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Vea gives
Kahuku boost
A star won't shine every night, but that is when another star is born.
Ane Vea pounded six of her seven kills in Game 2, sparking Kahuku over Farrington 25-22, 25-16 last night at the Governors' gym.
Kahuku, ranked No. 4 in the Star-Bulletin top 10, improved to 6-1 in Oahu Interscholastic Association East girls volleyball. Ninth-ranked Farrington dropped its second match in a row after five wins to open the season.
Camilla Ah-Hoy led Kahuku with eight kills, but struggled at times and had five hitting errors. With Ah-Hoy drawing attention from Farrington defenders, the court was open for her teammates.
"We looked really sloppy out there, but a win is a win," Kahuku coach Mona Ah-Hoy said. "Ane came alive."
Farrington, which pushed defending OIA champion Kalani to three sets in a tough loss last week, played well in streaks. "Kahuku came here prepared. They didn't give us any breaks," Farrington coach Jenic Tumaneng said.
Ane, a 5-foot-11 junior, was relatively quiet in Game 1, tallying just one kill and two roofs. Part of that was due to Kahuku's reshuffled scheme.
"After the Moanalua game, we changed our lineup and had Ane and 'Milla across each other," coach Ah-Hoy said. "But that didn't work."
Once Kahuku returned to their normal look, the tempo picked up. Or maybe it was the 40-mile drive from the North Shore that had the Lady Raiders a step slow in the opening set.
"We came out flat," Ah-Hoy said.
Tumaneng agreed. "That's why, I was hoping we could just steal that first game," he said.
Kahuku opened an 11-7 lead, but Govs' outside hitter Meilene Cenido caught fire. She pounded three kills in a row, including a left-handed tip off a misplaced set, as Farrington rallied for a 14-13 lead.
The Lady Govs still led 16-15 when unforced errors proved disastrous. Three swings by three different Govs ended up in the net, and after a net violation, Farrington had given their visitors a 23-18 lead. After a roof by Lily Latu, the Lady Raiders led by six.
Farrington pulled within two points thanks to consecutive aces by Kerrese Hogg, but Ah-Hoy put the game away with her fifth kill of the opening game.
"I think our girls tried too much for the perfect set, the perfect hit," Tumaneng said. "I tried to use our entire bench to find some girls to spark the team."
In all, Farrington generously gave Kahuku 10 points by way of unforced errors in the first game.
Vea was practically in a zone after that. The left-hander was rarely contested and pounded several points without much resistance in the back row. Still, Kahuku didn't pull away until Farrington again gave points away.
Farrington led 7-5 in Game 2 behind a pair of kills by Cenido and another ace by Hogg. However, four errors helped Kahuku go on a 9-1 run. The Lady Raiders led 14-8, and Farrington got no closer than five the rest of the way.
Cenido finished with eight kills to pace Farrington. No other Gov had more than three kills. "If we would've played well, I wouldn't mind as much," Tumaneng said. "It's hard to measure where we are."
In all, Farrington committed 18 errors. Kahuku made 12.
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