The Punahou girls volleyball team lost one of its main hitters late in the first game last night against McKinley, but the Buffanblu didn't skip a beat.

Elizabeth Ka'aihue had eight kills and Shawna-Lei Kuehu added seven as Punahou beat host McKinley, 25-19, 25-15, in the first round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Volleyball Championships.

Punahou will face No. 3 seed Kamehameha-Hawai'i today in a quarterfinal at 6 p.m.

Buffanblu senior outside hitter Larissa Nordyke had to be helped off the court after landing awkwardly on her right ankle with Punahou leading 24-19.

"You always like to get the first one out of the way, but it was potentially costly having Larissa hurt her ankle. It kind of put a damper on things," Punahou coach Jim Iams said. "But we'll find out how she is and see what happens."

Diana Hiromoto, a junior outside hitter, replaced Nordyke and ended the game with a kill.

Punahou (17-3) was already without Shaena-Lyn Kuehu, who injured her leg during practice last week.

"My coaches have prepared me well going in for our injured players because we've had key injuries this season already," said Hiromoto, who finished with five kills.

Punahou, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up, had six aces.

In the first game, Melanie Feldman sparked a 4-0 run with two aces as Punahou took a commanding 16-7 lead. McKinley (4-11) got as close as four points a couple of times, with the last being at 22-18.

In the second game, Feldman served six in a row as the Buffanblu took a 12-4 advantage. The lead reached 19-7 after a hitting error by McKinley, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's No. 5 team.

"That was one factor, they definitely served very tough," McKinley coach Pua Tuyay said. "In rally scoring that's where you get momentum from."

MAUI DEF. KALANI

Maui coach Derek Suzuki says he has four main hitters, but the one who really stepped up last night was Tanya Ugaitafa.

Ugaitafa, a sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker, had 11 kills as Maui beat Kalani, 25-20, 25-22, in another first-round match.

Maui, the Maui Interscholastic League runner-up, will face No. 2 seed Roosevelt tonight at 7:30.

Maui (11-2) had four aces, and forced Kalani (9-7) to scramble to run its offense.

"Our kids serve well," Suzuki said. "One of our main focuses was to serve tough. It makes it easier on us."

In the first game, Deithrea Kaiue served six in a row to give Maui a 23-18 advantage. Janet Ugaitafa, Tanya's sister, and Mandy Madrid ended the game with a double block.

The Sabers built a 17-7 lead in the second game, but Kalani, the OIA's No. 4 team, got within 24-22. Maui's Crystal Hurley ended it with a kill.

The Sabers had five blocks, and got a piece of numerous spike attempts by the Falcons.

"They're not big blockers, but they're smart blockers," Kalani coach Daryl Tamashiro said.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.