Steve Erler | Special to SL

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Saturday's match between perennial powers Punahou and Kamehameha was still too early in the season to determine anything, but there were a handful of noteworthy nuggets. 

Anyone that thought Punahou was going to have a down year after losing Micah Maa to graduation better take that assessment back. There was no shortage of talent as the Buffanblu played multiple players and gave the bench a good run in the second game. Nine players got kills and six more tallied blocks in Punahou's straight set win.

DJ McInerny got the start at setter before switching off with incumbent Todd Gruebner in the first set. Should both go down with an unfortunate injury, Buddy Scott is a capable backup waiting in the wings. 

"Everyone has role in the team and they all play a big part whether it's in practice or in games," said senior Wil Stanley. "Everyone just follows their role and we all gel as one. We're really one big team this year." 

Stanley, who split time at setter last year, will now have to adjust to becoming the go-to hitter for the Buffanblu this season.

"It's taking me a while," he said. "I was a little rusty in the beginning of the season, but once I practiced for a couple of weeks, I'm slowly getting back into it."

His versatility was still put on display against the Warriors, getting a pair of kills playing as the opposite hitter on the right side of the floor in the Buffanblu's switch offense.

"I usually block (the other team's) best hitter, who's usually on the outside (left) so I play on the right sometimes," said Stanley.

The combination of Stanley, Sam Bradley and Kanai Akana in the front line was a deadly force against Kamehameha's hitters as the trio tallied three straight blocks to give Punahou a six-point lead in set one. 

Bradley has improved on his blocking ability from what I've noticed. Last year he was primarily a quick-swing kind of player that got kills straight down the middle. Akana led the team with five kills and might be a name that other team's need to start putting on their radar. 

Ethan Siegfried was the star of the second unit as he tallied four kills, five digs and an ace in set two alone. Hunter Johnson also thrived off the bench and finished with two solo blocks. 

Libero Kelsey Yogi only had three digs, but made each one count as he kept balls alive that would be out of the reach of most players. He was able to get some time in the back row as a defensive specialist in the second set as backup libero Shea Suzumuto held his own (five digs).

Even though the match was just a snap shot of what both teams' are capable off, Punahou coach Rick Tune stressed that his team needs to improve on their consistency as the season progresses. 

"One of the biggest things we have to work on is when we get an emotional point or a hard-fought point, we absolutely can't shoot ourselves in the foot with the serve or hitting out," he said. "We just have to play ball and hit high percentage stuff and not give the momentum right back." 

For Kamehameha, Saturday's match gave them an invaluable measuring stick on how well they stack up with the defending champs.

Naone Cannon looks to be the Warriors go-to hitter this season, but he's going to need help. Despite finishing with a match-high eight kills, Punahou was able to key on him for a handful of blocks.

I was surprised that Kamoku Panee wasn't the main setter for the Warriors. Panee emerged as the main guy out of a field of three last season so it was weird for me to see him more of a back row guy. Out of all the setters on the team this year, he probably has the best block. 

Taking most of the setting duties was freshman Matthew Saffery, who tallied 14 assists. As the match progressed he was able to get other hitters involved. 

I kind of want to see sophomore Kobe Young get more run on the outside. He has the athleticism and length to be a top swinger in the state and is probably the team's most efficient setter, but he doesn't get as much playing time as he should. 

From what I noticed last year, Cannon is a capable two-way player that can keep balls in play in the back row. Maybe he can see some time there to help out young libero Keea Lum to give Young some time on the outside. 

Just a thought.