Moanalua still reigns in OIA boys volleyball after five-set win over Mililani

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED MAY 2, 2024

Moanalua is still king in OIA boys volleyball.

Na Menehune held off a late comeback by Mililani in five sets to win their fifth straight league crown Wednesday night at Radford’s Jim Alegre Gymnasium.

Set scores were 25-19, 25-15, 27-29, 23-25 and 15-10.

A year after winning title No. 11 in school history with a trio of Hawai’i-bound signees, Moanalua (14-0) did it with mainly new faces.

“There were big expectations for the seniors that are coming in because of the star-studded senior group that we had last year and so they came into their own and they earned this as a team and they figured it out as a team in the end,” said Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting, who has led Na Menehune to 10 of their 12 total league titles.

Ezekiel Sablan was one of those new faces as he put down 20 kills and was one of three players to record double-digit kills for the victors.

“It feels great to be a part of this team and to help them with another OIA winning streak and it feels great just to be here right now,” Sablan said.

Jaycen Bush was also key with 14 kills and eight digs and D’Angelo Ross had 13 kills and hit .440 for the match.

On the other side of the net Tyler Duranceau had a double-double of 20 kills and 14 digs and Aris Mateo had 18 kills to lead the Trojans (12-1) in the loss.

Mililani was seeking its first league crown since 2017.