In an Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball season that began with several "heavy hitters" lost to graduation, Punahou senior Anuhea Keanini has emerged as the premier "go-to" player so far.

Keanini, a 5-foot-6 setter/outside hitter, had 14 kills and 12 digs in a 21-25, 25-16, 26-24 victory at Kamehameha on Oct. 14 to help the Buffanblu win the ILH's first- round title and automatic state tournament berth that goes with it.

That included the match's final two kills, putting the exclamation point on a thrilling comeback from a 23-18 deficit.

"Punahou is a great team, and in Anu, they have that one player who can lead them in times like that," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said.

Keanini is the lone front-row player returning from the 2007 Advertiser All-State first team, which included five seniors who went on to earn scholarships at NCAA Division I programs.

Those departures helped contribute to a wide-open ILH title chase, and the first round ended up with Kamehameha and Punahou tied for first place with 14-1 records, forcing last week's special one-match playoff.

Keanini's all-around play proved valuable, as she made several key digs, delivered accurate sets while playing in the back row and pounded clutch kills with the match on the line.

Two-time All-State libero Sydney Yogi — now playing for Texas — was one of the seniors Punahou lost to graduation, and a breakdown in passing was one of the factors in its only ILH defeat, a 25-19, 20-25, 25-17 Kamehameha victory Sept. 23.

The Buffanblu also had to adjust after defensive specialist Kristina Kam sprained her ankle two weeks ago.

But Punahou responded with impressive wins at Hawai'i Baptist, 'Iolani and Kamehameha, and the Buffanblu's resiliency was amplified in the comeback from the 23-18 deficit last Tuesday.

"We just had to regroup and come together as a team," Keanini said.

Punahou, now ranked No. 1 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, travels to play Sacred Hearts tonight at 6 in the league's Division I tournament semifinals.