HONOLULU — The Kamehameha Warriors are back.
A year after its uncharacteristic absence from the state girls volleyball tournament, Kapalama is once again vying for titles, as evidenced by Thursday night’s 19-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 victory over rival Punahou at Kekuhaupio Gym.
It was the first setback of the season for the Buffanblu (11-1), who missed an opportunity to claim the ILH regular season outright via a two-match sweep. Now the teams will rematch back at Kamehameha on Wednesday, an honor the Warriors (11-1) received by winning in fewer sets than Punahou’s five-set victory at home on Sept. 8. The winner of the upcoming match will earn the first of the ILH’s two state berths; the loser will have to attempt to earn the other in the ensuing ILH tournament.
“This team is very tight. We play for each other,” coach Chris Blake said. “Exceptional play, although not everybody’s on the court, but a great team win for us.”
Opposite Adrianna Arquette was the workhorse with 18 kills on .273 hitting with 15 digs and five block assists. Fellow senior Kalei Watson was an efficient option at the left pin with 14 kills on .333 hitting with 11 digs, and junior Kamanao‘okalani Goldstein added 11 kills.
Some exceptional defense from the teams – both sides tallied 74 digs – led to long rallies. Kamehameha seemed to get the most of those big points, something that could not be said of last year, when the injury-wracked Warriors limped to the finish line and missed the state tournament for the first time since 2001.
“It’s amazing. I think the whole team dynamic is so different this year, and I really appreciate it,” said Watson, one of three four-year varsity players along with Arquette and Tia Kapihe. “Everyone’s all together as one and I just think that coming together at this end part of the season is what’s really going to matter the most, and working together and putting the little pieces of the puzzle that we have together.”
Blake was proud of his team’s endgame execution, something he felt got better from an appearance at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas two weeks ago. The Warriors were tested by some of the best in the country in finishing 18th of 64 teams.
After Punahou confidently took Set 1, the Buffanblu staged a rally from down 19-15 in Set 2 to go up 24-22 on Haumea Marumoto’s kill, and appeared poised to take a decisive 2-0 overall lead.
That’s where the match turned, as a Punahou attack error sent Kamehameha setter Emma Lilo to the service line. She promptly delivered back-to-back aces, then fed Arquette in extra points to cap a 4-0 run.
“I think it did (change the tenor),” Punahou coach Tita Ahuna said. “It gave Kamehameha a whole lot of confidence just to swing away, and they did a fantastic job getting us out of system.”
Blake credited his four-year players and the co-captain Lilo for that stretch.
“Their leadership was key as we went into that situation and when it was time to execute, we were able to do those things that we needed to in the end,” Blake said.
Punahou seized a 13-7 lead in Set 3, only to see Kamehameha storm back with a 6-0 run, including three straight kills by Watson. The Warriors took the frame on Arquette and Tia Kapihe’s double-block of Lulu Uluave.
Three straight kills by Marumoto knotted Set 4 at 21-all. Watson ended that personal run with a kill, and a kill by Arquette three points later set up match point. An Uluave shot landed out for the match.
Marumuto led the Buffanblu with 21 kills while Uluave added 16 and 21 digs.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.