In an evenly played contest, Waianae narrowly outdueled Kalaheo 23-25, 23-25, 27-25, 25-17, 15-13 last night in the opening round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association boys volleyball tournament at Farrington.

The Seariders (7-6) return to the court today to play undefeated Roosevelt (12-0) at the Rough Riders' home gym.

Waianae coach Wilhelm Wagner says his team will focus on the executing of its own offense rather than worry about the winning streak of Roosevelt.

“;Our team has to stay strong and have confidence in their playing abilities,”; Wagner said. “;If we play our hardest, then in the end we might be able to beat them. That means executing our plays to the fullest. But it will be a challenge for us.”;

Wagner knows his team must get off to a good start in today's matchup.

In yesterday's match, Kalaheo jumped to an early 7-2 lead in the first set and seemed to possess full command.

“;In this game tonight we definitely struggled in the beginning,”; Wagner said. “;Somehow we certainly can't let this happen against Roosevelt. They are a very good team. They have been a good team for the last three years.”;

After taking an early pounding, Waianae eventually regrouped and managed an incredible comeback.

Down 7-2 in the first set, the Seariders slowly got their offensive engines rolling and managed to tie the set at 11-11. From that point on, neither team took a lead larger than two points. There were eleven ties and four lead changes throughout the rest of the first set.

In the end, Kalaheo capitalized on a hitting error by Waianae to secure the set.

In the second set, the closeness continued as the two teams battled back and forth with neither team completely dominating the other. But once again Kalaheo secured the set by way of a hitting error by Waianae.

Kalaheo maintained a slight advantage over Waianae in the early moments of set three.

Toward the end, Kalaheo held a 20-16 lead. That's when the hunger of Waianae appeared and the momentum shifted. Waianae began outplaying Kalaheo.

At this junction, the Seariders immediately rallied for five straight points to take the lead, 21-20. The Mustangs followed with a brief rally of their own to go back ahead 24-21.

But the Seariders refused to let Kalaheo beat them in this set, putting together a game-ending 6-1 run to capture it.

After that, Waianae overwhelmed the Mustangs in the fourth set to force a fifth.

In the final set, Waianae seized control 8-4, but then struggled to put away Kalaheo. A kill by senior Johnovan Tyrell ended the match and Waianae's never-quit efforts resulted in a successful comeback.

“;The pass was off, but I gave it everything,”; Tyrell said. “;I knew I had to knock the ball over the net. Luckily the hit caused them to fumble the return.

“;They were catching up to us and we didn't want this match to continue any longer.”;