Moanalua's Dustin Carrier attempts to get a kill attempt past the Kalaheo double block. Sylvia Lee | SL

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032714_SL-BVB-MOA_KHEO-5X0A0204.jpg - Sylvia Lee | SL

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KAILUA - Nothing like killing momentum with a timeout.

Moanalua swept Kalaheo, 25-22, 25-18, Thursday night at the Peter Smith Court to gain sole possession of first place in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red East boys' volleyball race.

Na Menehune improved to 9-0 with two more matches next Thursday against Kalani and Farrington at Kalani. The Mustangs (10-1) ended their regular season with a win against Kahuku in Thursday's nightcap. Moanalua is a win away from clinching the division's top seed for the OIA Red tournament.

A double-hit violation against Na Menehune pulled the Mustangs to within 23-22 in the first set. But Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting called time. Just as in football when a team calls timeout to 'ice' a kicker attempting a field goal, the timeout had the same effect on Kalaheo's server, who resumed play with a service error that widened Moanalua's lead to 24-22 and ended shortly on Dustin Carrier's kill.

"Under those situations, any coach - and Alan's a good coach - you make the type of adjustment to put the pressure on us and put it on us to make the play happen," Kalaheo coach Edwin Chun said. "We discuss this at practice; we try to execute this in practice, pressure situations, to get our mind right to be successful in those situations. It's a learning lesson we'll bounce back from and be successful the next time."

The timeout had double benefits for Na Menehune. It also prepared them for what might be coming.

"We had two timeouts and the opportunity to use it at that time, to think about it," Cabanting said. "Bur more so on our part to regroup, make sure we know what's coming and what we need to do to side out."

The first set was a battle, after Kalaheo stormed to a 5-0 lead behind server Nai'a Singlehurst, who had two aces in that run. Moanalua, however, chipped away, pulling to within 8-7 after successive kills by Luuga Vailuu. Server Victor Zamudio's back-to-back aces put Moanalua in the lead, 9-8.

The set would tie three more times before, the last time at 12. Moanalua pulled away at 15-12, and kept nursing one or two-point leads until Kalaheo pulled to 23-22, forcing Na Menehune with the strategic timeout.

"The guys were a little nervous," Cabanting said of his team's slow start. "It was a big game, The adrenaline was running through. When they finally settled down, they took care of things, they started to play their game, they started to really play with each other."

The second set was close only for the first six points, with each team scoring three. Moanalua, however, began to methodically pull away with the set ending with a Vailuu kill followed by his block for match point.

"There was a lot of hesitation on our part," Chun said. "That led to our lack of adjustments. If we play aggressive like I know we can we will be right up with them. It's good to have a match like that; we're not able to face high-level competition like that on a regular basis."

On top of that, the Mustangs have to do with 10 players - no one was cut, Chun said - so intra-squad scrimmages are impossible.

"But when it comes down to it, there are no excuses," Chun said. "You have to go out and make it happen."

Kalaheo salvaged a split by beating Kahuku, 25-21, 25-20, in the third match of the night.

Moanalua's night, however, did not end with its win against Kalaheo. Na Menehune boarded their bus to play matches against Pearl City and Saint Louis in the 'Iolani tournament.