Kamehameha is a much different team— one that looks like a state title contender with a smoother offensive flow — when Emmett Enriques is in the lineup, hammering balls from the left post.
The 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter and Isaiah Laeha each slammed 18 kills, and the Warriors defeated Moanalua 17-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23 in the HHSAA Division I semifinals on Friday night at the Menehune’s home gym.
Kamehameha (16-0), the No. 2 seed and BIIF champion, plays No. 1 seed Punahou (16-0) for the state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday at Blaisdell Arena. The match will be broadcast on OC16 Xcast.
In the other semifinal, the three-time defending state champion Buffanblu swept King Kekaulike 25-13, 25-8, 25-20 at Moanalua High’s gym.
In the feature match, the No. 3 seed and OIA champion Menehune also entered unbeaten and had the home-court advantage playing at their own gym with a packed house.
For extra motivation, Kamehameha beat Moanalua in the semifinals last year and in 2012 in five sets each time.
Also the Menehune grew taller with the transfer of 6-foot-4 junior Kamalu Kaaa, who played for Waiakea last year, providing a tag-team partner with 6-4 junior Austin Matautia, a UH-Manoa verbal commit.
The one-two punch of Enriques (18 kills, .279 hitting clip) and Laeha (18 kills, .261) outperformed Matautia (19 kills, .125), who had 13 hitting errors on 48 swings. Enriques and Laeha each had just six hitting errors.
Kaaa (four kills, .000) had 17 swings and five blocks for the Menehune, who were outhit, .192 to .154.
Enriques didn’t play the first set because of a disciplinary issue, but once he came aboard in Game 2 he changed the tempo of Kamehameha’s attack, offering balance and firepower in all rotations. He took 43 swings while Laeha had 46 attacks.
The Warriors had a whopping 17 service errors; the Menehune had 10 errant serves. But Kamehameha served bullets, a reason middle blocker Karson Cruz (12 kills, .500) had only 18 attacks.
A vital turning point was Game 2 with the score 22-22, when Kamehameha’s hitting versatility from the front and back row came into play.
Enriques hammered a kill and Laeha followed with a shot from the back row for a 24-22 lead. Then Kainalu Whitney and Isaiah Tauati roofed Matautia.
In the swing third set, the Warriors led 23-19, and then Enriques had back-to-back big plays — a roll shot off an assist from Chase Carter, and a closing kill against a triple block on a second swing.
In Game 4, Carter (two kills, three blocks) had a solo roof for a 23-17 Kamehameha lead. Two plays later, Paki Iaea pounded a kill for a 24-17 cushion.
Then the Menehune fought off match point, helped by three Warrior hitting errors, to get within 24-23.
But Enriques cut a shot inside a Moanalua double block that found the floor for match point, sending Kamehameha back to the championship for the third time in four years against familiar foe Punahou.
