KAPOLEI — Kalani head coach Janeen Waialae knew it would take two wins for her team to get to the state tournament.

One down, one to go.

The Falcons needed three games to defeat Leilehua in a first-round match of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Division Tournament last night at Kapolei gym.

The scores were 25-13, 20-25, 25-18. Kalani, the fourth seed out of the Eastern Division, improved to 8-5. Leilehua, the fifth seed from the West, completed its season at 6-7.

Kalani advances to meet West No. 1 Mililani tomorrow.

Last night the Falcons dominated game one, but suffered through "basic team issues" in game two.

"My team comes out really strong," said Waialae. "We got kind of comfortable (in game two), we didn't stick together."

After getting blitzed in game one, game two went to the Mules, who were aided by 15 Kalani errors.

"If we play together as a team, we can be very good," said Waialae. Her team did just that in game three.

Leilehua opened with a 4-1 lead, but Kalani answered with an 11-2 run that included seven straight points.

The Mules rallied to within 17-13, but sophomore setter Chelsea Suzumoto's tip-kill, followed by a Leilehua hitting error made it 19-13.

Kalani got aces from Chelsie Vea and Summer-Rey Taliva'a Thatcher for its 21st and 22nd points and the Mules committed their 11th error of the third game to make it 23-17.

Tina Pulu's fourth kill of game three gave the Falcons match point and Vea went cross-court for the final point.

Waialae said she thought Leilehua was "one of the scrappiest teams in the OIA.

"That was our goal to get them scrambling because otherwise it would have been too easy (for them), their defense is too good," she said.

Leilehua had players out of position as the lineup was shuffled because of injuries suffered during practice this week.

"But no excuses," said Leilehua coach Kory Toyozaki. "(Kalani) just dug everything."

"I told them, 'It's going to come down to who wants to go to states more and that would show on the court,' " said Waialae.

A win tomorrow at Mililani ensures the Falcons a trip to the HHSAA State Tournament, Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in Hilo.

Reach Kalani Takase at ktakase@honoluluadvertiser.com.