Mililani had the grit and guts, but Moanalua had an extra tank of fuel, hanging on for a 25-19, 25-15, 27-29, 23-25, 15-10 victory to capture the OIA boys volleyball championship on a late Wednesday night at Radford’s James Alegre Gymnasium.
Moanalua had match point in set 3, but could not put the relentless Trojans away. Mililani rallied, energized by a loud and faithful following.
Mililani led the final set 7-6, but Moanalua took a 9-8 lead on a hitting error, closing the match with a 9-3 run.
Na Menehune coach Alan Cabanting burned timeouts with Mililani within 12-9 and 12-10.
Ezekiel Sablan came through with a kill and a roof to bring Moanalua back to match point, and Trevor Kwak delivered the final kill.
Sablan finished with 20 kills and 3.5 blocks. Jaycen Bush added 14 kills and eight digs, while D’Angelo Ross had 13 kills a 2.5 blocks in the middle. Kwak tallied nine kills and Luke Jones added seven.
Malu Wilcox led Moanalua (13-0) with 56 assists and 11 digs. Kaden Seto added 10 digs.
Tyler Duranceau had a team-high 20 kills and 14 digs for Mililani (12-1). Aris Mateo tallied 18 kills, while Kapena Kanuch and Evan Lehano-Foki had seven kills apiece. Tye Nakamura finished with 29 assists and Carson Nakamura had 20.
The OIA crown is the 13th in school history for Moanalua, including 10 under Cabanting.
Mililani has four league titles, but has not won the OIA since 2017.
