Jericho Adolpho goes by Ku, a shortened version of his middle name Kuakeaikana’aupono.

While he prefers a short name, there’s no lessening how important the 6-foot-5 senior is to the Molokai High School volleyball team.

Molokai sprang out to a valuable 2-0 start in the Maui Interscholastic League Division II race with a 25-16, 25-16, 24-26, 19-25, 15-10 win over Seabury Hall at the Erdman Athletic Center on Saturday morning, one night after the Farmers swept the Spartans.

“Definitely a lot more stressful, it would have been a lot better to keep it more under control,” Adolpho said of the match that lasted nearly two hours. “It’s good to come out with the win, kind of reminds us to not get too complacent. There’s still a lot more work to do.”

Adolpho teamed with Hana transfer Elau Hoopai-Waikoloa to help the Farmers to a hard-fought win Saturday. Adolpho had 19 kills, six digs, a block and an ace, while Hoopai-Waikoloa had 22 kills, eight digs, two aces and a block.

Hoopai-Waikoloa, a 6-3 sophomore, joined the Farmers last month after he was a first-team All-Star in eight-player football for the Dragons in the fall. He lives with Molokai coach Hale Domingo.

“Hey, it’s good to have him,” Adolpho said. “It’s good to have another person to rely upon.”

Hoopai-Waikoloa is a club volleyball player for Outrigger Canoe Club on Oahu, where University of Hawaii men’s coach Charlie Wade and UH alum and national champion Colton Cowell are youth coaches.

Hoopai-Waikoloa is having a blast with the Farmers. His mother Anjoleen Hoopai-Waikoloa, the Hana High School girls volleyball coach, was a line judge on Saturday.

“It’s super fun, it went from me playing against them to me playing with them,” Elau Hoopai-Waikoloa said. “They’re all my family.”

Hoopai-Waikoloa smiled widely when asked about playing with Adolpho.

“Oh, Ku is crazy, that guy is huge,” Hoopai-Waikoloa said. “If we put in the work, then we can be unstoppable.”

After doing five sports as a junior — cross country and eight-player football in the fall, basketball in the winter, volleyball and track and field in the spring — Adolpho dropped football this fall while he played club volleyball with Kaimana Volleyball Club on Oahu. He tentatively plans to take a two-year church mission after graduation in May.

“After that probably go to college, hopefully play some ball somewhere, volleyball or basketball, either one,” Adolpho said.

For his final season as a Farmer, Adolpho is enjoying every second, on the volleyball court and doing the discus and shot put in track.

“The school day ends at around 2:15, then I go to track practice to about 3:30, then I run into the gym and we practice volleyball until about 5:30ish, and then go home, get some rest, and get up, do it all over again,” he said. “Yeah, I like it because it keeps me busy, gives me something to do. If I’m not doing something on Saturdays, I go out, practice and maybe throw some disc, go get some hits in. It keeps me busy, I enjoy that.”

Molokai setter Wesley Dela Cruz chipped in 34 aces, six digs, two blocks and two aces on Saturday for the Farmers, who appeared well on their way to a second straight sweep when Adolpho slammed home one of his resounding kills to make it 22-16 in the second set.

The Spartans opened leads of 7-5 and 10-7 in the third set before a kill off the block by Hoopai-Waikoloa gave the Farmers a 15-14 lead. A kill by Adolpho gave the Farmers a 21-19 lead, but the Spartans caught them at 23-23 on a kill by Jack Bendon. Moments later, an ace by Martin Parraguez finished the third set in Seabury Hall’s favor.

Again, the Spartans took early leads in the fourth set, 7-4 and 9-5. The Farmers closed within 17-15 on a kill by Hoopai-Waikoloa, but the Spartans forced the fifth set with an 8-4 run to finish the fourth.

Molokai led 8-4 and 10-6 in the fifth, before William Judge’s roll-shot kill brought Seabury Hall within 12-10. A Hoopai-Waikoloa kill, Adolpho block and Adolpho kill ended the match.

Domingo likes what he sees in his team after the first weekend of MIL play, and he loved that it came on the road.

“Not many people know it, but I love playing in this gym,” Domingo said. “It’s something about the morale, the camaraderie, everything in this gym, it’s just beautiful playing in it. It’s a lovely place to play.”

His top two weapons appear to be formidable on the D-II level anywhere in the state.

“They’re great kids, their grades are awesome,” Domingo said. “Elau, my first time with him and he’s a straight athlete, man. I take nothing away because last he played baseball for Hana. Without them having a volleyball team, he’s eligible. He’s awesome, he’s clubbing out with Outrigger. So, it’s something great for him to come over here, come to Molokai and get it going.

“Mr. Ku, I know you guys have never seen him in the back row in three years. So now, he’s all the way around the court. He’s grown up a lot.”

Domingo tipped his cap to Spartans coach Rocky DeLyon, a former Seabury Hall standout who played collegiately at Cal Baptist.

“Seabury, they’re great, even though Rocky said they’re young, but they’re great, they’re talented, I mean he’s a great coach,” Domingo said. “I look forward for them coming to our home and putting on a show, too. I don’t want to take nothing away from them, they’re great.”

DeLyon liked what he saw from his team on Saturday, especially after being quickly swept on Friday. The Spartans have just two seniors, Jeaneau Dugied and James McCrystal.

The Spartans did not report stats from Saturday’s match.

“They’re a great team, it just took us a few sets to get the nerves out,” DeLyon said. “Once we started playing our game, we started pushing back. Young team, it’s fun getting to expand the program, but it just takes one day at a time.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.