Punahou stays undefeated

The Queens of Hawaii prep volleyball are firmly on the throne.

A 25-10, 25-14 win over upset-minded St. Francis last night kept top-ranked Punahou unbeaten in Interscholastic League of Honolulu action.

Punahou improved to 4-0 in ILH play. St. Francis dropped to 1-3. Two of the matches were tough, three-set losses to Hawaii Baptist and Word of Life.

"They're a very diversified team with a lot of talent," St. Francis co-coach Joe Otineru said. "It's not easy to key on certain things."

Punahou coach Scott Rigg was pleased with his team's consistency and intensity. "Our second group is doing well. They're buying into working hard at practice," he said.

Hawaii Baptist, which nearly upset Punahou on Friday, kept the ILH race extremely interesting by knocking off Iolani 22-25, 25-14, 25-18 yesterday afternoon. HBA is 3-1 in league play, while Iolani dropped to 2-2. Kamehameha entered yesterday's match against Hanalani with a 3-1 mark.

Punahou's matchup with the visiting Troubadours at Hemmeter Fieldhouse was no gimme. After all, St. Francis split sets with the nation's No. 1-ranked team, Mira Costa (Calif.), a month ago at the Ann Kang Invitational. And, Punahou trailed 16-12 in Game 3 before escaping from Hawaii Baptist Academy's campus with a comeback three-set win Friday.

"Those guys had us (Friday) night. The gym was rocking and we were down," Rigg recalled. "But our will to win came on at the end. HBA is a great group. They're going to beat a lot of good teams."

Unfortunately for the Troubadours, the Buffanblu weren't about to tolerate any more upset business this weekend. Sophomore Larissa Nordyke pounded eight kills and came up with a team-high eight digs to lead Punahou, which emptied its bench in the second set.

Middle blocker Michelle Luxton added five kills in just seven attempts. Liz Kaaihue (four kills) and Kaui Robello (three kills) were also effective, though they played only in the first set.

Reserve Kathi Kobayashi hustled for five digs as Punahou's reserves refused to relent.

Kawena Otineru, a junior outside hitter, led the Troubadours with 10 kills. Senior Tiyana Fao chipped in four kills.

"Their serves killed us," said Otineru, one of coach Joe Otineru's daughters. "I was really impressed with them, but the serving was a big wow."

Using a balanced attack, the Buffanblu roared to a 13-4 lead in Game 1 en route to victory. Nordyke remained in the contest, but Rigg sent in his backup troops to start Game 2.

Otineru found more openings over the middle, nailing three kills and adding a roof as St. Francis took a 4-3 lead. However, reserve Natale Rigg sent down two kills, and Jess Holland tallied three more as Punahou zoomed to a 17-8 lead. The Troubadours got no closer the rest of the way.

Punahou did not play a league match in nearly two weeks before outlasting HBA on Friday. The Buffanblu placed 11th out of 32 top teams at the elite Durango Fall Volleyball Classic last week and returned home yearning for a little breather.

Instead, the Buffs had more challenges. "We got back from Vegas all beat up, girls were sick," Rigg said. "Looking at this weekend's schedule, I was like, 'Oh man.' "

Joe Otineru sees an improved Punahou team. "Their transition game is a lot quicker," the Troubadours' coach said. "They'll be even more devastating with the return of Aneli."

His older daughter, Aneli Otineru, will return to the Punahou lineup in time for the ILH's second round of play.

"I think they'll still be beatable," Fao said. "But they have a lot of power with Kaui and Larissa there to back them up."

Rigg hopes his team's transition play continues to shine. "We've been working really, really hard on that," he said.

St. Francis is a long shot to earn one of the league's two state tournament berths. The firepower is certainly there.

"Our biggest problem is passing," Fao said. "When our passing is on, our front row kills."

Joe Otineru believes the second round will tell a better tale for the Troubadours. "We'll have the return of a key player. Plus, our freshmen are getting experience right now, and we'll be able to hold our own," he said.