Punahou's McKenna Granato gets a kill past a pair of Kamehameha defenders. Granato knocked in a team-high 14 kills for the Buffanblu. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Kamehaeha outside hitter Tiyana Hallums, right, puts down a kill past Punahou blockers Lillie Klemmer (6) and Kiana Peroff (16). Hallums led the Warriors with a game-high 16 kills to win against the Bufanblu. Sean Nakamura | SL

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MAKIKI — Playing in its ninth match in seven days, the Kamehameha girls volleyball team had to dig a little bit deeper to get past its rival Thursday night.

Led by a match-high 16 kills from senior outside hitter Tiyana Hallums, Kamehameha rallied to a three-set win over Punahou before a crowd of about 500 fans at Christopher B. Hemmeter Fieldhouse. The scores were 24-26, 26-24 and 25-21.

"We expect everybody's best match when we play them and we knew we were going to come in here and have to be ready for a fight and we definitely got it," Warriors' coach Chris Blake said. "Punahou played really well, but I'm very proud of our girls for making adjustments and stepping up. It was a great team win for us."

With the win, the Warriors improved to 6-0 and took over sole possession of first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I standings. Kamehameha recently returned from the elite, 64-team Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, where it went 6-1 and finished in fifth place.  

"Punahou is such a great team. We knew coming into this game that we had to bring it," said Hallums, who was one of 16 players named to the Durango All-Tournament Team. "Everyone played their part all around tonight — it's not just one person — and everyone made sure that the block was spread out so I'm super proud of my team."

The teams exchanged 4-0 runs in the later part of the opening set. The Warriors staved off four game points to tie it at 24, but the Buffanblu closed the door on game one with block by Lillie Klemmer and Kiani Tuileta and a Kamehameha error.

Punahou held a 17-12 lead midway through game two when Kamehameha went on a 7-2 run to tie it at 19. A few points later, McKenna Granato put down one of her team-high 14 kills to give the Buffanblu a 23-22 advantage, but the Warriors scored four of the final five points to win the set and pull even in the match. Granato finished with a team-high 14 kills.

Game three was tied at 5 early on, but Kamehameha seized control with a 10-3 run that included four consecutive kills by Hallums from the left side.

Punahou pulled to within 23-21 late in the set, but Kealani Browne's kill from the right side gave Kamehameha match point and Hallums sealed the win with a cut shot from the left side.

"We had a lot of key errors in set one and set two they were taking it to us, but I think in the middle of that set two, when we were down, our leaders decided to step up and they made a few key plays for us," said Blake.

Hallums, a Gonzaga-commit, made no excuses for the Warriors' sluggish start.

"The trip really wasn't a factor, it was just our mental game," Hallums said. "It's something that we have to go back into the gym and work on. It's still a work in progress. We definitely don't want to peak right now."

Punahou coach Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson, whose squad was swept by Kamehameha in last year's state final, credited the Warriors for making plays when they needed to.

"They fought tough and they were able to put together a string of points and we just didn't capitalize on some opportunities that we had on our side," Fuamatu-Anderson said.

The Buffanblu fell to 5-1 with the loss and hosts Sacred Hearts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The Warriors host Maryknoll 9 a.m. Saturday.

The teams will play twice more in the regular season: Oct. 4 at Kamehameha and Oct. 18 at Punahou.