Punahou clinches ILH crown

A lost season has turned into an electric turnaround for Taylor Dayton.

The 5-foot-11 senior, rebounding from tendinitis in her right shoulder, came off the bench to give No. 1 Punahou a spark with three kills and a block, and the Buffanblu swept No. 3 ‘Iolani 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 on Tuesday night to clinch the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s Division I girls volleyball championship.

"Any time you can win an ILH championship, I think it’s pretty cool," Buffanblu coach Peter Balding said. "My hat’s off to our girls and our seniors. We’ve battled throughout the season with challenges, the ailments. The third game is closer in score, but in my opinion, we play a much more even game, the ballhandling and emotional stability was great because of her. It’s pretty sweet to have her back. We’ve waited a long time for her."

Punahou (14-1), which won its fourth league title in a row, will rest until the state tournament starting on Oct. 30. The title ensures a first-day bye for the Buffanblu, the defending state champs.

‘Iolani’s loss sealed a state tourney berth for Kamehameha, which played Mid-Pacific on Tuesday.

In the previous two matches against the Raiders, the Buffanblu were pushed to the limit in best-of-three sets. This time, Carly Kan (12 kills) and Remo Gaogao (eight kills) provided their usual firepower, while middles Brittney Markwith (11 kills) and Claire Feeley (five kills) were reliable targets for setter Tayler Higgins (35 assists).

Dayton was rock solid after entering the match in the second set, playing her best match since suffering a severe case of tendinitis that sidelined her for most of the season.

"Punahou has a lot of weapons," ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. "They’re a little bit deeper. They have a better lineup with (Dayton), her ballhandling, her block."

Dayton continued to train despite the injury, doing all the approach jumps and running. She even did sit-ups and one-armed push-ups through entire practices while the rest of the team worked out on the court. But it was rehab work — electrical stimulation to increase blood flow — with Dr. Darryl Kan, father of Carly (Punahou outside hitter), that helped her shoulder heal quickly.

"It was the worst case Darryl said he’d ever seen," Balding said. "It was originally diagnosed as a tear. Darryl gave her a second opinion and she had to be patient. She went through therapy for a month. She made herself ready, and that’s what you saw today. Don’t misinterpret her team attitude and caring, easy-going spirit, because underneath that is a fierce competitor."

Dayton is glad to be contributing in her final year.

"They put a machine on it that helps electrocute it or something," Dayton said of the electrode stimulation. "We have a really good team and any of our 16 girls can be out there helping. I’m so glad my teammates are always supporting me, and I want to support them."

Punahou hit .346 and had just six hitting errors. ‘Iolani hit .242 with just seven hitting errors. The Buffanblu finished with five aces and five service errors. The Raiders had two aces and four service errors.

For ‘Iolani (9-6), hopes for a state berth were still alive going into Tuesday’s match. Haley Robinson led the Raiders with nine kills. Loxley Keala added six kills, three blocks and 12 assists, and Hoakalei Dawson also had six kills. Freshman Bailey Choy had a team-high 16 assists.