Peter Kanoho tallied seven kills, an ace and three blocks as Kailua swept Aiea 26-24, 25-16, 25-21 to stay alive in the OIA White boys volleyball playoffs.

The win at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium on Thursday night lifted Kailua (9-6) into the final on Saturday. Aiea, which suffered its first loss in the double-elimination tourney, will be there waiting. The title match will be played at Farrington.

Coach Cheriesse Shiroma has been at the helm for five seasons, but this is her deepest roster and coaching staff.

"Because we’re young, our consistency level and confidence are not there yet. A lot of them are first-year players, but they’re great athletes and they’re coachable," she said. "With them and our coaching staff, everyone’s working together."

Kanoho came through with his multiple skills, helping Kailua’s big block dominate the match. Miga Gaisoa, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, had two kills and three blocks, and 6-3 freshman Christian Mejia had six kills and three blocks. In all, the Surfriders outblocked Na Alii, a team with no player taller than 6 feet, 10-1.

"It doesn’t matter if they’re a tall team or not, we still have to play hard. They’re still a good team," said setter Caleb Valero, who dished 20 assists. "We worked so hard this season. This was one of our better matches, but we still have a lot to work on."

Sophomore Kamu Scheer added six kills and Martin Tigilau had four kills and two blocks. Mau Thomas had three of his team’s five aces.

Perritte Togafau led Aiea with 11 kills. Keali‘i Leopoldo added four kills and an ace. Kama Obrero chipped in with three kills.

Aiea (8-5) hadn’t played Kailua all season, but went toe to toe with the taller squad in the opening set. Togafau’s back-to-back kills tied the game at 24-all, but a net violation and a hitting error by Aaron Vaiaga‘e allowed Kailua the win.

Four blocks helped the Surfriders capture momentum en route to a 14-6 lead in the second set. Aiea hit -.038 in the second while Kailua racked up five roofs.

Na Alii regained momentum with an 11-4 lead in the third, but five hitting errors and five service errors led to their demise.

For the match, they hit .191. Kailua had only half as many swings, but finished at .362.

Kanoho, who also starts at center field for the baseball team, has managed his time wisely through a busy, fun spring season.

"There’s no break for me. I get home by 7, do my homework and get to sleep by 10," the 5-11 senior said.

With a surplus of underclassmen, Kanoho just smiles about his teammates and their success.

"I’m very surprised. God brought us here and it’s all to him. I’m happy for my team," he said. "We really deserved it."

Both teams have qualified for the state tourney, but Kailua’s not taking today’s practice easy.

"I feel great, but I also know this is not the end," Shiroma said. "We’ve got to fine-tune some things."