Neighbor-isle girls teams
swept on opening day

PUKALANI, Maui » Tamari Miyashiro pounded nine of her 22 kills in the final game, as Kalani outlasted Kauai 25-22, 28-30, 25-18 last night in the opening round of the Nissan Girls State Volleyball Championships at King Kekaulike Gym.

Kalani, the third-place finisher in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, advanced to today's quarterfinals. The Lady Falcons (13-3) meet top-seeded Punahou, the defending state champion, in a 6:30 p.m. match.

The win for Kalani marked the third of four ousters of neighbor-island teams on Day 1. Earlier, Kamehameha eliminated Waiakea in two games and Aiea escaped with a three-game win over Hilo. Moanalua capped the day's play by beating Baldwin.

Aiea will battle the No. 2 seed, OIA champion Kahuku (13-1), today in a 5 p.m. match.

Kamehameha, meanwhile, will face Maui Interscholastic League champion Kamehameha-Maui (13-0) at 8 p.m. It will be the first time two teams from Kamehameha Schools will play each other in the girls volleyball state tourney.

Kalani got all it could handle from Kauai, a team dominated by underclassmen.

Kehau Judd hammered 13 kills, while Tina Moger had 12 for the Red Raiders (7-3), champions of the Kauai Interscholastic Federation. Moger was especially tough in Game 2, pounding seven kills and an ace to lead Kauai's rally.

"She's a leaper. She got some good shots, cutting the ball," Kalani coach Aven Lee said. "She's a smart hitter."

The pivotal point of the match came in Game 3, with Kauai leading 15-12 thanks to Kalani's passing and hitting errors. The Lady Falcons called timeout.

"I don't know exactly what I said," said Lee, who is filling in for head coach Joey Miyashiro. "I know I reminded them that there's no second chance."

The break, plus Lee's words, had an effect. Kalani refocused, while Kauai seemed to get rattled, committing a hitting error and two passing errors as the Lady Falcons tied the game at 16.

Moger, a 5-foot-7 junior, roofed Amber Kanoa to give her team a 1-point lead. Dara Waialae, who had struggled earlier in the final game with hitting errors, came through with a kill and an ace that caught the net and trickled over to give her team an 18-17 lead. Two more Kauai hitting errors gave Kalani a 3-point lead.

The Lady Falcons closed out the match with a 5-0 run thanks to two more Miyashiro kills, two Kauai hitting errors by Judd, and a passing error.

"We just needed a little more defense and execution," longtime Kauai coach Richard Roberts said.

Aiea def. Hilo 25-14, 21-25, 25-14

Kleman-Maeva hit .277 and added eight kills. Marissa Komomua had five kills and eight digs. Mahea Naho'oikaika led Hilo, the runner-up from the Big Island, with seven kills and 10 digs.

Kamehameha def. Waiakea 25-16, 25-18

Moanalua def. Baldwin 25-18, 25-17

Danie Hout added nine kills for Moanalua (13-2), which hit .292 and had six aces.

boysKauai def. Mililani 31-29, 25-18

Todd Sorbin and Chris Burt led Mililani with six kills apiece.

Kahuku def. Kelakehe 25-22, 25-19

Ioane Spencer's 12 kills led Kealakehe.

Kohala def. Nanakuli 25-11, 25-22

Aaron Amaral had nine kills for the Golden Hawks, who fell to 9-6.

Kamehameha def. Molokai 25-17, 25-13

Albert Dudoit had five kills to lead the Farmers.

Hana jerseys lost: The volleyball bags for two starters on Hana's boys volleyball team were missing as of late last night and the Dragons found themselves scrambling for shoes and uniforms on the eve of their first boys volleyball state tournament appearance in 20 years.

Hana athletic director Richard Young confirmed that the bags had been lost after having been checked in on the team's Hawaiian Airlines flight to Hilo. A team chaperone was scheduled to check at the airport at 7 this morning to see if the bags had turned up. If not, "plan B" is already in the works.

"I have T-shirts coming up from Hana in the morning," Young said. "We're looking at getting them screened and stenciled."

State Volleyball

Girls

At King Kekaulike High School Gymnasium, Maui
Seeds: 1. Punahou (ILH); 2. Kahuku (OIA); 3. Kamehameha-Maui (MIL); 4. Kamehameha-Hawaii (BIIF).
yesterday
Match 1: Aiea def. Hilo 25-14, 21-25, 25-14
Match 2: Kamehameha def. Waiakea 25-16, 25-18
Match 3: Kalani def. Kauai 25-22, 28-30, 25-18
Match 4: Moanalua def. Baldwin 25-18, 25-17
today
Match 5: Kauai vs. Baldwin, 2 p.m.
Match 6: KS-Hawaii vs. Moanalua, 3:30 p.m.
Match 7: Kahuku vs. Aiea, 5 p.m.
Match 8: Punahou vs. Kalani, 6:30 p.m.
Match 9: KS-Maui vs. Kamehameha, 8 p.m.
tomorrow
Match 10: Hilo vs. Waiakea, 2 p.m.
Match 11: Losers of matches 6 & 8, 3:30 p.m.
Match 12: Losers of matches 7 & 9, 5 p.m.
Match 13: Winners of matches 6 & 8, 6:30 p.m.
Match 14: Winners of matches 7 & 9, 8 p.m.

Boys

At Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii campus
Seeds: 1. Punahou (ILH); 2. Waiakea (BIIF); 3. Kalaheo (OIA); 4. Hana (MIL).
yesterday
Match 1: Kamehameha def. Molokai 25-17, 25-13
Match 2: Kauai def. Mililani 31-29, 25-18
Match 3: Kohala def. Nanakuli 25-11, 25-22
Match 4: Kahuku def. Kealakehe 25-22, 25-19
today
Match 5: Nanakuli vs. Kealakehe, 2 p.m.
Match 6: Punahou vs. Kohala, 3:30 p.m.
Match 7: Hana vs. Kahuku, 5 p.m.
Match 8: Kalaheo vs. Kamehameha, 6:30 p.m.
Match 9: Waiakea vs. Kauai, 8 p.m.
tomorrow
Match 10: Molokai vs. Mililani, 2 p.m.
Match 11: Losers of matches 6 & 7, 3:30 p.m.
Match 12: Losers of matches 8 & 9, 5 p.m.
Match 13: Winners of matches 6 & 7, 6:30 p.m.
Match 14: Winners of matches 8 & 9, 8 p.m.