Dezlyn Malama-Kalaluhi put down a match-high 12 kill for the Rough Riders in a win over the Govs. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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MAKIKI — Dezlyn Malama-Kalaluhi carried her team for most of the match, but in the deciding third set, her teammates returned the favor.

Led by a match-high 12 kills from Malama-Kalaluhi, Roosevelt rallied to a three-set win over Farrington in the Oahu Interscholastic Association regular-season finale for both teams at the Rough Riders' home gym Wednesday night. The scores were 15-25, 27-26 and 15-13.

"Farrington came ready to beat us," Roosevelt coach Puna Velasco said. "They played intense, they played hard and we just seemed very lackadaisical, real casual, so I didn't like that. I'm happy with the result, but we have a lot to work on."

The win extended Roosevelt's win streak to seven matches and improved its record to 9-2, while the Governors dropped their third consecutive match to fall to 4-7.

The Rough Riders had already locked up the Eastern Division's third seed in the upcoming 12-team OIA Division I Tournament, but Velasco hopes his team can continue to ride the momentum into the postseason after batting back against the upset-minded Govs.

"They were tough," Velasco said of Farrington. "I think we were side-tracked with senior night and we had to get mentally focused, get back to what we know we could do, get back to playing the way we were earlier (in the season) and get ready for the playoffs. This was kind of a good test of heart for us. This year we've been tested a lot, so it's really been nice to watch them fight back and just hang in there really. It's one of the tougher teams I've had the privilege to coach and they fought back."

After the teams split the first two games, the match went to a deciding third set. Farrington held an early 6-3 lead, but Roosevelt used a 6-1 run to pull ahead, 9-7. The Govs answered with a 4-1 run — including a Malama-Kalaluhi hitting error — to give the visitors an 11-10 lead. On the play, Malama-Kalaluhi dropped to the court while holding her back in pain after her attempt went into the net.

"I twisted too much and I pulled my back muscle," said Malama-Kalaluhi, who had six kills in each of the first two games. "I'm okay, though. I wanted to play right when I got up. I was fighting with the trainer to let me back in."

She left the court on her own power and was evaluated by the team's athletic trainer while play continued. However, the Govs scored three of the next four points before Malama-Kalaluhi re-entered the match.

"Dezlyn was our MVP for tonight," Velasco said. "When she got hurt, the team pretty much had a down spot — you could see their faces — they were a bit defeated and when she came back in it picked everybody up and I believe she really carried us tonight."

Farrington committed a pair of service errors and was whistled for a lift following a block by Roosevelt's Ashleyn Lorraine Jones, who closed out the match with consecutive kills from the left side.

"I think we had a mental lapse because (Malama-Kalaluhi) is our family, she's one of us and when one goes down, it's just emotional for all of us, but we managed to get back up when she came back in and that gave us a really positive boost," said Jones, one of six Rough Rider seniors honored after the match.

Jones had just one kill in game one, but four in each of the next two games.

"I think we started off kind of slow," said Jones, a 6-foot outside hitter. "We didn't have the mindset that they were stronger than we thought. They took advantage of that and we had a hard time stepping back up."

Farrington used a 9-1 run to pull away in game one and won easily, 25-15. The teams went back-and-forth in game two, which saw nine ties. The final tie came at 26-all, but a Govs' service error — one of six in the set and 12 for the match — gave the Rough Riders the 27th point, which serves as the cap for the first two games.

"I think we just tried to play a little bit safe and just relaxed a little bit," said Farrington coach Reagan Agena, whose team did not qualify for the playoffs.

Jazmayne Williams led the Govs with eight kills and two blocks.