Kamehameha's Alohi Robins-Hardy blocks a Punahou kill attempt. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Kamehameha proved that perseverance pays off, as the Warriors rallied back from an 0-2 deficit to take down rival Punahou in five sets, 16-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-5.

"The team stuck together," says Kamehameha coach Chris Blake, "[they] played together and fought to the end, and we're very, very proud of them."

Punahou pulled ahead early in set one, and held their lead throughout, claiming the first set, 25-16. In the second set, Punahou and Kamehameha battled back and forth for the first seven serves until Punahou pulled ahead once again, eventually taking the second set by a 25-20 count that ended with a kill by Punahou's outside hitter McKenna Rose Granato, who had a game-leading total of 20 kills.
 
The third set, however, was not the outcome Punahou was hoping for. Though they started off with the lead, Kamehameha came back swinging with a kill made by senior Alohi Robins-Hardy that tied the game at 7-7 and proved to be a shift in momentum for the Warriors, allowing them to take the lead.

Punahou tied the score once again at 15, but the Warriors refused to back down, holding their lead until the set was ended with a kill by Kamehameha junior Tiyana Hallums, who lead her team in kills with a total of 19 in the match, giving the Warriors a 25-22 win in set three.

The Warriors came out strong in the fourth set, held their lead until the Buffanblu tied it at a score of 15, and then need to rallied to tie things up at 21-all. Kamehameha eventually prevailed taking the fourth set 25-22, forcing a fifth set and deciding set.

The fifth set belonged solely to the Warriors, as the home team started strong with a lead of 4-0 and were never challenged in the deciding set, winning 15-5 to claim both the ILH Division I title and a seeded berth into the HHSAA tournament.

"This was our last home game," said Kamehameha senior Faith Maʻafala, "our last game in our own home. And being that everyone was here, it just kind of touched my heart. You just gotta play for that [name] across your chest, you know?"