No. 2 Iolani pulls away from No. 3 Punahou

Iolani junior OH Elena Oglivie fires a kill against Punahou in the second set. Greg Yamamoto | SL

When the match got tight, the Iolani Raiders kept up the fight.

No. 2 Iolani fended off No. 3 Punahou in straight sets for a 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 win in an ILH Division I contest at Lower Gymnasium Tuesday night.

It was the Raiders' second win over the Buffanblu of the season as Iolani improved to 4-1 in league play with the victory.

Junior outside hitter Elena Oglivie had a match-high 16 kills with eight digs to lead Iolani. Senior Izzy Sakoda, who had the Raiders' final three kills of the match, added nine kills off the bench and freshman Mokihana Tufono put down six more kills, which included the game-winning points in the first two sets.

Kristen McDaniel dished out 35 assists with five kills and middles Cameryn Ann Nagaji and Sasha Petticord combined for six kills and six total blocks, with a solo block apiece.

The match was a classic seesaw battle all the way throughout the night, but the difference was in Iolani's ability to clutch up late in games to seal the deal.

"I was proud of our kids the way they battled and came out to play, definitely happy that we got the win," said Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey.

Experience in big moments ultimately proved to be be what gave the Raiders the edge. Iolani, who reached the D1 state final the past three years, lost just one player to graduation last season while the Bufffanblu (2-4) start two freshman and have many new faces in the rotation.

"It definitely helps to have seniors and kids that have played years before in these types of matches with big crowd on TV," said Obrey. "We're comfortable with who we have on the court and definitely (with) how they pass along the message to our younger players."

Oglivie added that the Raiders' got even tighter as a group after their participation in the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas this past weekend.

"We just got back from a long trip so we got to know each other a little bit better and that bond got stronger," she said. "It's just got to look next to you and see your best friend and have that comfort, and it's good to have that connection there."

Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].