WAIMEA — A playoff looms for the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys varsity volleyball crown after Tuesday’s results, with Friday’s matches now pivotal.
Island School, the first-round champ, has two losses in the second round, while Waimea has only one loss. With a win over Kapa‘a High on the road Friday, Waimea will be the second-round champ and face Island School in a single-match playoff for the title.
A Waimea loss will have the Menehune facing the Voyagers for the second-round crown, assuming Island School takes care of business at home against Kaua‘i High on Friday during Island School’s Senior Night. Should Waimea prevail in the second-round showdown, another playoff match will be scheduled for the overall title, versus first-round champ Island School.
The JV games at both sites serve up at 5 p.m. with the varsity contests to follow, but not starting earlier than 6:30 p.m.
The place and time for the playoff will be determined by coin toss following Friday night’s matches.
The Kapa‘a High School boys varsity volleyball handed the Island School team its second loss of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation second round on Tuesday, when the Warriors took five sets to edge out the Voyagers, 3-2, on scores of 19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24 and 15-11 at Bernice Hundley Gym on the Kapa‘a High campus on Tuesday.
Earlier in the evening, the Kapa‘a junior varsity was 3-0 winners over the visiting Voyagers, 25-16, 25-7 and 15-14.
Waimea High School, celebrating its Senior Night at Clem Gomes Gym, preserved its one-loss standing in the second round by taking the JV series 2-1 over the visiting Kaua‘i High Red Raiders, 25-16, 25-17 and 12-15.
In varsity play, the Menehune were victorious, 3-1 — 25-21, 22-25, 25-20 and 25-14 — over Kaua‘i High School that attempted to get back on its feet following the first round when medical issues and absent players wreaked havoc with the team’s ability with game play.
Jr. Batuyong, Josiah “Jojo” Banasihan, Kylen Parongao, Kaio Tsuchiya, Kenny Okeigar, Marces Butac and Haweo Akeo are the seniors scheduled to walk on May 19 when Kaua‘i public high schools celebrate commencement. These seniors were acknowledged, along with the seniors from Kaua‘i High School: Kyler Konishi, Joshua Erorita, Syrus Delos Reyes, Noah Louis and Cade Myers, who was greeted atop crutches and his ankle wrapped.
Just more injuries to the Red Raiders firepower of Louis, Bryan Brown and Delos Reyes, who got sets from Hans Leo Carlos and Kala‘i Esteban and Xaedan Valdez, who abandoned his crutches that strapped him the previous outing.
Waimea pulled to a 12-5 first set lead behind the hitting of Tsuchiya and Raider miscues. A string of served points by Kala Edwards kept the game close, with the Raiders chasing three points at 12-9.
Delos Reyes took the service block for five straight points to give Kaua‘i High its first lead of the set, 18-17, until Akeo took the service block for Waimea and went up 23-19 before the drive faltered on Menehune hit errors. But Kaua‘i High fared no better when a service error and a hitting error sealed the deal for Waimea.
In the second set, Kaua‘i High came from a 4-1 deficit to jump up 5-4 behind hits from Valdez and Delos Reyes. Waimea broke away from the point and lead exchanges, when Matteo Medina served up four straight points that included a hit from Kelani Lewis for the 20-21 chase. A service string by Esteban sealed the deal for Kaua‘i High on Menehune miscues.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
