Kalaheo sweeps past Castle, 25-20, 25-17

Kalaheo's Syenna Masaki elevates for a kill attempt against Castle. Masaki had a game-high 8 kills to lead the Mustangs' in the win. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Led by cousins Siani Yamaguchi and Syenna Masaki, Kalaheo defeated Castle in straight sets, 25-20, 25-17.

Yamaguchi put down 4 kills, dished out 9 assists, served up 2 aces and added a block, while Masaki notched a game-high 8 kills, and added 9 digs and an assist in the win.

Kalaheo jumped to a 9-5 lead early on in set one on a Masaki kill, and outlasted the Knights on a seriously long rally at 14-8 that pushed the lead out to 6.

The advantage extended to eight for the Mustangs at 22-14, again on a Masaki kill, and while Castle rallied late in the set to close to within 4, it was too little too late as Kalaheo took the set on a Riley Lynch kill, 25-20.

It was the same story in set two, as the Mustangs led from wire-to-wire in match, taking a 2-0 lead on a huge swing by Masaki and eventually breaking out to a 15-9 lead punctuated by a Yamaguchi block.

Castle continued to keep within striking distance, closing to within 20-16 on a Teila Kapihe kill, but it was all Kalaheo down the stretch, notching a 4-0 scoring run to extend the lead to 24-16 before ending it on a Yamaguchi kill a point later.

Eight Mustangs notched at least a kill in the match, and recorded four blocks and seven aces as a team.