Iolani cruises by Kalaheo; Kahuku next

Iolani's Moea Kekauoha led the way with 17 kills and six digs in a win over Kalaheo. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Top-seeded Iolani took care of Kalaheo in straight sets, 25-10, 25-16, 25-15, in the quarterfinal round of the Division I state tournament at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium Thursday night.

The Raiders move on to face Kahuku in the semifinals of the New City Nissan/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Girls Volleyball Championships. First serve is set for 5 p.m.

Setter Bailey Choy had another outstanding game with 40 assists and five aces. Moea Kekauoha and Sierra Buscher led the offense with 17 kills and 10 kills respectively. Buscher also had 12 digs for a double-double performance. Libero Ana Oglivie led the defense with 13 kills.

The Raiders' defensive effort helped hold the Mustangs to a .068 hitting percentage. By comparison Iolani hit .367 for the match.

Iolani's strongest set was in the opening frame when it had a .609 hitting percentage. The Raiders faced an early deficit, 5-3, but used a 7-0 run to take command of the set, 10-5. Iolani later extended its lead to 19-8 after another 7-0 run and coasted to a 25-10 win in game one.

Kalaheo took the early advantage again in the next set, 6-3, before Iolani went on a 8-0 run to take a 11-6 lead. The Mustangs climbed back to tie things up at 11 apiece, but Iolani responded with a 4-0 run to pull ahead. Kalaheo kept things close, but could not muster more than two consecutive points the rest of the way.

The two teams traded points in the final set and had a handful of ties early. A 6-0 run would help Iolani pull ahead, 19-13 to take control of game three. The Raiders sealed the deal with a 5-0 run to close out the third set, 25-15.

Siani Yamaguchi and Syenna Masaki had seven kills each to lead the Mustangs in the loss.