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Kalaheo adds
OIA title
The rafters of Kalaheo High School Gym can make way for one more Oahu Interscholastic Association banner.
Kalaheo, playing its usual efficient, tenacious brand of volleyball, swept Kahuku 25-17, 25-21 last night at McKinley Student Council Gym for the OIA crown.
Elias David, a 6-foot-2 junior, paced a balanced Mustang attack with eight kills. It was Kalaheo's crisp offense and relentless defense against a taller Kahuku squad that powered the victory.
Kalaheo, ranked No. 6 in the Star-Bulletin Boys Volleyball Top 10, closed league play 13-0. The Mustangs earned a bye in the first round of the state championships, which will be held at the Kamehameha-Hawaii campus in Keaau.
Kahuku, ranked No. 7, finished league play 11-2. Okosene Ale Jr. led the Red Raiders with eight kills. Hapaki Kaululaau added seven kills, while Charles Bell and Daryn Keahi tallied five apiece.
Mistakes buried Kahuku, which committed 23 hitting errors. Kalaheo countered with only 13, which helped secure a perfect OIA season.
"After every practice, we remind the players to mentally prepare," Kalaheo coach Sivan Leoni. "Before they go to sleep, they picture themselves in the perfect game.
"To be quite frank, tonight, every single player gave a great effort."
Winning a volleyball title is new territory for a school renowned for basketball success.
"We've had decently successful teams in the past," Leoni said.
Kahuku has a few days to rebound and repair the damage.
"We'll learn from our mistakes. We need to work on our blocking, our coverage in the back," said Kaululaau, a senior who is the son of coach Howard Kaululaau. "It's like, it's not even a game we gave them. We didn't want it enough. Kalaheo is a great team."
Despite the energy of more than 300 Kahuku fans in red shirts, Kalaheo came out focused. The Mustangs led 9-2 in Game 1 and never looked back. Kahuku pulled within 14-11, but the Mustangs went on a 9-2 run with the help of four Kahuku errors and closed out the game without much resistance.
Kahuku came alive in Game 2, leading 11-8 with kills by Ale and Kaululaau. Kalaheo took the lead on a roof by David and never relinquished it.
With Game 2 tied at 20, Zach Reis came up with a kill and David Moore roofed Kaululaau. Kahuku pulled within a point, but a service error gave Kalaheo a 23-21 lead. David pounded a kill, and Chris Tumaneng came up with his third ace of the match to give Kalaheo its first OIA boys volleyball championship.
The Mustangs were so focused, even Leoni's baseball cap, complete with a propeller on top, did nothing to distract them.
"It helps me think, and it helps the boys jump higher," said Leoni, a former standout at the University of Hawaii.
