Punahou received a well-rounded effort from a trio of seniors as the top-ranked Buffanblu swept No. 2 Kamehameha 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 in a meeting between the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s two top squads Saturday afternoon before a lively senior night crowd at Hemmeter Field House.
In overcoming what Punahou coach Peter Balding called the "pleasant distractions" created by the festivities, seniors Carly Kan, Claire Feely and Brittney Markwith led the balanced Buffanblu attack with eight, seven and six kills, while fellow senior starter Tayler Higgins added two kills and a service ace.
Warriors senior Pikake Laumauna collected a match-high 10 kills in defeat, while teammates Pomai Recca and Alohi Robins-Hardy posted seven and six kills, respectively.
"We’re trying to be balanced, and (Kamehameha) did some things that forced us to be a little more versatile," Balding said. "They played really good defense, and I think we snuck one by them. You always wonder as a coach if they’re going to be able and take care of business (amidst the hype of the match), and I think we did. But, we still have some things to work on."
Punahou (14-1) took the opening set after putting together a 9-3 run that included two kills from Markwith and a Kelly Matthews service ace that put the Buffanblu ahead 20-13. Kamehameha (12-3) could not overcome its erratic hitting, and four consecutive service errors allowed Punahou to pull away.
The Warriors built a 3-2 lead to start the second set, but their hitting woes continued as the visitors mishandled three serves and erred on four more hits as Punahou went on a 7-0 run. The Buffanblu received three kills apiece from Markwith and Kan as Punahou kept Kamehameha from getting within four points of the lead through the remainder of the set.
"In Game 2, we didn’t pass as well, but we got a couple of breaks when their passing faltered, and we kept that (lead in place)," said Balding. "We’ve really tried to just go to the next play, and it’s helped us to focus on passing and get points when we can."
The third set began with Kamehameha showing signs of a comeback, as the blue-and-white-clad team jumped out to a 7-4 lead on the heels of two service aces from Kalehua Katagiri. But, as it had done all match, Punahou put together a momentum-shifting 6-1 run to take a 10-8 lead, and added a 5-0 run to go up 19-15. Kan posted four of her kills in the set, including a score on match point to secure the Buffanblu victory.
"Punahou is a great team, and they put us into a lot of bad spots," said Kamehameha coach Chris Blake. "They’re well coached, they have a lot of great seniors and their balance and consistency is testament to their coaching staff and their talent."
Saturday’s match was the fourth of the 2012 campaign. Punahou downed Kamehameha 25-20, 25-22 to begin conference play on Aug. 28, and the Warriors evened the score with a 28-26, 29-27 victory over the Buffanblu on Sept. 28 that forced a tiebreaker to determine the league’s first-round champion. Punahou won that tiebreaker on Oct. 1, 25-19, 25-23, and in addition to claiming the ILH’s first-round title, it also earned the league’s first automatic berth into the New City Nissan/HHSAA State Championship tournament slated for Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
Earlier at Hemmeter, Punahou Gold defeated Kamehameha White 23-25, 25-17, 25-19 to claim the ILH junior varsity championship.
