Moanalua continues winning ways with four set victory over Kahuku

Brian Bautista | SL

In the battle between first and second place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) East division, first-place Moanalua defeated second-place Kahuku 3-1 (25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21) on Thursday night.

Despite Moanalua sweeping Kahuku in March, the Red Raiders were on a four-game winning streak heading into the match.

The Red Raiders (5-3) bounced back from the weak first set by winning the second, which was the first set dropped by the Menehune (8-0) this regular season.

The second set won by Kahuku was a back-and-forth battle that really brought the away crowd to life. Every point was celebrated by each team, as the competitiveness between the top two teams was evident.

The third and fourth sets were similar in that both teams traded points, but ultimately, Moanalua would take the lead for the majority of the sets. The Red Raiders had late pushes in both sets, but it wasn't enough to pull out another win.

Moanalua was offensively dominant with 64 kills compared to Kahuku's 32 kills. The Menehune was led by Lionel Gannon, who had 29 kills, followed by Jarryn McCutcheon, who had 14. The Red Raiders were led by Kester Tosh, who had 24.

Both teams were all over the net defensively, totaling up three solo blocks each. The Menehune had Jerome Cole, who recorded three block assists.

With only two games left in the regular season, this win solidifies Moanalua in the first-place spot in the OIA East.