense along with Melanie Manutai. Even with the senior outside hitter's sterling performance, the Menehunes needed help in every way to pull off the win before 800 boisterous fans at Moanalua's gym.
"It could've been the jitters, but once we got the adrenaline out, we focused on our goals," Hout said.
Briana Amian, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, tallied six of her eight kills in the final set to help Moanalua.
Camilla Ah-Hoy led the Lady Raiders with 16 kills. Half of the kills came in the opening set, when Kahuku was en fuego and Moanalua seemed to be a step slow.
"We practiced keying on Danie all week," Kahuku coach Mona Ah-Hoy said. "Our sets were nice and low, but in the second game, our sets got high, and they had all day to get a block on Camilla."
Moanalua led Game 1 briefly before Kahuku went on a 10-4 run to seize command. Camilla Ah-Hoy wasn't alone in the destruction. Lily Latu and Aisha Ale each had three kills as the Lady Raiders maintained a small lead throughout the set.
Kahuku's setting problems gave Moanalua a chance to take control in the second set, and the Menehunes didn't hesitate. Kahuku committed six unforced errors as Moanalua found its groove. The Menes led 14-4 and were never seriously threatened.
"We usually go 5-1, but we switched to a 6-2 with Krysten (Adsuara) and Shaye (Katada)," Lake said.
That turned the match around. So did help from Manutai and Chelsee Iaela. Manutai chipped in with two kills and a roof, and Iaela added three kills to help Moanalua even the match.
Amian, who had all four of her roofs in the first two sets, came alive offensively in the final game. The sophomore didn't hit with authority in Game 1, but by the third set, she was unstoppable opposite Hout. She laid down six kills without an error, while Hout tallied six more kills of her own.
Still, Moanalua returned Kahuku's generosity by committing 10 unforced errors. That allowed the Lady Raiders to stay in the match. With Moanalua ahead 6-5, five of Kahuku's next seven points came on Moanalua gifts, and the Lady Raiders led 12-11.
The lead changed hands four times, and with the game tied at 16, Kahuku opposite Ane Vea pounded a kill to give her team a narrow lead. However, a net violation was called, and Moanalua took the lead, 17-16.
The Menehune extended the advantage to 22-18 thanks to a pair of kills by Hout and some untimely Kahuku passing errors. The Lady Raiders got within 24-23 on Leeann Mapu's service ace. A bad pass to Hout nearly gave Kahuku another point, but Hout got to the ball and sent a desperation tip over the net.
The ball glanced off the block attempt of Luseane Kauvaka and fell out of bounds, giving Moanalua the win.
