The Moanalua girls volleyball team celebrate after an ace by Sara Ehnstrom in the third set of an OIA East match Thursday night. CJ Caraang | SL

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Moanalua's Emily Dulaney puts down a kill past Castle's Lindsey Adolpho in the second set of an OIA East match. CJ Caraang | SL

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KANEOHE — The Moanalua girls volleyball team did less to achieve success in a three-set win Thursday night.

Na Menehune got back to the basics in the deciding game to top host Castle, 25-20, 21-25, 15-7, in a showdown between the top two teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division standings.

Moanalua, ranked eighth in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Girls Volleyball Power Rankings, stayed disciplined and took control of third set early on to improve to 10-0 atop the league standings.

"Coach Alan (Cabanting) really talked to us before the third set and said ‘not to be extra and to really just keep at it,'" said senior Sara Ehnstrom. "In that third set, I think we did really well on staying disciplined and staying in our game."

With starting libero Hula Crisostomo away on a college visit, Ehnstrom and senior Emily Dulaney stepped in all aspects of the game to lead Na Menehune to victory. Ehnstrom had 14 assists and helped Moanalua take a 6-0 lead from the service line in the third set while Dulaney had a near triple-double with nine kills, nine assists and 11 digs. The duo also combined for five aces and three blocks.

"We knew this was going to be a serving and passing battle." Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting said on Ehnstrom and Dulaney. "Sarah's and Emily's serve is one of the toughest in the state (and) we will cause havoc on a lot of teams.

"Both of them really picked it up in terms of passing, and then a plus for us was they attacked just as well today, so they did all three things. They did a ton for us today. I never really ask them to worry about the attack, but they had some clutch swings at some really good times."

For the most part, it was a mirror match between the two squads. Whenever Moanalua would take a lead, the tenth-ranked Knight (8-1) would come right back to either tie the game or take the lead themselves.

As tough as Ehnstrom and Dulaney was from the service line, Castle's Lindsey Adolpho, the OIA leader in aces, was equally as strong.

"I was surprised at how similar we were in terms of of our strength, in terms for the serving and passing," said Cabanting. "It showed in the second set when Adolpho went back there and gave them a big run."

Castle took a 19-17 lead in the second set before Dulaney got a overpass kill and an ace to tie the game. A hitting error by Adolpho gave Moanalua a 20-19 lead, but the Knights were able to rattle five straight points to ignite the crowd and their spirits. Tiari Hookano's kill off a Melody Schulte assist ended the set to force a Game 3.

Na Menehune set the tone early in the third set after Lamardia Utupo and Dulaney combined for a block on middle Savannah Johnson. A Hookano hitting error, two Dulaney kills and an ace by Ehnstrom put Moanalua firmly ahead, forcing a Castle timeout.

Ehnstrom credited assistant coach Gabby Matautia for her strong serving run.

"Don't miss, and serve where coach Gabby likes to tell me where to serve. I trust her, so I Just serve there and usually it just works out for us."

While Moanalua settled down in the third set and focused on the fundamentals, it was the Knights who was trying to do too much. When they did get back into the game to make it 9-4, they gave up a service and hitting error on back-to-back points to fall into a seven-point hole.

"I think we just tried too hard sometimes, got to try calm them down," said Castle coach Grant Tolentino. "With the momentum swing of the big win in the second set, we tried to ride that wave, then all of a sudden we came up flat on our hitting.

Ehia had nine kills and 11 digs and Hookano had six kills and 10 digs to lead Castle in the loss.