LIHUE — Kapaa High School girls volleyball took their match against Waimea High School in straight sets in a Kauai Interscholastic Federation match played at Clem Gomes Gym on Tuesday.
The Menehune prevented a Warrior sweep when earlier in the evening, Waimea took the junior varsity games 25-20 and 25-22 before dropping the third set 15-8.
The Kapaa varsity win in straight sets — 28-26, 25-17 and 25-18 — improves the Lady Warriors to five wins on the KIF First Round. The win also clinches the first round with just one more game remaining on Friday before the round ends.
The battle for second place was settled following five sets between Kauai High School and Island School at the Wilcox Gymnasium on the Island School campus.
Kauai High School held off a strong Island School attack to finish victorious 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 12-25 and 15-9 in a contest where service aces peppered both sides of the net.
Earlier in the evening, and similar to the scenario at the Clem Gomes, the Voyagers prevented a Red Raider sweep by taking the JV games in straight sets 25-19, 25-20 and 15-5.
The Kauai win improves the Red Raiders to a tie for second place with the Voyagers in the standings. Both teams sport 2-win, 3-loss records with a game remaining in the KIF first round. Waimea rounds out the league standings in fourth place with a win and four losses.
With the Red Raiders holding a 2-1 lead following three sets, Island School forced the fifth set after charging to a 25-12 win behind strong performances in the service block coupling with Kauai errors spiced with an occasional Voyager block and hits.
Mary Magoun served up points to a 12-5 Island lead, and back-to-back Voyager aces widened the gap to 18-9 before Voyager Naia Char served up five straight points with a reservist shutting the door.
The fifth set had the Red Raiders chasing the Voyagers until Red Raider Kriana Foster knotted the game at 8-8 with an ace. Foster continued in the service block to a 12-8 bulge on a pair of Voyager miscues and hits from Foster and Katelyn Lopes.
Island School’s Daisy Keller stopped the march for the 9-12 deficit before Kauai’s Kamalei Taylan served up the remaining three points to close, getting help from a Foster bang and a pair of Voyager miscues.
Kauai High School next travels to the Bernice Hundley Gym on Friday to take on the first round title holder Kapaa High School. Waimea will host Island School at Clem Gomes Gym.
The JV games serve up at 5:30 p.m. at both sites with the varsity contests getting under way 25 minutes after the completion of the JV games.
