Another crosstown bus ride and up Kapalama Heights did nothing for Logan Nowack.

The multi-dimensional 'Iolani junior had never played on a winning team in Kamehameha's Kekuhaupio Gym, not since middle school.

That changed last night. Nowack had 10 assists and three kills while Tyler Tanaka pounded seven kills as the balanced Raiders swept the Warriors 25-23, 25-20. The match was over in a little more than 45 minutes, surprising a crowd of about 150.

“;We kept it on a good level, not getting too high when we made good plays, dropping the bad plays and moving on,”; Nowack said. “;Our team really stepped up.”;

'Iolani (11-1) and Kamehameha (8-2) are chasing unbeaten Punahou in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu standings. Punahou is in line to take the first round and an automatic state berth, but two more state berths are available when the ILH's second round begins.

That's part of the reason why the Warriors aren't overly concerned about the loss.

“;We were flat. We didn't show up. We didn't have the energy we needed,”; Kamehameha coach Guy Kaniho said. “;I look forward to meeting ('Iolani) in round two.”;

Charles Yoon, Alex Ko and libero Scott “;Scooter”; Sakaida anchored an airtight back row for 'Iolani. Combined with the play of their blockers, the Raiders limited Kamehameha to a .241 hitting percentage.

“;I was pleased with our discipline on defense. We haven't had that since our (Hawaii Invitational) tourney,”; Raiders coach Mike Among said.

Colin Tseng added four kills, while William Chambers added three. Clint Hamada added eight assists.

Micah Christenson led Kamehameha with 13 kills and Jaylen Reyes added five, but no other Warrior tallied more than one kill. Setter Carlson Aki dished 20 assists.

Christenson, a 6-foot-5 junior, kept a lid on Nowack most of the night, but that opened up lanes for the other Raiders, including Tanaka.

“;We kept a balanced attack. It helps to have that 6-2 (offense) and get Logan going, too,”; Tanaka said. “;We locked down on our passing. Passing's always been important to us.”;

The two teams have swapped positions in the Star-Bulletin Boys Volleyball Top 10. 'Iolani is No. 2 and Kamehameha No. 3. The Raiders hadn't beaten Kamehameha in the regular season or postseason since the state tourney semifinals of 2008.

“;We were more relaxed than we were in other games,”; Tanaka said. “;We weren't super hyped. We played our game.”;

There were four lead changes in the first game before an ace by Sakaida gave 'Iolani a 22-21 lead. Christenson tied it with a kill, but Kamehameha mistakes — a serving error by Christenson, followed by a net violation — gave the visitors a 24-22 lead.

A kill by reserve Gabriel Vega gave 'Iolani the first set.

Spectacular defense by 'Iolani's back row spurred a 6-2 run to start the second game. The Warriors got within 9-8, but never led. A 5-0 run by 'Iolani, with kills by Chambers, Ko and Tseng, swung momentum back to the Raiders.

Kamehameha chipped away, pulling to within 20-18 on a great dig by Aki and a kill by Christenson. However, 'Iolani scored the next three points to stay out of reach. Tseng's kill on match point ended it.

Among believes in exerting the right kind of energy during a long season.

“;We want to be on a steady incline,”; Among said. “;We've got basketball boys out and we've been trying to find the right speed to go because I think they can help us.

“;We've been almost force-feeding too much information into them while trying to keep the veteran players interested. It's been a challenge.”;

Among's approach is to improve day by day.

“;Our focus needs to be on peaking at the right time, getting better every day,”; he said.

OIA SOFTBALL

Kalani 7, Anuenue 0

Nalani Kamano and Wehiwehi Ganeau. Jade Teruya and Kristi Belshe. W—Teruya. L—Kamano.
Leading hitters—Kaln: Kristiann Endow 2-3; Hailey Omiya 2-3; Rayme Awaya 4-4, 3b, 3 RBIs.