JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Punahou's Jessamy Holland tipped the ball over the reach of Kamehameha's Kanani Herring and Logan Keala last night.

Punahou puts away
Kamehameha early

For now, at least, experience is the difference between Punahou and Kamehameha.

Punahou, coming off a heady week of ups and downs at the Ann Kang Invitational, swept upstart Kamehameha 26-24, 25-17 to win the Hawaii Volleyball Invitational last night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

Liz Kaaihue pounded 10 kills from a variety of angles to lead Punahou. Kaui Robello, playing different positions, turned in a versatile performance, and sophomore Sydney Yogi was a stopper in the back row.

"We showed patience and came through two rotations where we lost five straight points," said Kaaihue, a junior. "But we weathered the storm, as Coach Scott (Rigg) would say."

Kamehameha had two scrimmages, but no tournament matches until this week's stint at the Hawaii Invitational. The Warriors were dominant, sweeping through every opponent until meeting Punahou in the final. It was Kamehameha's first tough match of the young season.

Kamehameha and Punahou, longtime Interscholastic League of Honolulu rivals, begin league play in two weeks.

"We have a long way to go. We see it as how we adjust," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "Punahou is always a good team."

Kanani Herring, a sophomore with tremendous hops, led Kamehameha with nine kills. Senior Deven Bukoski, who will play for Cal State Fullerton next year, sat out the tourney with a sore hip.

Punahou's Larissa Nordyke also sat out the tourney with a broken foot.

"We had a ton of service errors and it's hard to come back in a rally-scoring match with that many mistakes," Blake added. "I'm happy with how the girls fought. We're still searching to find what's going to work best for us."

The Warriors get back to practice today before heading to the Kahuku Invitational tomorrow.

"Punahou pushed us and put us in spots we weren't ready for this time of the season. They took care of business," Blake said. "We have to be sure we step it up and bring it next time we play those guys."

Kamehameha roared to a quick 7-2 lead in Game 1, getting a pair of kills from Alexis Robins. However, small errors added up and allowed the home team to rally. A passing error gave Punahou a 14-13 lead in a game that featured seven lead changes.

Punahou made its share of mistakes, giving Kamehameha its last lead at 22-21 on a bad set. The game was tied at 24-all when Herring was wide on a swing from the middle. Diana Hiromoto delivered an ace to end the game.

Punahou surged to a 14-9 lead in Game 2 and never let up. Kamehameha got within 19-16 on a kill by Herring, but the Buffanblu's 6-1 tear ended the match.

In the third-place match, Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) defeated Saint Francis 25-19, 25-20. Mid-Pacific edged Hawaii Baptist 25-15, 22-25, 15-9 to win the Silver Division final. In the Platinum Division final, Moanalua swept Radford 25-18, 25-13.