The Leilehua boys volleyball team looked across the net at perennial power Punahou in last night's HHSAA quarterfinal match and was stunned by what it saw.

The Buffanblu are monstrous, with a starting lineup that looks more appropriate for a college floor than McKinley High School's court. They are a well-oiled machine, approaching the match with a workman-like attitude. They have all the pedigree of being the state's powerhouse. They take the court with the swagger of a program that fully expects to dominate.

That's exactly what happened last night. Against Leilehua of the OIA, top-seeded Punahou's surgical precision forged an easy 25-15, 25-12, 25-12 victory.

“;They've just got trees out there,”; Leilehua coach Ernest Balignasay said. “;That's the reason they're No. 1 in the state. They've got all the talent out there. They've got trees. Our boys tried their best. They did what they could out there. That's the reason why Punahou is No. 1 right now.”;

The Buffanblu (18-1) advanced to the state semifinal to play Kamehameha-Hawaii (13-3), which knocked off fourth-seeded Kamehameha-Maui yesterday. The match will start at 7 p.m. at McKinley High School.

Punahou may have turned the quarterfinal into a laugher, but there were still areas of concern for coach Rick Tune. His team started the match sluggish in the first set, trading points with Leilehua and even trailing 10-9. His team committed 15 service errors (with only eight aces), with six of those errors coming in the third game. Occasional mental lapses allowed the Mules a few spurts.

Leilehua only held the lead five times, and never by more than one point. Punahou's big hitters racked up 43 kills and hit .574 for the match. USC-bound Maddison McKibbin led all hitters with 10 kills.

The loudest cheers came in the runaway third set when the little-used Buffanblu bench players—all of whom saw the court yesterday—pounded home some kills.

“;We got our state tournament jitters out a little bit,”; said junior outside hitter Henry Cassiday, who finished with eight kills. “;It was just a fun match. We got everyone in.”;

KS-Hawaii def. KS-Maui 25-12, 25-17, 25-19

Kill leaders—KS-HI: Lopaka Woolsey 9; Daniel Aina Jr. 7; Chandler Kaaa 6; Matthew Coghlan 5. KS-Maui: Kekoa Mountcastle 12; Keanu Kaaa 6.

Kamehameha def. Waiakea 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-14

Kill leaders—KS: Michah Christenson 18; Kahale Morgan 17. Waik: Clayton Morante Jr. 12; Warren Ching 8.

Roosevelt def. 'Iolani 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 24-26, 15-11

Kill leaders—Roos: Kenneth Rewick 27; Kainoa Mitchell 17; Aris Wong 11; Joby Ramos 11. 'Iol: Scott Sakaida 21; Tayor Donovan 16; Nick Christman 14; Logan Novack 8.

Hawaii Baptist def. Kohala 25-19, 25-15, 25-13

Kill leaders—HBA: Ryan Leung 15; Chad Baretta 10; Christopher Matsu 5. Koh: Nathaniel Gomera 8; Brandon Bautista 6.

Hilo def. Pahoa 17-25, 25-21, 25-19, 17-25, 15-11

Kill leaders—Pah: Isaiah Ekau 13; Clinton Hatori 10; Jonathan Viernes 9. Hilo: Andrew Welsh 12; Kaulana Kalauli-Rowe.

Seabury Hall def. Waipahu 25-10, 25-18, 25-15

Kill leaders—SH: Dylan Hamilton 9; Josh Chapple 8. Waip: Duketoa Tili 6; Regan Prestidge 5.

Moanalua def. Waimea 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13

Stats not reported.