The Punahou boys volleyball team’s perfect season is without tarnish.
Keau Thompson smashed seven kills to lead a balanced attack as the Buffanblu swept Kamehameha 25-17, 25-11 to capture the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship on Tuesday night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
Punahou finished the regular season and playoffs with a 12-0 record. The nine-time defending state champions are done for the year since all spring season state tournaments were canceled.
Senior Nate Loose added five kills, three blocks and an ace, while Riley Haine tallied four kills, and Aidan Tune chipped in three kills and an ace. Middle Ryder Hsiung had two kills and two blocks, and Noa Haine had three kills and two assists off the bench.
“That match was kind of a microcosm of our season. We’ve been pretty much been rolling for most of this season, and in this match, we were in a good flow. But we had a couple of wrinkles and a couple of little struggles we needed to work through,” coach Rick Tune said. “I was really proud of the guys that they had a little bit of struggle, and they all worked through it.”
Setter Keegan Au Yuen finished with 18 assists and two kills.
“I feel excited and happy that we won our last game, but life continues. We’ve got to get off the high train a little bit, but it’s definitely a good experience,” Au Yuen said.
Cruse Aea led Kamehameha (6-4), the regular-season runner-up, with seven kills and a block. Caleb Helenihi-Aweao had three kills. Setter Cade Trujillo tallied 14 assists and two kills.
Punahou opened the first set with an 8-4 lead and did not relent. After a block by Hsiung, the home team led 16-7. Kamehameha brought the margin down to 18-13 after a kill by Aea, but got no closer.
Kamehameha got an ace from Austin Sanchez during a 4-1 run to begin set two. However, Punahou regrouped during a timeout and overwhelmed the Warriors the rest of the way. Thompson and Tune had three kills each in the second game.
Punahou swept Kamehameha in two matches during the regular season.