Top-seeded Punahou clashes with second seed Kamehameha-Hawaii in the New City Nissan/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Boys Volleyball title game for the second time in as many years. ScoringLive photo illustration

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For the second straight year, defending state champion Punahou will take on Kamehameha-Hawaii in the final game of the New City Nissan/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Boys Volleyball Championships at the Neal Blaisdell Center Saturday night.

Punahou, the top seed in the 12-team tourney, is making its 11th straight appearance in the title game after defeating King Kekaulike in straight sets in the semifinals. The Buffanblu have won the last three Division I crowns and will be seeking their 33rd title in school history.

Buffanblu coach Rick Tune credited the support of many for his team's sustained success.

"I think it's the difference between having a great team and a great program," he said. "A great program means great support from the school, parents and alumni. Having a lot of kids who are interested in playing and involved in something special; a cultural understanding of working hard, cooperation, full effort, honesty, integrity, just a core set of values that we operate on. I've been fortunate to be a part of good teams, but this is a great program."

The strong system in place has helped the Buffanblu weather a slew of injuries in 2015. Notable players such as Micah Maa (back), JB Kam (sprained ankle), Akahi Troske (hip flexor) and Wil Stanley (abdominal) have either missed time or played hurt during parts of the year.

"It was kind of like sudoku to put a lineup in the court," said Tune. "We've never really ever had our core group until towards the end of the second round in (Interscholastic League of Honolulu) play. It was hard to stay consistent because new guys would come back and then old guys would get injured. It's patch work and it was hard to find a rhythm until recently.

Maa led the Buffanblu in the win over Na Alii, hitting .647 for 12 kills and 10 digs. Stanley had a solid all-around game with 10 kills, 15 assists, six digs, two block assists and a service ace. Kam had five kills and Troske finished with four kills and five block assists.

Punahou made quick work of King Kekaulike in the first two sets, 25-13 and 25-8, before getting a good test in the final set, 25-20.

"We want to play tough, competitive tight sets," said Tune. "They are character builders and they teach us how to win in every circumstance. You can't really prepare for it so much. The only way you get that experience is on the court, between the lines."

While the Warriors had getting back to the state final as their top priority, they also wanted to prove that they can be successful without having Evan Enriques in the lineup. Enriques, who is now at Stanford, was selected as the most outstanding player in the previous state tournament.

"I think this whole season we wanted to prove that this team wasn't just depending on Evan," said younger brother Emmett Enriques. "I think it was great that we proved that all our our players are important and that we don't need to depend on just one player."

Enriques and Isaiah Laeha each had 18 kills in KS-Hawaii's four set semifinal win over Moanalua. Some of the Warrior starters didn't start in the match due to some team issues, but came in down the stretch to help KS-Hawaii win the final three sets.

"We shouldn't have any hitch when we play Punahou tomorrow," said KS-Hawaii coach Guy Enriques. "We should start with our regular lineup and hopefully play well and have a chance to win. We need to play at our best to have a chance to win. Punahou is a really good team, solid all the way around. We have to control what we do and if we do, we'll be in the game."

One key area in the Warriors game is their serving. KS-Hawaii committed 17 serving errors in its win over Moanalua and will need a better effort if they hope to knock off the defending champs.

"Serving is our forte," said coach Enriques. "If we're serving well, we're a much better team."

First serve is slated for 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Division II final between Hawaii Baptist and Hana.