Another koa trophy is coming to the office of coach Rick Tune.

Punahou swept Moanalua 25-18, 25-22, 25-13 to win its ninth consecutive state title on Saturday night at Blaisdell Center, completing a perfect 16-0 season. Add the four wins at the Clash of the Titans, and it was 20-0 for a seasoned, disciplined and explosive squad under Tune and his veteran staff.

The New City Nissan/HHSAA State Championships could easily be named the Punahou state tournament. The school has now won 38 state crowns since the inception of the event in 1969.

“Things are hard to earn. We don’t take those lightly. They’re a symbol of every team’s hard work and dedication and sacrifice over the course of the season, and rising to the moment when they need to,” Tune said. “That’s what they’re there for, to remind guys what the bar looks like and who came before you, and what they put on the floor.”

The coach’s son, Aidan Tune, led the way with 16 kills (.414), adding two aces and seven digs. Riley Haine had 15 kills (.375) and a team-high 10 digs, and Keau Thompson tallied 13 kills (.360) and one ace. Setter Keegan Au Yuen dished 42 assists, and libero Braydon Simmons had nine digs. Haine, signed to play for USC, embraced the trophy.

“It feels like a nine-peat, baby. Nine in a row. Nine state titles. It’s awesome,” Haine said.

The three agreed about their fellow senior, Au Yuen, who had a masterclass-level performance on title night.

“Keegan should get to take it home,” said Thompson, the right-side terminator.

“Keegan’s team captain,” Aidan Tune added.

“It’s our senior year, so it’s a really special moment to share with all these guys that I’ve been playing with forever,” Au Yuen said.

Keanu Kawaa led Moanalua (15-1) with seven kills in 29 swings against an air-tight Punahou defense. Christian Tafao and Jaycen Bush chipped in five kills each. Malu Wilcox (10 assists) and AJ Matsumoto (nine) directed the attack, but Punahou’s block and back-row resilience limited Na Menehune to an .090 hitting percentage.

Punahou hit .367 as a team.

“If somebody made an error, we love to repeat (set) that same hitter because we always have confidence in our players, so we know they’re going to get that next kill,” Haine said.

“Thanks to you for diming us the pass,” Tune said to Haine.

The title makes it 10 in all under Tune and 38 for Punahou’s storied program. This was the first boys volleyball state tourney since 2019.

OIA champion Moanalua (15-1), seeking its first boys volleyball state title, did what it could to stay close. The three-pronged attack featuring Thompson, Haine and Tune was far too much for any opponent this season.

“The boys were very resilient. We knew Punahou, with the big hitters they have, they would get their hits,” Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting said. “After each one they came back and sided out. Punahou’s one of the best not only here in Hawaii, but in the nation. They’ll make an adjustment. They’ll figure things out. I’m so proud of the boys. They really pushed (Punahou) for those two sets.”

The opening set was tied at 10 when Punahou went on an 11-4 run. Teke Bower roofed Moanalua’s Christian Tafao, Tune polished off two kills, Haine brought a bazooka shot from the back row for a point, and after a Moanalua setting error, Au Yuen’s ace opened the lead to 18-14.

Two Moanalua hitting errors and a kill by Thompson stretched the lead to seven points. A Haine block, Bower roof and another Haine block closed out set one.

The second set was also close, 11-10 after a kill by Kawaa. The 6-foot-4 senior had just one kill in eight attempts during the first set, but bounced back with six second-set kills plus a block. He had consecutive kills to bring Moanalua within 21-18, but Kahale Clini’s ace helped the Buffanblu extended the lead to five points.

Another Tune kill finished off game two.

The third set was pure runaway with a flurry of aces and Tune continuing to use his 39.5-inch vertical to leap and hit over Moanalua’s double blocks.

After defeating Kamehameha in the ILH final, the Buffanblu swept Roosevelt 25-8, 25-19, 25-16 in the state quarterfinal round, then knocked out OIA runner-up Mililani 25-17, 25-15, 25-17 in the semifinals.

Moanalua overpowered Castle 25-16, 25-18, 25-13 in the quarterfinals, then outlasted ILH runner-up Kamehameha 26-28, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 16-14 in a 2-hour, 14-minute thriller on Friday night.

Kaawa was in terminator mode against Kamehameha with 30 kills in 85 swings, adding eight digs and a block. In the win over Castle, he had 11 kills in 21 attempts with five digs and a block.

For now, of course, there is no dynasty quite like Punahou boys volleyball. The collection of koa trophies is well cared for.

“You’ve got to take care of them. Each one of those represents a really special group of guys. Within that trophy there are hundreds and hundreds of positive memories that I have of each group,” Tune said. “It helps me remember Micah Ma‘a and Tui Tuileta and Ben Lam and Josh Taylor and Taylor Crabb and so on, all the guys.”

The current group of Buffanblu are heavily comprised of Spike n’ Serve club players. There will be more club ball this spring.

“When that ends, it’s going to be the actual goodbyes to all these guys,” Haine said. “I love these guys to death. We’ve been together since we were 13, 12.”

At the next level, Thompson will play for Ball State. Tune will play for Pepperdine and Au Yuen will set for Concordia.

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HHSAA/New City Nissan Boys

Division I Championships

Fifth place

Kamehameha-Hawaii def. Kamehameha-Maui 25-23, 25-16

Third place

Mililani def. Kamehameha 25-20, 25-23