No. 2 Punahou wasn’t feeling quite as generous this time around.
"Last time we kind of let up, and this game we weren’t willing to give it up," Punahou setter Micah Ma‘a said. "I think we battled more in the third."
The Buffanblu avenged last month’s three-set loss to top-ranked Kamehameha with a 25-22, 13-25, 25-17 win at Kekuhaupio Gym on Tuesday night.
Larry Tuileta put away 10 kills and Noah Hayashida added seven kills and seven block assists for the Buffanblu (7-1), who tied the Warriors atop the ILH standings.
"Kamehameha’s a great team. They showed that and they showed their resiliency after losing their first set," Punahou coach Rick Tune said. "We had no doubt they would. They played a solid second set and really took it to us. We could’ve easily folded tents, but we chose to keep fighting."
Punahou started strong with a 6-0 lead in the first set, and maintained that edge to take a 1-0 lead. The Warriors battled back to steal Set 2, with Cullen Mosher hammering seven of his match-high 17 kills.
While Kamehameha gained momentum in the second set, Tune made a lineup adjustment and threw in setter Dylan Gerard from the bench, allowing Ma‘a to take some swings in the front row.
"I had confidence in Dylan Gerard to put him in that situation," Tune said. "Dylan came in for us in the state championship match last year in the same exact situation and really turned the tide. I think he helped us do that tonight, too."
In the deciding set, Punahou jumped out to a 6-1 lead with four points resulting from Kamehameha errors. Libero Colin Peros extended Punahou’s lead with a six-point run at 16-8, serving a deep floater nearly 20 feet behind the service line. Tuileta fittingly ended the match with a sharp-angle shot from the left side.
Punahou had six of its 10 blocks in the deciding third set.
If Kamehameha had defeated Punahou and won its remaining matches this week, the Warriors would have clinched the ILH’s automatic berth into the state tournament.
"This was a big game," Kamehameha coach Kainoa Downing said. "I just feel that they served better than we did. They had different variety and they came at us with different stuff we didn’t have. I don’t think we served with any intensity."
Puna Kaniho finished with 26 assists and two block assists, and Scott Harrison added four kills and three block assists for Kamehameha.
OIA RED EAST SOFTBALL
Kaimuki 2, Roosevelt 0
Senior Ehlen Awaya threw a no-hitter as the Bulldogs beat the Rough Riders.
Awaya struck out five, walked three and hit a batter. She also went 2-for-3 from the plate with a double and run scored.
At Kaimuki
Roosevelt (4-7) 000 000 0 — 0 0 2
Kaimuki (8-2) 011 000 x — 2 6 0
Katie DeBusca and Destiny Holani. Ehlen Awaya and Seplynn Aikau. W—Awaya. L—DeBusca.
Leading hitters—Kaim: Nikki Vongprachanh 2-3, run, 2b; Awaya 2-3, run, 2b.
BASEBALL
BIIF
Varsity
Tuesday
Kamehameha Hawaii 3, Keaau 1
ILH
Junior varsity
Monday
Saint Louis 9, Pac-Five 1
