Punahou volleyball team nearly perfect

It’s efficiency that Rick Tune wants, and it’s efficiency that he gets.

The longtime Punahou boys volleyball coach has a very high bar of excellence — he was an analytics guy long before it was popular to use efficiency numbers in pro and college sports — and his team has consistently reached the echelon.

It happened again on Tuesday night as No. 1 Punahou committed just one hitting error while dispatching ‘Iolani 25-15, 25-16 at Father Bray Athletic Center. Punahou improved to 6-0 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, including four wins since returning from its conquest at the Best of the West tournament. ‘Iolani slipped to 5-2.

Kanai Akana, a 6-foot-4 junior, had a team-high nine kills with 1.5 blocks, while 6-3 senior Ethan Siegfried had five kills, two blocks and two of his team’s eight aces. Their serve game set the host Raiders back all night, crushing their chance at vaulting into a premium position in the regular-season standings.

Instead, there’s simply Punahou, a team that is by all standards the best in the nation, and, frankly, the rest of the pack. The visitors used two setters, 6-2 Jameson McKibbin (12 assists, two aces, one block) and 6-5 Buddy Scott (nine assists, one block). Ryan Wilcox, a 6-3 junior, added five kills and an ace. After going without a hitting error in the first set and hitting an almost inhuman .813, they committed their one miscue in the second game (.342).

“I’d like to see us get more of a back-row quick attack off the serve-receive,” Tune said. “It’s necessary to the full form of our offense.”

Hugh Hogland, a 6-9 senior, led ‘Iolani with seven kills and had one ace and one block. Cole Hogland added four kills and two blocks, Ryan Van Cantfort chipped in three kills and Shane Harimoto dished out 12 assists. The Raiders, led by first-year head coach Jordan Inafuku, hit .179 and had one ace.

“They’re definitely at a different level,” Hugh Hogland said. “Out of all the teams in the state, we’re one of the two that can beat them. We didn’t handle their float serves.”

Punahou went after the towering Hogland early in the back row and built a quick 5-0 lead in the first game. He settled in, but the Raiders never got closer than four points. McKibbin brought his two aces, D.J. McInerny had one and Siegfried added his first as the visitors opened the lead to 11 before ending the opening set.

The Raiders hung tough in the second, setting the score at 12 with a 5-0 run that featured two Punahou hitting errors, an ace by Nathan Yung and a block and a kill by Cole Hogland.

Akana stepped up with a kill and a roof, sparking a 5-1 run for the Buffanblu. The Raiders got no closer than four the rest of the way as Scott and Ryan Hong each blocked Hugh Hogland.

“This team is really impressing me with their ability to read the block. That takes years to learn,” Tune said. “We could’ve done better on Hugh. He’s a great player, big and tall with a live arm.”

Punahou, ‘Iolani and Hawaii Baptist are among the elite teams that will play in the Hawaii Boys Volleyball Invitational Tournament, which begins on Thursday at ‘Iolani. Visiting teams include Redondo, La Jolla and Sylmar of California, and Prince Charles of Canada.