It’s not often that the Punahou girls water polo team gets a stiff challenge. When the moment arrives, however, the marriage of strategy and talent shines brighter than ever. Having Roxy Kiessling on board makes her the X-factor, a playmaker who puts the Buffanblu above the rest.

Ken Smith remembers the last time she elevated her game. Using some basketball-sourced knowledge from assistant coach (and former varsity boys basketball guru) Alan Lum, Smith drew up a basic play in the final six seconds of a tied match with ‘Iolani.

One "wing" cleared out from left to right. A go-to scorer in the left corner would dive into the middle behind her, catch a pass from their goalie and attack. Simple enough, but precision and speed in the water don’t always mesh.

Kiessling, the go-to girl, took the pass, swooped to within 10 yards of the goal and delivered a rocket to the upper left corner of the net for the game-winner.

"We’d never run the play at practice. I didn’t have a whiteboard to diagram. I just explained it to them in the timeout," Smith said. "The time on the clock didn’t give her options. We didn’t have time to set a pick. As she shot it, time ran out."

It was a play drawn up for a big-time scorer, though Kiessling might not agree.

"It was a lucky shot," she said.

Smith has seen Kiessling develop over time.

"She’s become a strong scorer. She was always concerned with how she would help the group, but now she’s more of a leader, more aggressive about scoring," he said. "She’s ready to take those big shots now."

Yet, her skill level, strength and speed make her one of the top players in the state, if not the best. She does a lot of everything, but technically, the mild-mannered senior is an attacker in the water. She is an athletic force in a sport known for rugged, physical and painful battles below the pool’s surface.

"I get pretty competitive, I guess. You have to be a little bit aggressive, yes," she said. "You just have to shake it off. It’s an aggressive sport, you have to tell yourself that. It’s true for everyone. Everyone gets clobbered."

Kiessling spends most of the winter and spring submerged in Punahou’s pool, a good swimmer (fourth in the 50 freestyle this past season) who is a great water polo player. Though the team doesn’t keep statistics for all matches, Kiessling is listed with 11 goals in four league matches against Kamehameha and ‘Iolani this year. That includes a six-goal performance against Kamehameha.

"She’s right there with all of our good players. She’s a Division-I type of player," Smith said. "For us, she’s an attacker, but she’s very versatile, a good defender, good speed. She could probably score more, but she’s the consummate student-athlete with a 3.9 GPA and she’s artistic. She’s got all these sides to her. But her No. 1 goal is what can I do to make my team better."

It’s not just the fact that she reigns supreme in water polo that matters. Kiessling can’t get over the joy of feeding a teammate for a score, or hustling back to make a defensive stop, which leads to more hustle, more precision and more joy for herself and teammates. It’s chemistry in the water, and for her, there’s nothing quite like it.

"Everything that leads up to a goal is what really matters," Kiessling said. "It’s the passing and swimming and defense that’s so important. Every goal that our goalie blocks or if a player steals, it’s like a goal being scored."

It’s why water polo, for her, is more fun.

"I love the team aspect more. You really depend on each other and need each other," she said.

The Buffanblu have done it despite the graduation of key seniors from the 2013 squad, including Turner Wong, the state tournament’s most outstanding player.

Smith’s 40 years as a boys and, starting in 1996, girls coach at Punahou bring a down-to-earth, Yoda-like quality to the program.

"Coach is amazing. I can’t thank him enough with everything he’s helped me with, not only in water polo, but just in life. He’s always giving us new things to learn," Kiessling said.

Punahou has won the past six state championships and is taking dead aim at a seventh.

"There’s a ton of people that I’ve always looked up to. Just recently from my years, Sarina Shibata, Courtney Miller and even Naomi Ng. I would love to be as good as they are. They’ve always helped me and taught me new tricks."

Now, all that waits is that quest for another state crown.The Stanford Carr Development/HHSAA State Championships start Wednesday at Kamehameha-Hawaii.

"It was kind of a grind every day. We thought we’d go hard for one more week before we ease back next week," Kiessling said on an early Saturday morning before practice. "Might as well push it to the limit."