Waipahu sweeps Mililani to remain atop Red West

Waipahu players celebrate after a straight set win over Mililani. Sylvia Lee | SL

WAIPAHU - Led by Luuga Vailuu's game-high 10 kills, Waipahu held off Mililani in straight sets in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West boys volleyball game Friday night.

The Marauders remain undefeated at 6-0 and sit atop the division standings. The Trojans, who entered the match in second place in the six-team Red West, evened their record at 2-2 and fell to fifth place with the loss.

"I was surprised, I was really surprised," Waipahu coach Julna Pasicaran said of the relatively-easy victory. "Like I told our guys though, we cannot take anything for granted, we have to work for everything. We've still got a lot of work to do."

Vailuu, a 6-foot-3 junior middle hitter, had six kills in game one and added four more in the second game. Senior setter/outside hitter Chayse Antonio added six kills and was in on two blocks.

"We've been playing together for a long time," Vailuu said of Antonio, his club teammate. "I've been playing with him for two years, so we know each other well."

Mililani held an early 2-0 lead in game one, but the Marauders scored the next four points to pull ahead. The teams were tied at 5-apiece before Waipahu went on a 9-3 run to seize a 14-8 lead.

"We started off slow, our passing and our communication weren't good," Trojans coach John Ing said. "We're just starting slow and I think that's our weak point. Every game we've been starting slow and it takes a while for us to get on it and start doing what we're supposed to do."

Waipahu extended its lead to 20-12 to force a second Mililani timeout. The Trojans pulled within five points late in the game at 24-19, but Johnny Tuia and Malutafa Bentley combined on block to end the first game.

The Marauders put away 12 kills in the opening game and was aided by 10 Mililani errors.

"We made too many mistakes," Ing said. "We didn't control what happened on our side of the court and you need to do that wo win games."

The Trojans held an early 5-3 lead in game two, but allowed nine straight Waipahu points to pull ahead, 12-5. An ace by Vailuu gave his team a 15-8 lead and forced a Mililani timeout. However, the Trojans battled back to within 22-21 following a kill by Bailey Ilagan, but Mililani committed a pair of late errors before Antonio and Vailuu connected one final time on match point on a quick middle attack.

"I think we could have done way better, we were a little off, but it was good enough to win," Vailuu said. "We need to keep practicing hard and keep winning."

Kingston Nishimura had four kills to lead Mililani. The Trojans will not play again until April 2, when they meet Leilehua and Aiea.

Waipahu will host Pearl City and Kapolei Tuesday.

Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].