PUHI — When Island School boys volleyball player Dylan Watanabe pointed on Tuesday, the audience erupted in cheer during a Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation match contested at the Wilcox Gymnasium on the campus of Island School.
Watanabe, a substitute player on the Voyager roster, smacked the game-ending set against Kapa‘a High School. The game closed the Voyager win in straight sets.
Island School and Waimea High School, who hosted the Kaua‘i Red Raiders at Clem Gomes Gym, celebrated sweeps at the second scheduled matches of the KIF second round.
The Menehune took the junior varsity games 25-16 and 25-11. Waimea continued to rumble against the Raiders, taking the varsity contest in straight sets 25-18, 25-18, and 25-23.
Similarly, the Kapa‘a Warriors tested their respective rosters after the JV squads fell 25-17 and 25-23 to the Voyagers. The varsity squads had Island School winning in straight sets 25-14, 25-21, and 25-16.
On the varsity floor, Kapa‘a struggled against the Island School onslaught by dropping the first set 25-14 after the Voyagers, holders of the KIF first round with an undefeated record, pulled ahead from a 9-6 margin on a whack from Bohdi Jones and Warrior hitting errors.
Kapa‘a stayed close in the second set and tied the set at 15-15 before the Voyagers chipped out behind whacks from Jones and Michael Fitzgerald to a 17-15 lead that could not be answered by Kapa‘a despite the strong hitting from Filisi Hunt. Jones sealed the deal at 25-21 for Island School.
The same scenario set up for the third set when Island School took a 9-1 lead behind effective blocking and hits from Jones. Kapa‘a was only able to answer that deficit on a Hunt hammer and a Voyager miscue.
Holding a 20-10 lead in the set, Island School moved its substitutes onto the floor with Rocco Sand getting a share of whacks, and being reinforced by hits from Michael Fitzgerald before Watanabe sealed the deal at 25-16.
The next KIF boys volleyball games take place on Friday when Kaua‘i High School visits Kapa‘a at Bernice Hundley Gym and Island School travels to Clem Gomes Gym to take on Waimea High School.
The JV games at both locations serve up from 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity contests.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
