After its starters won Set 1, Punahou fielded a vastly different lineup to start Set 2.

Though there were different faces on the court, the depth and experience of top-ranked Punahou were key in a 25-18, 25-21 win over third-ranked Kamehameha in an ILH boys volleyball match on Saturday.

“Our second team is really good,” said Punahou starting libero Kelsey Yogi. “I think they’re almost even with us. In practice they give us a run every single time. I have complete faith in them to close it out. It’s a good experience for the new kids to come out and play in a big match like this.”

Host Punahou (2-0) returned 14 players from last year’s state championship squad. Coach Rick Tune said players started the season already knowing the program’s expectations and their roles. Their experience has the team working ahead of schedule this early in the season. While some teams work on building team chemistry each year, this squad is more than familiar with one another.

“The biggest difference for us is there’s not a lot of new players in the gym,” Yogi said. “It’s a lot more working out team stuff and less about finding team chemistry.”

Kamehameha’s composure was tested throughout the match. The Warriors lost their composure late in Set 1, then fell behind 8-3 to start Set 2. Kamehameha rallied and the match was tied at 17 until Kainoa Quindica’s kill and two Kamehameha hitting errors gave Punahou enough separation to pull away.

“I’m OK with the loss. We showed we can play,” said Kamehameha coach Randy Nako. “What I didn’t like was losing the composure. You do that against a good team like Punahou, it’s very difficult.”

Kana’i Akana led Punahou with five kills, the only hitter to play in both sets. Five Punahou players finished with at least three kills and three setters handled at least six assists. Punahou had eight blocks to Kamehameha’s two.

“We have faith in all of these guys,” Tune said. “Playing time for us is earned, and in years past, we had guys who were earning more time than others. I think up to this point, it’s evident to everybody on the roster we have a very deep and talented team and a lot of guys deserve time because they’re working hard.”

Naone Cannon led Kamehameha (1-1) with eight kills and Matthew Saffery had 15 assists. The Warriors had an early lead in Set 1 before the Buffanblu used an 11-3 run to close it out. Punahou’s Sam Bradley was in on three consecutive blocks during a stretch that turned a 15-14 deficit into a 23-15 lead.

“What helped us was mostly realizing that we didn’t need to make big flashy plays,” Yogi said. “We just need to play smart and keep it in.”