Punahou outlasts Kamehameha

In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball opener for both teams, defending champion Punahou didn’t want to show rival Kamehameha too much.

But by the end, the Buffanblu showed the Warriors that they have plenty of girls who can find the floor.

The Buffanblu rode eight kills each by Carly Kan and Remo Gaogao to beat Kamehameha 25-20, 25-22 on Tuesday night at Kekuhaupio Gym.

The big hitters got them there, but it was Punahou’s passing and depth that put it away. The Buffanblu’s last seven points were scored by six different players, with the seventh coming on a Kamehameha error. A dump from Tayler Higgins made it 19-14. A big block of Pikake Laumauna by Brittney Markwith ended it. Claire Feeley, Kelly Matthews, McKenna Granato and Gaogao all had kills in between.

"I think we were able to spread it out because we were able to pass a little better," Punahou coach Peter Balding said. "For both teams, usually you see some jitters in the first match of the season. I’m not certain there was too much of that."

One player who was unable to reintroduce herself to the rivalry was senior outside hitter Taylor Dayton, who has yet to suit up this year because of a shoulder injury that has Balding perplexed. He says he has no idea when she will be able to join her teammates on the floor. Dayton led Punahou with nine kills in last year’s state championship match.

Pomai Recca led the Warriors with seven kills and Faith Ma‘afala added five. The teams meet again Sept. 28. Punahou plays Sacred Hearts at home on Friday and Kamehameha plays host to Maryknoll on Saturday.

"I’m very proud of the girls the way they played," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "Right now Punahou is the standard. We are hungry to get back into the gym and fix the things they showed us."

Punahou broke Kamehameha’s string of six straight state titles last year, and won the two titles (2003 and 2004) before that. This was the first of three regular-season matches between the powers.

"It’s pretty early," Balding said. "All it is, is kind of where you are this season. We have a little better offense than them right now, but I know (Blake) and they will be just fine. I thought Kamehameha played great; they really dug a lot of balls and kept themselves in the game."