WAIMEA — The Waimea High School boys volleyball wanted nothing better than to stop the slide in the “L” column Friday when they hosted Kaua‘i High School in Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys volleyball games at the Clem Gomes Gym.
Playing before an audience that was slightly diminished by the competing softball games taking place at the Waimea Athletic Field, the Menehune tried to stop the losing streak, but came up short as the Menehune were mismatched in the middle, and were outgunned by the Red Raiders.
Kaua‘i High, working behind the hard hitting of Noah Louis, Syrus Delos Reyes and Cade Myers, took Waimea in four sets, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21 and 25-16.
Opening with point exchanges in the first set, Kaua‘i High pulled out of a 15-15 stalemate on a Menehune service error, only to give back the point on its own service miscue.
Louis smacked a pair of hammers that coupled with a Menehune hitting error for a 22-20 bulge, only to have Waimea come back on hits by Kevin Valenciano to deadlock the match, 22-22. But errors pushed Kaua‘i High ahead and the Red Raiders sealed the deal on a Menehune hitting error.
In the second set, Kaua‘i High came back from a 21-23 deficit on a Tyrus Duran hit only to have Waimea keep its edge on an Isaiah Espanto hammer, 24-22. Louis answered for the Raiders, knotting the contest 24-24 before giving up the side on a service error.
Menehune setter Jonah Sandal pointed to tie, 25-25. Another Kaua‘i High service error tilted the game in Waimea’s favor before a Raider hitting error gave the Menehune the 27-25 win.
Earlier in the evening, the junior varsity Raiders gave fans a taste of things to come when it took the series, 25-20, 24-26 and 25-13.
Over at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a, the Island School Voyagers split its series with Kapa‘a High School when the JV games belonged to Kapa‘a, 25-16, 24-26 and 25-13. The Voyagers varsity dropped its first set to Kapa‘a, 25-19, but came back to hold off a strong Kapa‘a effort to take the next three sets, 25-20, 25-20 and 25-22.
Island School next hosts Waimea High Tuesday night at the Wilcox Gymnasium on the Island School campus in Puhi, when the JV game serves up from 5 p.m. The varsity contest will follow the completion of the JV games, but not earlier than 6:30 p.m.
Kaua‘i High will host Kapa‘a High, with the JV games serving up from 5 p.m., and the varsity contest to follow, 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.
