WAIMEA — The Island School Voyagers were charged to a high-level Tuesday during the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys volleyball games contested at the Clem Gomes Gym in Waimea.
Both the host Waimea High School and the Island School varsity teams were undefeated in league play entering the Clem Gomes, and when the dust settled, Island School had won both the Junior Varsity series and the varsity series in straight sets.
In the opening set of the JV game, the Voyagers edged the JV Menehune, 25-23 before continuing on and taking the remaining two contests, 25-17 and 25-20.
The varsity Menehune suffered the loss of its libero, and despite the bright spots from the covering teammates, Waimea dropped to the Voyagers, 19-25, 14-25, and 23-25. The Voyager win gives the lead in the KIF standings to the jubilant blue-and-gold with a repeat meeting coming up, April 1 when Waimea visits the Wilcox Gymnasium on the Island School campus.
Island School opened the varsity Menehune in control by capitalizing on Waimea miscues and net violations. They closed the door on the first set on a net call, but not before Island School got in solid whacks from Hanalei Wann-Keli‘iho‘omalu, Josh Dobashi, and Michael Fitzgerald. Those hits were answered by Waimea’s Isaiah Espanto and Ty Tsukayama with Kelani Lewis being limited to just one hit by the efforts of Wann-Keli‘iho‘omalu and Kaelen Suzuki-Kaohi.
The second set saw the Voyagers introduce Dylan Date to the scene where Wann-Keli‘iho‘omalu and Dobashi continued to swing away, Date adding doses of his own hits and blocks off the left side.
Trailing 10-16 in the second set, Suzuki-Kaohi served up a string of seven unanswered points before the Voyagers closed the door on a Date thunk.
Island School controlled the third set 15-7 behind hits from Michael Fitzgerald and Date before clearing the bench. Waimea capitalized on the fresh feet on the floor when Jonah Sandal strung up 10 unanswered points, including an ace, for a 16-15 go-ahead.
Dobashi pulled the Voyagers out of the hole on back-to-back hits before forcing miscues onto the Menehune. The Voyagers closed the door on a Menehune net violation.
Over at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a, the Warriors had their hands full against Kaua‘i High School. The JV Warriors took their series over the JV Kaua‘i squad, 25-20, 19-25 and 25-17, before the varsity Warriors claimed a 3-2 win in five sets.
Kapa‘a took the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-14 before Kaua‘i came back to take the next two sets, 25-23, 25-18 to force the fifth set that belonged to Kapa‘a, 15-11.
Friday will see just one game on tap for the KIF because Kapa‘a is off-island participating in the ‘Iolani tournament on O‘ahu. Kaua‘i High School will travel to the Wilcox Gymnasium to face Island School when the JV games serve up from 5 p.m. and the varsity contest following, but not earlier than 6:30 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
