KAPAA — Kapaa High School boys volleyball faces a critical showdown on Friday night when the Warriors travel to the new Kauai High School gymnasium to face Kauai High School boys.
“This is not over yet,” said Kapaa Coach Kapule Kaona. “We’re looking at a 1-loss record in the second round. If Kauai wins, we’ll be tied, and we’ll have a playoff.”
The Kapaa Junior Varsity will serve up against the Kauai JV with the first ball being served at 5 p.m. The varsity contest follows 25 minutes after the JV game ends.
The Waimea Menehune, suffering an 0-3 loss to Kapaa on Tuesday, will face Island School (also suffering a 1-3 loss to Kauai on Tuesday) at the Wilcox Gymnasium in a single contest starting at 6:30 p.m.
Over at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapaa, the Warriors swept the Menehune, taking the JV games, 25-22, 29-27 and 14-16, and the varsity squad taking the Menehune in straight sets, 25-16, 28-26 and 25-17.
During the first set, Kapaa came back from a 6-9 hole behind a service string from Kamalei Dasalia-Mundon to drove the Warriors to a 13-11 margin. Included in that string were four solid hammers from Emry Picturachsatit.
Kapaa remained in control and got another boost from Filisi Hunt in the service block to pulled Kapaa to the 25-16 win.
Hunt took Kapaa from a 10-7 bulge to 13-7 before losing the side to a Waimea hit from Kolby Correa. The Menehune steadily chipped away at the deficit a point or two at a time until the contest log-jammed at 22-22 on a Kapaa net violation. Waimea hit the 25-mark first on a Kapaa multiple hit infraction but came back to tie, 25-25 on a Waimea hitting error.
The set stagnated at 26 on a hit from Kulea Kauwe until Kapaa pulled ahead on a Menehune net infraction for advantage, and a Syren Burley hammer for the set.
During the third set, Picturachsatit broke the 10-10 deadlock and pulled Kapaa to 16-10 from the service block. That string included a trio of whacks from senior Austin Green, a Warrior block and a Curren Pope hammer.
Another Pope whack put Kapaa up, 23-16, and then another Pope smack had the Warriors sitting on a 24-17 bulge before a Menehune passing error sealed the night.
