Radford wins OIA White title with four set win over Kalaheo

Radford players celebrate after defeating Kalaheo for the OIA White division title. Greg Yamamoto | SL

For the first time since 2005, an OIA girls volleyball championship is headed back to Salt Lake.

Led by a 17-kill performance by outside hitter Arianna Feleti, Radford defeated Kalaheo in four sets, 25-23, 22-25, 33-31, 25-22, to claim the OIA White division crown and a seeded berth into the HHSAA Division II girls volleyball tournament.

With the match tied at a set apiece, the crowd in attendance at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium witnessed a slugfest of a third set that featured 63 points scored, four aces, 10 service errors and 9 hitting errors, before a Noel Phillips kill off of a set from Breayna Webster finally capped it.

Arianna Feleti and Syenna Masaki matched each other swing-for-swing in the third, with Feleti's six kills leading the way for the Rams and Masaki's seven pacing the Mustangs.

The third set win for the Rams may have been a creschendo of sorts for the match, but sealing the deal in the fourth was anything but a certainty. Kalaheo led briefly at 6-4 and evened the score on seven different occasions in the set, coming as close as 21-20 on a Skye Parker kill in the waning stages.

Webster coaxed a kill off the Mustang block to bring the Rams to set point at 24-21, but Kalaheo's Siani Yamaguchi put down an emphatic slam off of a two-ball set from Riley Lynch to keep the 'Stangs hopes alive.

Then, on match point number two for the Rams, a long rally emblematic of the play by both squads ensued, capped off by kill number eight by Webster, who tooled a swing off the Mustangs' block to end it.

"It feels great, its an amazing feeling and I thank God for it." said Arianna Feleti on the win.

The 5-foot-5 senior added 4 digs and an assist to go along with her match-high 17 kills, as well as a little something extra that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

"She brings the intesity, and the willingness to fight for the girls." said Radford head coach Candice Fujiwara. "Her intensity is infectious on the rest of the girls and that's what we kind of lacked on Wednesday. But she was ready today."

Another key cog in the Rams' success was their floor defense, led tonight by libero Kararina Tenorio's 11 digs and Carlyann Butz, who dug up seven.

"I think it was during the last timeout that Kalaheo called (in set four) all was said was dig everything, play everything, don't give up." said Fujiwara.

Both teams met just three days previous, with the Mustangs gutting out a five-set win over the Rams to force the rematch.

"There were so close (to the winning the title on Thursday), but what I think kind of got us was a little bit of complacency. So the next day at practice they worked hard," remarked Fujiwara. "As a coach, after going to five sets you kind of worry how they were going to be the next day at practice, but they were ready to go. They were excited."

Webster added 4 aces, 2 digs and 2 assists to her 8 kills, Vaelupe Feleti added 6 kills and 2 blocks and setter Megan Malepeai dished out 20 assists for the Rams.

The Mustangs were paced by Lynch, who put up 17 kills of her own to equal Arianna Feleti. She also contributed 3 digs and 3 aces. Masaki put down 13 swings and added 6 digs, while middle Alex Jacobsen had 10 kills and two blocks. Yamaguchi had 27 assists.

"They're non-stop. They are a young group. I'm excited to see where they will be at in two years." stated Fujiwara about Kalaheo. "They are well-coached and are just an awesome team."

The fourth-seeded Rams will await the winner of Waimea and Pahoa in a 7:00 p.m. match on Wednesday, October 30 back at McKinley, while Kalaheo takes on defending state champion Saint Francis on Tuesday, October 29 at 5:00 p.m. at Kaimuki.

The third OIA representative in the Division II tourney is Roosevelt, who will face off with ILH power Hawaii Baptist in the 7:00 p.m. match at Kaimuki.

Reach Brien Ing at [email protected].