Kalaheo tops Waipahu, faces Moanalua on Thursday


Kalaheo's Silia Tucker sets up outside hitter Nainoa Frank for a kill attempt against Waipahu. Peter Caldwell | Special to SL
Kalaheo swept by Waipahu in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, earning right to face OIA East top-seed Moanalua on Thursday.

The Mustangs raced through the first set, hitting a blistering .545 percentage en route to a 25-15 win, adding 3 aces for good measure.

Waipahu would not go away without a fight, and in set number two the Mauraders would keep pace in the early going, eventually pulling ahead at 11-7, and would carry a lead until as late as 18-14.

But Kalaheo would ride a surge of momentum triggered by a Reeve Troberg kill and then a tough serve by Troberg that would not be returned, forcing a Waipahu timeout with the lead trimmed to 18-16.

Coming out of the timeout, the Mustangs would turn to Nainoa Frank, and the 6-foot-6 opposite would respond, putting down back-to-back kills to tie the score up at 18-all.

It would be all Kalaheo from there, as Waipahu would give up two straight points on miscues, followed by another unforced error between a pair of Troberg aces, all part of a 7-0 scoring run by the Mustangs to push the lead to 23-18.

Then on match point, it would be Frank once again, putting down the spike for the win, his twelfth of the game. He would also add two digs, a block and an ace to his stat line.

While Thursday's matchup has title implications for Moanalua, it is must-win situation for the Mustangs, who need to win the match, and then come back on Friday and top Na Menehune again in order to claim the Red division title.

Moanalua has won both meetings between the two teams, both straight sets sweeps, the latest coming in the second round of the OIA Red Playoffs just one week earlier.


Reach Brien Ing at [email protected].