Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 1 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 2 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 3 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 4 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 5 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 6 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 7 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 8 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 9 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 10 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 11 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 12 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 13 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 14 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 15 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 16 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 17 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 18 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 19 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 20 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 21 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 22 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 23 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 24 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 25 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 26 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 27 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 28 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 29 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 30 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 31 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 32 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 33 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 34 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 35 of 36

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 36 of 36

KAKAAKO — Title No. 5 is coming to Trojan town. 

Erica Roberts and Alexis Rodriguez combined for 25 kills and Anae Asuncion tallied 29 assists to lead No. 5 Mililani to a sweep of No. 3 Moanalua in the championship match of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls volleyball tournament Wednesday night. 

The set scores were 25-17, 25-17 and 25-22. 

A spirited crowd of about 600 fans at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium saw the West top-seeded Trojans (13-0) finish as the lone remaining unbeaten in the OIA, while East top-seeded Na Menehune (12-1) were dealt their first loss. 

It is Mililani's first league crown since 2019 and fifth overall. All of its OIA championships have come under longtime coach Val Crabbe. 

This one was the result of a lot of sweat equity from Crabbe's crew. 

"We just worked really hard in practice and we had to focus more on our defense and our serve-receive. It went all the way down to the basics in practice and we just worked our butt off, so that's what got us here tonight," said Roberts, a senior outside hitter. 

Serve-receive was a key factor on both sides of the net. Although each team finished with six aces against three errors at the service line, the Trojans took aim at Moanalua's standout pin hitter, Malu Garcia, with their serves all night. Garcia, a University of Iowa-commit, struggled with the first touch throughout the night and the result was a mostly-out-of-system Moanalua offense. Setters Haylee DePonte and Jayde Taamu-Perifanos were pulled off the net for most of the night. 

Consequently, the Trojans tallied 37 kills to 28 for Na Menehune. Garcia was limited to a dozen kills. Zaria Queen finished with a half-dozen, Anya Gant had four and Kaelyn Flores three. 

"I think picking on Malu was just a big part of their serve-receive because she's their main hitter and I think it just made them out of system and being able to ace her is privilege," said Asuncion, a senior setter and three-year starter. 

Moanalua further hurt its own cause with 19 attack errors, including nine in set 2. It was out-blocked by Mililani, five to three. 

"I think that we just had that fight in us that we had to really focus on our defense and our blocking was a big one because we kept getting tooled, so we just had to make simple changes that got us back up," Roberts said. 

The opening set was a one-point game following a kill by Gant from the left side off a bump set from Natalie Fukumoto to pull Moanalua to within 17-16. However, the ensuing Menes' serve sailed long and a net violation followed to stretch it to a 19-16 cushion for the Trojans.

A attack error gave Moanalua a point, but Mililani was spurred by a Rodriguez cross-court kill to a 6-0 run to close out set 1. Rodriguez sandwiched a pair of aces around a kill by Roberts, who split a pair of blockers off the set from Asuncion, to make it set point. Lylah Worsley put away set point with her push-kill that got down in front of two Na Menehune blockers. 

The Trojans jumped out to an early lead they did not relinquish in set 2. They reeled off a 6-2 run early in the set that included four kills by Roberts, to go ahead 7-2. Moanalua got back to 10-8 after a service error, but Rodriguez got a tip down to trigger a 9-0 run for her team. Worsley and freshman middle Ivy Taylor combined on back-to-back blocks as part of the Mililani run. 

"I just love my big middle blockers this year," Asuncion said of the 6-foot Taylor, along with the 5-foot-8 Rylie Kaopuiki-Kaikana, who each recorded a pair of kills in the match. Taylor also was in on four total blocks, including one solo roof. 

"They're just so aggressive and different and I just love how they get up and swing at the ball," Asuncion added. 

Moanalua forced Crabbe to use a timeout after an ace by Taamu-Perifanos cut the Mililani lead to 24-17, but Roberts put away set point with her sixth kill of the stanza. 

Moanalua led for much of set 3. It used a 4-1 run, capped by a kill by Gant, to take a 20-17 lead late in the set. However, it would not hold. Mililani got a Rodriguez kill from the right side off a backset from Asuncion, followed by another Taylor-Worsley double-block to precede a couple of attack errors by the Menes to pull ahead, 21-20. The teams were tied at 22 after DePonte found an open spot on the floor with her set over on the second touch, but a crucial net violation against her team gave the Trojans the lead back, 23-22. 

Despite an objection from Na Menehune coach Alan Cabanting to the top official, the result of the play stood. To compound matters for them, Worsley served up an ace to set-up match point before an attack out of bounds closed out the match. 

Moanalua was pushed to five sets by No. 8 Kapolei in a semifinal win Monday night. It had dropped only three sets all season prior to Wednesday night. 

Cabanting pointed to his team's passing woes as the primary factor in the end result of the match. 

"That was always going to be the case for us in terms of whether we win this game or not: If we control the serve and pass, then I think we had a good chance at it, (but Mililani) served really tough and they got us out of system and we just couldn't get any offense going," Cabanting said. 

It wasn't that the Trojans did something his team didn't expect, Cabanting said, but rather, "more just execution on our end," he added. 

Both Asuncion and Roberts, two of the 10 seniors for Mililani, were eager to atone for a loss (in five sets) to Kahuku in the OIA championship match a year ago.  

"We just had to have heart tonight, that's honestly what got us this win, so we just had to believe and trust in each other and play our game and that's what we did and it's really big to us, so it means a lot," Roberts said. 

Like the rest of her teammates, Asuncion was ecstatic to help her team claim its first league crown in four years; She just didn't think it would come in straight sets. 

"It's amazing; I love it. I honestly didn't expect it, but we came out and wanted it way more than them and it showed and I'm just so proud of my girls," Asuncion said, "it was all up to them."

Moanalua was seeking its sixth OIA title and first since 2017. 

Both teams will represent the league in the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I State Championships next week. 

The state tournament bracket was released late Wednesday night. Mililani is seeded third and will play Wednesday at McKinley against the winner of a first-round match between Kahuku and No. 2 Punahou. Moanalua will host Kalani in Monday's play-in round; the winner of that match will advance to face tournament No. 1 seed Kamehameha Wednesday at Moanalua. 

Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Kamehameha-Hawaii is the No. 2 seed and will take on either Roosevelt or Kamehameha-Maui, while Maui Interscholastic League champ Baldwin is seeded fourth and will play either Kapolei or Waiakea in the quarterfinals.