Mililani's Ashlee Vaoifi led the Trojans with 16 kills in a win against Kahuku. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Mililani setter Jordyn Keamo recorded 30 assists to help the Trojans claim the win over the Kahuku Red Raiders in four sets. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Kahuku's Adora Anae had a team-high 15 kills in a match against Mililani. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Mililani Trojans celebrate after taking the fourth set to defeat the Kahuku Red Raiders in four sets at a OIA Red Conference tournament match in McKinley High School. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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After dropping its first set of the season, Mililani regrouped and rallied to win the next three sets in a thrilling Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference Tournament match over Kahuku Thursday night. The scores were 15-25, 25-21, 29-27 and 25-14.

The Trojans, who won the Red West, improved to 12-0 on the year and advanced to the championship round of the 12-team, double-elimination tournament. The Red East champion Red Raiders dropped to 12-1 on the season and fell to the losers' bracket. A crowd of about 300 fans at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium took in the battle of unbeatens.

"They just believed," Mililani coach Val Crabbe said. "I told them after the first set that we condition a lot and because we are in condition we can do this. The other thing I told them was that we were taking good shots — our attempts were good, they just weren't falling — but I didn't want them to hold back because it was a new game and this time the shots would fall."

Ashlee Vaoifi led the Trojans with 16 kills, including 14 in the final three sets. Sarah Liva and Jay Kapowai contributed 10 kills apiece. Jordyn Keamo registered 30 assists, nine kills and two of her team's three aces.

"Right when we got on that court tonight, I was just thinking 'God, be with us tonight in this game,'" Vaoifi said. "We just pushed and pushed and supported each other, stayed positive and everything went great."

The opening game was not so great for Mililani. The Trojans committed seven hitting errors, while the Red Raiders did not commit a hitting error in the set. Kahuku used a 6-1 run midway through game one to take a commanding 21-14 lead and closed it out with a 4-0 run.

Kahuku took an early 4-0 lead in game two, but Mililani answered with a 5-0 run and never gave back the lead. The Red Raiders tied it at 13 on a pike kill by Talia Brown, but the Trojans came back to score five of the next seven points and used a 4-1 run to win game two, 25-21.

The third set was an epic battle in itself, with 18 ties and nine lead changes. Mililani seized a 22-19 lead thanks to a 5-0 run, but Kahuku scored five of the next six points to take a 24-23 lead. The Trojans, however, fended off game point and took a 25-24 lead, only to see Kahuku score the next two points to get another shot at set point. Sarah LeGalley tied it at 26 with a kill from the right side, but Brittany Waite returned the favor for Kahuku, which led 27-26 at that point. However, the Trojans scored three straight points off a kill by Keamo, a Red Raider hitting error and a Kapowai kill to steal game three, 29-27.

"I told the whole team that today we would put all of our heart out on that court — whether we make mistakes or not, it's about how much effort we put out there," Vaoifi said. "I don't care if we win or lose, we just better put our whole heart out on that court."

Mililani carried over the momentum from game three into the fourth set and jumped out to an early 8-3 lead on four early kills by Vaoifi. The Trojans extended their lead to 21-10 later in the set on a Kristen Miguel kill. Kahuku pulled to within 23-14, but could get no closer and Mililani hung on to win 25-14.

Adora Anae had a team-high 15 kills and had four of her team's five aces on the night. Brown added 11 kills while Sinamoni Tonga and Mariah Berard-Kamakeeaina chipped in six kills apiece. Berard-Kamakeeaina also was in on five of her team's 13 blocks.

"When we don't do the basics, that's what happens; we look like amateurs," Kahuku coach Tehani Fiatoa said.

The Red Raiders used three different setters in the match. Freshman Sharae Niu started and finished with 24 assists. Junior Rachel Blake also saw ample playing time and distributed eight assists and Brown handled the setting duties momentarily and had four assists.

Kahuku will play Moanalua, which defeated Farrington in two sets Thursday, in an losers' bracket match Tuesday. The winner will have to beat Mililani twice to win the OIA championship.