Matthew Anderegg pounded 17 kills and added four blocks, all in the opening set, as Huntington Beach (Calif.) swept ‘Iolani 25-22, 25-22, 25-15 in the opening round of the Clash of the Titans volleyball tournament at Punahou’s Hemmeter Fieldhouse on Friday.
Anderegg, a 6-foot-8 senior, has signed to play at Long Beach State. The Oilers are making their first appearance at the Clash since 2015, when they won the tourney. Five starters graduated from last year’s squad, but the Oilers were deep and precise against ‘Iolani, the second-place team in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
USC-bound Noah Franklin added 12 kills and Mitchell Bollinger tallied eight for Huntington Beach, which is 16-8, including 5-2 in the California Interscholastic Federation’s Sunset League. Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe, son of Long Beach State men’s volleyball coach Alan Knipe, dished out 37 assists.
“‘Iolani is very competitive. They’re a strong team,” said Anderegg, who hit .419 and took most of his swings from the right side. “We didn’t know what to expect. We needed to consistently turn it on like each point is the last one in the game.”
He was relatively quiet for most of the match, but when he sat during the third set, he was the biggest and loudest cheerleader on the Oilers’ bench.
“Honestly, I have such a big love for the sport — everyone should have the same amount of support,” he said.
The Raiders kept it close most of the way, thanks to 6-9 senior Hugh Hogland, who finished with 17 kills (.333) and one ace. Ryan Van Cantfort chipped in five kills and sophomore Shane Harimoto had 23 assists.
“This level’s not too much for our team. We’ve finished in a similar way against this kind of competition,” ‘Iolani coach Jordan Inafuku said. “We’re trying to figure out how to play to maximum capacity.”
Anderegg’s lift and size belie his touch.
“He swings nice and high, which is a tough skill to learn. He doesn’t hit down and low,” Inafuku said.
The Raiders led 8-4 in the opening set as the Oilers, who had not touched a volleyball since Monday, worked out their kinks. Anderegg got on a roll, sparking his team to a 14-6 run and an 18-14 lead. ‘Iolani got no closer than two points the rest of the set.
The second set was another close battle, tied at 10 before the visitors took control with a 5-0 run. An ace by Mark Aparicio and a roof by Knipe, who is 6-2, triggered the Oilers’ momentum. ‘Iolani battled back to 23-22, but never tied it again. Franklin’s back-row spike closed out the set.
By the third set, the Raiders were out of fuel as the Oilers took control.
“We kind of put ’em on lockdown today after being in the water and sun for three straight days,” 10th-year head coach Craig Paranti said. “We felt a little rust and we’re not used to the humidity.”
The Raiders haven’t taken anything for granted even with current second-place status in the ILH.
“Kamehameha is playing great. Their record is nowhere near what they’re playing like now,” said Inafuku, a former Warriors standout. “We’re moving forward a little bit. It’s a great experience for us to have this competition in the middle of our second round.”
Punahou 3, KS-Hawaii 0
The ILH-leading Buffanblu rallied from a 20-8 deficit to win the opening set and fought off the BIIF powerhouse Warriors for a sweep, 26-24, 26-24, 25-20.
Kana‘i Akana, a 6-4 junior, had a match-high 15 kills, including six as the Buffanblu came back in the first set. Another junior, Ryan Wilcox, added 14 kills, a block and an ace. Buddy Scott came off the bench to dish out 34 assists for the Buffanblu, who will meet Huntington Beach in the final today.
Avery Enriques led KS-Hawaii with 13 kills and two blocks. Addison Enriques tallied six kills and two aces, and Jarvis Benito added five kills and 1.5 blocks. The Warriors outblocked Punahou 8-4 and hung in the match with relentless back-row defense, but hit just .190 against the taller Buffanblu.
Punahou hit .279.
In the opening set, it was Akana’s kill that tied it at 24, and after a hitting error by the visitors, Race Agcaoili’s serve went untouched in the middle of KS-Hawaii’s side of the court on game ball.
The second set was close until Punahou opened the lead to 23-20. KS-Hawaii tied it 24-all on a Punahou hitting error, but Akana drilled a kill and Avery Enriques was whistled for a line violation.
