Big Red wasn't going to let this one slip away. Not again.
Exactly one month after it was reverse swept at Moanalua to account for its lone loss this season, Kahuku exacted its revenge via a thrilling five-set victory in the very same gymnasium Wednesday night.
The title match of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls volleyball tournament saw the Red Raiders rally past host Na Menehune 24-26, 25-20, 24-26, 25-19 and 15-12 to their first league crown since 2022.
"It is so sweet because we haven't been here since 2022 so it's a bittersweet moment for us," said senior setter/opposite Elenoa Lauhingoa, one of five Kahuku seniors.
Lauhingoa was one of two players to record a double-double for the Red Raiders. She also dished out 10 assists and had five digs, four aces and was in on three blocks.
Sophomore outside hitter Makamae Schilling tallied 14 kills along with 17 digs. Talia Soliai-Tui put down 11 kills with five aces, while Taea Moeai and Lamona Lauhingoa — Elenoa's twin sister — posted 22 digs apiece. Lamona Lauhingoa also registered six kills, as did Haley Kotobalavu, who added nine digs and four block assists.
"We worked so hard. We train off and on the court, so I feel like we deserve this, but it's not eh end from here. We still gotta go, push up and train harder," said Elenoa Lauhingoa.
It is the 16th OIA championship for Kahuku, the No. 3 team in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings.
First-year coach Lesina Manutai credited her seniors for their resiliency over the years.
"This is indescribable. I'm so happy for them because they've had a lot of bumps they've had to go through, so I'm so proud of them that they were able to get it done today. This was definitely for them," Manutai said.
The Red Raiders had to twice dig themselves out of a one-set deficit. They led late in set 1 at 23-19, only to see Moanalua storm back with a set-closing 7-1 run.
After Kahuku made a push late in the second set to take it 25-20 and even the match at one set apiece, it allowed a 24-23 advantage in the third set slip away. Moanalua scored the final three points of set 3 en route to a 26-24 win to inch back ahead.
However, the Red Raiders raced out to a 13-3 lead in set 4 then held off a slight rebuttal from the Menes but held on for a 25-19 win to send it to a deciding fifth set.
"The girls just had to learn how to be patient, how to do what you can with what you got and just keep grinding, keep pushing because Moanalua would not go away. They just kept popping up balls, bringing it back, popping up balls, bringing it back, so it was a fun match," Manutai said.
The teams traded points early on in set 5. The score was tied at 5 before Kahuku found some separation with a 5-0 run that was spurred by a Elenoa Lauhingoa and Ana Kaufusi block of a left side Moanalua attack. Kaufusi also teamed with Lamona Lauhingoa and Kotobalavu on other blocks during the same run.
"The block was huge for us in that fifth set. We adjusted. We had Ana Kaufusi in there and basically told our pin hitters to set that block and let Ana come and close it and she came through big time for us at the end," Manutai said.
Just as Manutai alluded to with her comments, however, Moanalua refused to go quietly into the night. It responded with a 5-0 run that was capped by a kill by Kingston Auvaa out of the middle to even the score at 10-all.
Lamona Lauhingoa put down the next point off an assist from her twin sister to give Kahuku the lead for good. Kaufusi then teamed with Schilling for a block on the left side before Kaufusi took matters into her own hands with a solo block of an attack out of the back row by Moanalua's 6-foot-4 standout hitter Surfia Grounds.
Auvaa and Miya Waikiki answered with back-to-back kills for Na Menehune to cut the Red Raider lead to 13-12, but Schilling gave her team a bit of breathing room with a cross-court kill off an assist from Elenoa Lauhingoa to set-up match point. Lauhingoa went to Soliai-Tui in the middle for the final point, which set off Kahuku's championship celebration.
"I think we just changed our mindset from ‘we need to get out of this hole,' to ‘we're not leaving without this win,' " Schilling said of the fifth set. "It pulled everybody's energy up and thanks to our fans it really helped."
Kaufusi finished with five solo blocks and seven block assists. Kahuku amassed 17 team blocks to Moanalua's six.
The Red Raiders also served up 11 aces against nine service errors. Beyond the aces, they often got the Menes out of system with their tough serving.
"That was a really big part of it. Back at the service line, our main thing in our head is just over the net and if we can, keep the pressure on their weakest passer and our coaches are helping us with that," Schilling said.
Grounds paced Moanalua with 20 kills and 15 digs. Sienna Lee came up with a match-high 27 digs and Rylie Ramones and Aka Fonua contributed 23 assists and 12 digs and 21 assists and nine digs, respectively, in the loss.
It was the third meeting between the teams this season. Kahuku swept Moanalua the first time around, but Manutai found some similarities between the second and third meetings.
"It was kind of the same scenario this time as it was the last time: our JV and our White went three sets — super long — and then we played five sets to almost midfield," Manutai recalled.
Wednesday's championship matchup followed the OIA D2 final, which saw Roosevelt outlast Leilehua in five sets. That meant first serve between the Menes and Red Raiders did not occur until 8:38 p.m. The match concluded around 11:15 p.m.
Unlike the second meeting, however, the Lauhingoa sisters finished out the match.
"The last time we played here me and my twin sister got injured and I feel like that's what motivated us to come back and work harder and get the trophy, but also, our team is just very tough in their mindset and just pushes through anything and everything, so I'm really proud of them and without them, out team wouldn't be here, or be as strong as we are today," Manutai expressed.
Moanalua, the fourth-ranked team in the ScoringLive Power Rankings this week, saw its nine-match win streak come to an end. It was seeking its second straight OIA title and seventh overall.
The HHSAA/New City Nissan State Championships will take place next week. Na Menehune will host Hilo a play-in game Monday, while the Red Raiders will enjoy a first-round bye and begin play Thursday against either Campbell or Kekaulike.
"We wanted to get the bye so badly so we could have a little break, especially after tonight," Manutai said. "I'm super happy that we're going to get a little break for the girls to just reset, refocus ourselves and get ready for states," Manutai said.
The HHSAA released the bracket late Wednesday night. Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Iolani is the top seed and will play either Mililani or Konawaena Thursday. Kamehameha-Hawaii is the third seed and play either Kapolei or Kamehameha in another quarterback, while Kamehameha-Maui is the No. 4 seed and will take on either Hilo or Moanalua.
"This is a really big opportunity for all of our teammates. We're really excited and we can't wait to see how far we'll get," Schilling said.
via ScoringLive