The preparation goes back a long way for Moanalua.
Even on game day, Na Menehune didn’t waste a moment. They were in warmup mode in an afternoon workout on their home court. Then it was a bus ride to McKinley Student Council Gymnasium. Instead of another warmup session, the hyped-up Menehune danced to the in-house music. They stood in a circle and played Duck-Duck-Goose. They hollered and yelled.
By the start of their quarterfinal match with Kamehameha-Hawaii, Moanalua was ready. Their energizer, Kainoa Ferguson, piled up plays everywhere with eight kills, 5.5 blocks and four aces in Moanalua’s 25-15, 25-21, 25-9 sweep of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-ups.
KS-Hawaii’s athleticism and size were factors, but Moanalua (15-0) had nine aces to the Warriors’ none. BIIF runner-up KS-Hawaii (13-3) also had 11 service errors, and Moanalua outblocked the visitors 8-1.
Kalai Leopoldo was a consistent attacker with a team-high 10 kills and two aces. Middle Duncan Clark was efficient with three aces, two kills and 1.5 blocks. Moanalua hit .258, but was stellar defensively, limiting the Warriors to .108 hitting.
Now Moanalua will take on ‘Iolani in the semifinal round on Friday — first serve is 5 p.m. — with home-court advantage. Na Menehune got plenty of production from setters Nicholas Au (18 assists) and Kylan Tomita (seven).
“We had to do try different things today,” Na Menehune coach Alan Cabanting said. “We went to a 6-2 today instead of a 5-1. If you’re in the middle, you have to sell it every time. It’s going to be very different when we play ‘Iolani.”
The last time ‘Iolani and Moanalua met was in preseason at the Raiders’ gym, a 25-23, 25-21 win by the home team.
“It’s totally different now. We’re serving much better. Kainoa’s serve wasn’t like this back then,” Cabanting said.
Division I
| Match # | Date | Matchup | Time/Scores | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 30 | Mililani vs. Maui | Mil 25-17, 25-20, 19-25, 25-17 | Maui |
| 2 | April 30 | Waipahu vs. Kaiser | Waip 25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 18-25, 16-14 | Kaiser |
| 3 | April 30 | KS-Hawaii vs. Waianae | KSH 25-27, 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16 | KS-Hawaii |
| 4 | April 30 | 'Iolani vs. Kapolei | Iol 25-17, 25-9, 25-21 | 'Iolani |
| 5 | May 3 | (4) KS-Maui vs. 'Iolani | Iol 25-21, 25-17, 25-16 | McKinley |
| 6 | May 3 | (2) Moanalua vs. KS-Hawaii | Moan 25-15, 25-21, 25-9 | McKinley |
| 7 | May 3 | (4) Kealakehe vs. Waipahu | Keal 25-17, 20-25, 25-16, 25-14 | Moanalua |
| 8 | May 3 | (1) Punahou vs. Mililani | Pun 25-12, 25-21, 25-10 | Moanalua |
| 9* | May 4 | KS-Maui vs. KS-Hawaii | KSM 25-23, 26-24 | McKinley |
| 10* | May 4 | Waipahu vs. Mililani | Mil 23-25, 27-25, 15-10 | McKinley |
| 11 | May 4 | 'Iolani vs. Moanalua | Moan 25-15, 33-35, 29-27, 26-24 | Moanalua |
| 12 | May 4 | Kealakehe vs. Punahou | Pun 25-13, 25-15, 22-25, 25-14 | Moanalua |
| 13* | May 5 | KS-Maui vs. Mililani | Maui 23-25, 26-24, 15-11 | Blaisdell Arena |
| 14* | May 5 | 'Iolani vs. Kealakehe | Iol 25-18, 25-22 | Blaisdell Arnea |
| 15 | May 5 | Moanalua vs. Punahou | Pun 25-19, 25-16, 25-21 | Blaisdell Arena |
| * — consolation | ||||
Division II
| Match # | Date | Matchup | Time/Scores | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 3 | (4) Hawaii Prep vs. Pearl City | PC 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 | St. Francis |
| 2 | May 3 | (1) Kapaa vs. University | Kap 25-19, 25-20, 19-25, 19-25, 15-8 | St. Francis |
| 3 | May 3 | (2) St. Francis vs. Konawaena | StF 25-17, 25-17, 25-21 | Kalani |
| 4 | May 3 | (3) Molokai vs. Kalani | Mol 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 27-29, 15-10 | Kalani |
| 5* | May 4 | University vs. Hawaii Prep | HPA 28-26, 21-25, 15-8 | Kalani |
| 6* | May 4 | Konawaena vs. Kalani | Kaln 23-25, 26-24, 15-7 | Kalani |
| 7 | May 4 | Kapaa vs. Pearl City | Kap 25-19, 26-24, 25-14 | St. Francis |
| 8 | May 4 | St. Francis vs. Molokai | StF 25-22, 15-25, 27-25, 21-25, 16-14 | St. Francis |
| 9* | May 5 | Hawaii Prep vs. Kalani | HPA, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10 | Blaisdell Arena |
| 10* | May 5 | Pearl City vs. Molokai | PC 25-22, 25-17 | Blaisdell Arena |
| 11 | May 5 | Kapaa vs. St. Francis | StF, 15-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-12 | Blaisdell Arena |
| * — consolation | ||||
KS-Hawaii is not the BIIF champion. They lost to Kealakehe in the finals.