Peter Balding is a nitpicker, and he couldn’t have picked a better team to coach.

Anyone who has played for the Punahou girls volleyball coach knows that Balding has an exacting concept of how the game can and should be played. What a lot of fans outside the Buffanblu circle don’t often see is the husband, the father and, yes, the coach who loves a team that can laugh at itself.

The Buffanblu (15-0) — a blend of experience and youth, heavy hitters and precise middles, savvy back-row defenders and relentless blockers — ended a long dry spell on Saturday. Their three-set sweep of Kamehameha, which had won six state titles in a row, was a demo model of the present and the future.

Seniors Tai Manu-Olevao and Kat Brooks were prominent as key cogs in the attack and defense. But junior Taylor Dayton led with nine kills, and seemingly each time Kamehameha was poised to rally, junior Carly Kan answered from anywhere on the floor. With those two returning next year to carry the attack, plus tournament most outstanding player Tayler Higgins at setter, Balding has plenty to build on. It might be easier at Punahou, though, because Kan and Dayton are BFFs, and Higgins is almost as valuable a blocker as she is a setter.

Higgins is serene, almost, while Kan and Dayton can be playful off the court and all business on it.

"That’s what makes them. That goofiness and the seriousness are what you’re going for in the success of anything," Balding said of Punahou’s first title since 2004.

Having the right emotional balance was key to overcoming an early struggle, when Punahou trailed 9-4 to the Warriors.

"We were kind of frazzled, kind of had nerves, so he put us on the bench and told us to calm down," said Brooks, who will play for the University of Texas next season. "We all controlled our emotions in a good way."

After falling behind 9-4 and absorbing Balding’s words of wisdom, Punahou surged to a 14-13 lead.

"I said, ‘Look, we’re passing well, doing what we had to defensively. Stop trying to hit the perfect shot. Hit the ball to the big part of the court with some topspin.’ It was a matter of chipping away," Balding said.

"The girls saw that when we were able to apply a little bit of consistent pressure, (Kamehameha) was off and didn’t play their best match tonight, and that’s OK by me," Balding said.