The third time proved to be the charm for the Mililani Trojans.

After losing two regular-season matches to Aiea, the Trojans conquered their nemesis 22-25, 26-24, 25-16, 26-24 last night in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red playoffs at McKinley Student Council Gym.

Mililani (11-4) stayed alive in the double-elimination tourney. Like Mililani, Aiea (13-2) had already secured a state-tournament berth, but saw its title hopes smothered by Candace Soares and Olivia Freitas.

The high-flying Soares pounded 24 kills, while Freitas had eight blocks and dominated the net after the opening set.

“;We told her we need her blocks. They kind of relaxed in the second set,”; Soares said, with her sights on the league crown. “;Now we have to come with more intensity and come with our game face on.”;

Freitas, a 5-foot-11 senior, added five kills and JV call-up Shyanne Cossey added four kills, three aces and three blocks in a key performance. Coach Val Crabbe noted the addition of Cossey, a sophomore, as a key difference for a team that was swept by Aiea early in the season.

“;We've really worked hard on being more mentally tough. It's worked a little. We'd always let down instead of finishing,”; Crabbe said.

Setter Kelsee Cornelio had a match-high 28 assists for Mililani.

Kelly Leopoldo led sixth-ranked Aiea with 19 kills and Melelatu Samisoni added 13. Ka'ala Leopoldo had 23 assists and Natasha Fong tallied 13. Mililani outblocked Aiea 6-3 and was nearly flawless at serve. The Trojans had four aces and just one service error. Aiea had nine aces with just four service errors.

The opening moments of the match were owned by Aiea, which was revved up in warm-ups. Na Alii bolted to a 6-1 lead before Mililani chipped away and tied it at 7. Mililani was within 21-20, but a pair of hitting errors allowed Aiea to pull away.

Freitas frustrated Aiea with four of her blocks during the second set, including three in a row midway through. The Trojans trailed 23-22 when Soares pounded three kills to give her team a 25-24 lead, and a hitting error by Na Alii gave Mililani the second set.

Nalani I had five of her 14 kills for Mililani in the second set.

Mililani's momentum carried into the third set with a 16-4 run at the start. Aiea got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Aiea appeared to be back on track in Set 4 with an 8-4 lead, but Soares kept finding holes in the defense. The senior connected on three kills in a row as Mililani scored eight points in a row for a 20-15 lead.

Aiea answered with a 7-1 run for a 22-21 lead. Na Alii had game point at 24-23, but a serving error allowed the Trojans to tie the set. Aiea followed with an ace through the back row, and a block by Freitas on Leopoldo ended the match.

“;We just needed to play defense and play focused,”; Crabbe said. “;We tend to get excited and lose focus.”;

Mililani finished with a hitting clip of .257. Aiea hit .184.

Farrington 3, McKinley 1

Fenumiai Tofilau had 12 of her 15 kills in the final two sets as the Governors tamed the 10th-ranked Tigers 25-23, 15-25, 28-26, 25-18 in the late match. Farrington (10-6) stayed alive and will meet Mililani in the next round.

McKinley (9-7), ousted from the tourney, has already qualified for a state berth.

Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo also got hot in the last two sets and finished with 10 kills and 22 assists. Junitta Fonoti (nine kills) and Keui Remigio (eight) rounded out a balanced attack. Brandy Vergado-Duclayan tallied 23 assists for the Govs, who were flat at times and got a good dose of prodding from coach Reagan Agena.

“;I think we get into some kind of funk, up and down at times,”; Agena said. “;I just told him to dig down and play with heart. Don't let (McKinley) walk all over you.”;

Brenda Walker led McKinley with 16 kills and two aces. Lita Melino added 10 kills, while Era Iafeta and Angela So'oalo tallied nine apiece. Ashley Gravely dished out 43 assists for the Tigers, who hit .239. She also had five aces, five service errors and five blocks.

“;Of all people, Coach knows we can take it,”; Tofilau said. “;We're so excited. I can't wait until we play Mililani.”;

Farrington hit .276 and had three aces and six blocks. The Govs overcame seven service errors. It was a big turnaround from the regular season, when McKinley swept Farrington twice.