Through the eyes of a six-time state championship coach, there’s no better observation of how Peter Balding and his staff guided Punahou back to the throne in girls volleyball.

"He’s a great coach. He brings a confidence," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "He and his staff show a very organized and disciplined group in thought and action. They were very focused this year and a lot of that is because of him, Tanya (Fuamatu-Anderson) and Lehua (Kadooka). They’ve done a great job there."

Punahou ended Kamehameha’s reign of six state titles in a row, but the rise from contender to champion began a year earlier. The Buffanblu went unbeaten last season until the state final, losing to Kamehameha in Upcountry Maui.

This season, the Buffanblu persevered and improved. With the move of Tayler Higgins to setter, everything fell into place. The machinery was perfectly designed and operated. The Buffanblu went 15-0, sweeping Kamehameha in the state final at Neal Blaisdell Arena.

Higgins, a 5-foot-9 junior, was voted player of the year by coaches and media in the Star-Advertiser’s All-State selections. Balding was voted coach of the year.

Higgins was an integral part of Punahou’s ascent, a good blocker and back-row defender, and still had the wallop on those occasional swings. For almost all of Punahou’s season, though, she handled passes and delivered silky-smooth sets to a vast arsenal.

"Higgins was the glue. She made sure she got the players the ball when they needed to," Blake said. "Having that kind of smart person on the court is a big key. She’s an athletic kid. Because she does all the little things really well, the thing we noticed on tape, their ball control is pretty good, but even when we put them in bad spots, she was able to get to the ball.

"After seeing her development from sophomore to junior year, especially in the high school season, I know she follows through with the game plan and implements what they ask her to do. She’s the difference. She’s genuinely there for her group and happy for her team."

The voting was close. Higgins finished with three more points than teammate Tai Manu-Olevao, a power-hitting 6-foot-1 outside hitter. Kamehameha landed three players in the next three spots in the voting with libero Chelsey Keoho, outside hitter Misty Ma‘a and setter Alohi Robins-Hardy.

Punahou, however, was undeniably the cream of the crop this year, so much so that coaches and media picked six Buffanblu to the Fab 15. In league and postseason play, Balding’s squad gave up only two sets. One was against "‘Iolani in a four-set win on Oct. 6. The other was at Kamehameha in another four-setter on Oct. 18.

"He has so much experience," Blake said of Balding. "I’ve talked to so many of his former players who went on to college, and they say he’s the best coach they ever had. Even though he won’t take credit for it, he’s one of the reasons that those girls are motivated to do the things they do."

Balding clearly doesn’t view the end of Kamehameha’s title streak as the end of a dynasty, but he also noted that he had a gratifying experience as Punahou gathered momentum and surged to the top.

"The opportunity that I had to work with the 15 girls was really a unique situation. I’ve been doing this for a while. I don’t know that I’ve had a group of people like this, collectively all 15, ever," he said. "I feel blessed to have been the one that was given the opportunity to have the head coach title or just be part of it. That’s what I feel most good about.

"There’s other things I feel good about, as well. Kids like Tai, who have been on varsity for four years, to have a goal. Now, on this side of it, she understands that it’s great to be a state champion, but the medal and the trophy are just a peripheral thing. She knows it’s the complete package, the training, the sacrificing to work with a group of people who have a similar goal.

"Getting her and the five seniors to a point where they were able to accomplish that together, those type of things I feel good about for them. It’s hard to describe it.

"It’s priceless to me."

Val Crabbe, who led Mililani to the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship and a third-place finish at the state tourney, was second in the coach of the year voting. Other coaches who received votes were Bala Spencer of Kamehameha-Maui, Jenic Tumaneng of ‘Iolani, Kahala Kabalis of Le Jardin, Larry Cantero of Leilehua, Kaniela Kalama of Kahuku, Sonya Samsonas of St. Francis and Blake.