No. 4 Punahou smothers No. 2 Kamehameha in chaotic ILH volleyball

Chaos is the norm in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, where it is nearly impossible for any team to go unbeaten, even for just one round.

Kamehameha found this out on Saturday afternoon. No. 4 Punahou overwhelmed No. 2 Kamehameha 25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 25-16 before a crowd of about 500 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse. Kamehameha already has a state-tournament berth after claiming the first-round title with a 9-1 mark. Entering Saturday’s matchup, the Warriors were 3-0 in Round 2, but simply got knocked off balance by Punahou’s serve most of the afternoon.

Punahou and ‘Iolani are also 3-1 in the second round. A Punahou loss would’ve dealt a huge blow to the Buffanblu’s chances to play in the state tourney.

“We definitely talk about it, especially the captains,” said setter/co-captain Mahina Pua‘a. “Basically, the whole team wanted this.”

Punahou coach Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson agreed.

“Kamehameha is tough and very resilient. Our kids tend to kick it into another gear when (the score) is almost 25,” she said.

Led by Cassidy Witten’s five aces, Punahou dominated with a 13-1 edge on Kamehameha. That negated the visitors’ 14-5 advantage in blocks. Witten already has a difficult, knuckleball-ish serve, but when the giant ceiling fans at Hemmeter are spinning, it becomes a menace.

“She floats it and it catches in the air,” Pua‘a said.

Savanna Greene had 10 kills to lead the Buffanblu’s balanced attack. Pi‘ikea Clemens had four of her nine kills in the opening set to spark Punahou. Keliiakekaipukaamaka McComber had eight kills, two aces and a block, and Amalia Hilliard pounded seven kills. Kame‘e Parker chipped in five kills and two blocks, and Greene also had two blocks for Punahou.

“Punahou played excellent today. We didn’t match their best,” Warriors coach Chris Blake said. “They had their backs against the wall. We didn’t control first touch like we normally do.”

Kili Robins led Kamehameha with 15 kills, while Braelyn Akana had eight kills and seven blocks. Kayla Afoa tallied 10 kills and a block, Kalina Obrey had four kills and four blocks, and Maluhia Ma‘a added four kills.

The Warriors never led in the opening set, and then took a 5-1 lead in the second after an ace by Kyra Hanawahine. However, Punahou got right-side kills from Greene, and her roof lifted her team to a 6-5 lead. After Pua‘a’s ace gave the home team a 12-11 lead, it never trailed again in Game 2.

Kamehameha had seven blocks during the third set and never trailed. Obrey had two kills and two blocks, and Ma‘a came off the bench for four kills to ignite the Warriors’ comeback attempt.

“Our coaches said, ‘Let it go, have fun and play,’ “ Pua‘a said.

The fourth set was back to Punahou’s control mode. An ace by McComber opened the lead to 4-1. With the game tied at 7, the Buffanblu rode four aces by Witten — and two blocks and a kill by Parker — during a mesmerizing 12-0 run.

“The league is the best I’ve ever seen it,” said Blake, a multiple ILH and All-State coach of the year. “There are no easy matches from top to bottom.”

It was quite the sight for prep — and college — volleyball fans. Former Kamehameha and UH standout Kanani Danielson is a Punahou assistant, pumping the Buffanblu up in pregame. Between Danielson and head coach Fuamatu-Anderson, also a former college player, it’s tough to say which coach has more intensity.

Pua‘a thought about that for a few seconds.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Both.”