HONOLULU — Match point after match point was turned back by the resolute Punahou Buffanblu, a nine-time defending boys volleyball state champion program playing in its home gym.
Kamehameha, which experienced a traumatic reverse sweep to Punahou on the Kapalama Heights just a couple weeks ago, once again just could not seem to close it out.
Yet, somehow, the Warriors retained their poise. They took a deep breath and finished off the Buffanblu, 25-20, 25-19, 25-27, 29-31, 15-9 to claim the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s regular-season championship in Hemmeter Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
Kamehameha (7-1) scored the last five points of the match, capped with Heston Cabinian’s solo block of Afatia Thompson to touch off a wild celebration.
“This is huge. We haven’t done this as a school in a long time, so this is huge for us,” said Kainoa Wade, Kamehameha’s 6-foot-8 sophomore star who put down 25 kills with five errors on 65 attempts, hitting .308, with four aces and five digs, just two nights after a surreal 46-kill performance in a five-set win over Iolani.
As for his hitting arm, Wade said, “Feeling fine. We can go more.”
That won’t be necessary for several days. The Warriors clinched a state berth and will go for the overall league title as the top seed in the upcoming ILH tournament.
It was touch-and-go a few moments prior.
After Punahou impressively fought off eight match points across Sets 3 and 4 – including seven in the fourth – the Buffanblu couldn’t quite hold it together in the fifth after leading 6-4.
“We’ve been working hard on finishing three out of five sets and two out of three sets, because we kind of taper off at the end, we kind of die out,” Kamehameha coach Sava Agpoon said. “I’m proud of those boys, they stayed strong.”
The likes of Dave Shoji and Charlie Wade were on hand to see two state title contenders battle it out. Wade, the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball coach, was on edge like the rest of the crowd as his son Kainoa, standing a head taller than his teammates, tried to will them to the finish line.
Afterward, Punahou coach Rick Tune paused mid-interview to offer the UH coach a compliment about his progeny.
Tune, the architect of so many Buffanblu title teams, had to smile watching his group of largely untested players perform in the pressure of a high-level ILH match. He credited Kamehameha and specifically Wade, whom he called “a force of nature and a great kid.”
Punahou (5-3) will battle it out in the ILH tournament for the league’s other berth to states. But first, the Buffanblu have to play Iolani on Tuesday to settle the second seed in the tournament.
“The loss hurts, but I don’t want us to overlook the growth that we made,” Tune said. “It’s a process. You can’t rush it. You have to continuously be in it and grow from it. Every group has to do it, whether it happens in two days or a week or a month or a year, it’s going to happen. This is too talented a group for it not to happen.”
Wade had some help at key times. Cabinian added seven kills, 11 digs and was in on six blocks, including two solo. Middle Kaupo Hoopai-Waikoloa had nine total blocks. Setter Brayden Van Kuren had 32 assists.
Libero Harryzen Soares was constantly in teammates’ faces to pick them up in down moments and amplify their celebrations on big points.
“When I’m giving energy, I’m also giving positivity,” Soares said. “I’m going to give them everything I got. My energy is what they feed off, and if they can’t feed off of me then I’m doing my job wrong.”
Kamehameha controlled all of Set 1 thanks to several Punahou hitting errors. Set 2 was tighter, but the Warriors pulled away in the last several points.
Set 3 was close throughout, with Punahou enjoying a late edge, 24-22. But Cabinian solo blocked Thompson and tied it at 24.
The Warriors earned a match point, threatening a sweep, but Punahou turned it aside. After a Warriors receiving error, Adam Haidar put it away down the middle to keep Punahou hopes alive for another reverse sweep.
The teams see-sawed in Set 4. Kamehameha drew even from down three points at 15-all but Punahou eked ahead, 21-19. Kamehameha rattled off three straight to go up 22-21.
Wade went through the Buffanblu block for a 24-22 lead. However, Thompson staved off the first of seven Kamehameha match points in the set. The Warriors kept earning new match points behind Wade, then battled repeated disappointment as Punahou found ways to side out.
Emanuele Clini put down a kill to give the Buffanblu set point at 30-29. He dinked over his next shot into the Kamehameha block and the Warriors were called for a lift to give Punahou the set on its first opportunity.
Kamehameha jumped out 2-0 in the fifth, only to see Punahou score five straight with Evan Porter’s service run including an ace.
The Warriors’ Conor Williams blocked a ball to tie it at 6. At 7-7, Wade connected on consecutive aces to put his team ahead for good.
Brayden Van Kuren had a big stuff and Cabinian finally ended it with a solo stuff of Thompson.
“We knew in the fifth set it was going to come down to errors, and they made more errors than us. We tried to stay positive and confident on the bench. And it ended up working out in the end,” Kainoa Wade said.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.