Kiana Peroff soared for eight kills and Sandra Zeng took command in the second set with four aces as No. 1 Punahou swept No. 3 Kamehameha 25-22, 25-20 before 200 fans at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium.
“We definitely came out prepared mentally. Any time you come up to play on the hill, you have to be prepared mentally and emotionally,” Punahou coach Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson said. “That, I’m at peace with.”
Punahou improved to 3-0 in the Interscholastic League girls volleyball showdown between two unbeatens. Zeng added five kills, Hana Lishman tallied four and middle Lillie Klemmer added three. Nikki Lum dished 15 assists.
Kamehameha slipped to 2-1 despite nine kills by Kayla Afoa. Six-foot sophomore Kili Robins had seven kills and Brooke Ka‘awa chipped in four. Freshman setter Lexis Akeo, sister of former Kamehameha setter Kamalani Akeo (Pitt), had 13 dimes.
It was a strong showing by the visiting Buffanblu, who opened the first game with a 7-1 run. Peroff, a 6-foot-2 senior, had three kills by then.
“They came ready to play and we didn’t,” said Kamehameha coach Chris Blake, whose team did not face Punahou during preseason. “It’s a good measuring stick for us. They played great defense. They put us into bad spots and we made a lot of errors.”
Punahou libero Brandee Markwith was outstanding, always in position and always ready to keep every ball alive.
“She’s one of the top two in the state, easily, if not the best,” Blake said.
The home team pulled within 17-15 with a cluster of kills by Robins — cousin of former Kamehameha All-State player of the year Alohi Robins-Hardy. Punahou called time out and went on a 5-0 run, taking advantage of a setting miscue, hitting error and net violation for a 22-15 lead en route to the opening-set win.
Like the first set, Punahou was tenacious to start the second. It was 7-4 when Kamehameha committed one of its 12 hitting errors for the night and Zeng went back to serve for the Buffanblu. During a 6-0 run, Zeng’s floater mesmerized the Warriors and she collected three aces as Punahou opened a 14-4 lead.
Kamehameha managed to get within 23-17 after a kill by Ka‘awa, but another Punahou timeout slowed the Warriors momentarily. After a roof by Shiloh Pelaras and two kills by Afoa, Kamehameha got within 24-20, but Peroff pounded her final kill to end the match.
“We didn’t do as well in the middle and the end (of games),” Fuamatu-Anderson said. “We mentally laxed a little bit and you can’t do that against a program like Kamehameha.”
Blake remains fully confident in his squad. A long season is still ahead.
“We’re showing potential and still figuring things out. You learn more from a loss than win. We can’t wait to get back in the gym and get back at it,” he said.
Punahou hit .228 — they were outblocked 3-0 — and Kamehameha hit .163. The Buffanblu finished with six aces and just two service errors. The Warriors had two aces and six service errors.
