By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
There’s no doubt that Kamehameha and Punahou, the volleyball Goliath, have a lot of talent, knowing how to separate themselves from others and remain as the last two standing in a 12-team field among the state’s best of the best.
That was confirmed after the Buffanblu powered to their fourth consecutive HHSAA Division I title Saturday night, stopping the Warriors in the finale for the third time in four years.
Punahou senior Micah Maa, who’s headed to UCLA, hit all types of entertaining shots and finished with 26 kills and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after the 25-23,25-18, 25-27, 25-13 victory at Blaisdell Arena.
Kamehameha senior Emmett Enriques, who signed with Cal Baptist, ripped a match-high 33 kills for the Warriors (17-1) on 90 swings and made the All-Tournament team along with junior outside hitter Isaiah Laeha, who had seven kills.
However, Wil Stanley (16 kills, 10 digs, five blocks, 25 assists), libero Kelsey Yogi (match-high 20 digs) and setter Todd Gruebner (25 assists) also landed on the All-Tournament for the Buffanblu (18-0), who had more depth, firepower and height.
Moanalua junior outside hitter Austin Matautia was the other All-Tournament selection.
During the years Punahou and Kamehameha have finished 1-2 in 2012, last year and this season, Na Menehune have been third each time, losing to the Warriors in the semifinals and establishing a sort of pecking order.
Maa and Wil Stanley are each 6 feet 4, one reason the ILH champion Buffanblu had more blocks than the BIIF champion Warriors (12 to 4), outhit them (.232 to .128) and had more kills (57-46).
Kamehameha doesn’t have anyone on its roster 6-4. The tallest is 6-3 sophomore Chase Carter, who had four kills and a block.
But the biggest difference between Punahou and Kamehameha was ball-control, in particular setting. Both had solid passing in serve-receive. The Buffanblu had only two aces; the Warriors had four.
The stats don’t show it, but the Warriors passed much better in the championship loss to Punahou than the semifinal win against Moanalua, when serve-receive passes were shanked into frequent free balls.
Too often against Punahou’s tall and mobile block, Enriques was hitting balls too close to the pin or right on the net, eliminating a two-way hitting option.
The best example was late in Game 4 when Enriques had back-to-back hitting errors that contributed to a 20-10 Buffanblu cushion. Despite his athleticism and body control, the 6-1 outside hitter couldn’t change the direction of two sets headed toward the antennae.
Stanley and Gruebner often gave their hitters clean swings to attack in any direction. The setters and hitters connected really well, making the offensive flow and teamwork look so efficient and effortless. It showed in the stats; Punahou, which stretched thin Kamehameha’s block, had more assists, 55 to 45.
Enriques and Maa will reunite in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, along with Evan Enriques, a 2014 Kamehameha graduate, who’s at Stanford. Larry Tuileta, a 2014 Punahou grad, is at USC, further evidence that talent grows on trees in Punahou and Kamehameha’s back yard.
The Buffanblu will likely be back in the state final. They return a lot of their key pieces like Stanley (brother of U.S. Olympian and UH-Manoa star Clay Stanley), Gruebner, Yogi and 6-6 Akahi Troske (five kills, .444, eight blocks).
The Warriors return a lot of starters as well, and most will play for coach Guy Enriques’ Southside club team during the summer, looking for tough competition to sharpen themselves, just in case Punahou is standing in their way again.
