VIDEO: Kamehameha wins state title

The Warriors — who had one senior, two juniors and three sophomores in the starting lineup — finished the regular and postseason at 20-3 after defeating the Interscholastic League of Honolulu rival Buffanblu (21-1) for the first time in three tries this year.

"Every year is considered a rebuilding year, but it comes down to the will of the players and having the confidence to step up and do the job," said Kamehameha outside hitter Taylor Akana, who had a team-high 19 kills as the Warriors' only senior starter last night. "It was a great match and everybody did an awesome job."

Kamehameha was down two sets to one and 14-8 in Set 4, but a Buffanblu net violation started an 8-0 run that put the Warriors up, 16-14. They extended the lead to 22-16 after Akana's line kill from the right side, but Punahou rallied to close it to 24-23 after a kill by Ali Santi and Carina Thomspon's tip kill that dropped between Kamehameha's front row.

But Talia Jardin-Fermentez sent it to a fifth set with a kill off a quick set in the middle.

"All night it seemed like we had trouble getting into a consistent flow," said Buffanblu coach Jim Iams. "(The Warriors) had a bunch of runs, but that (8-0) one might have been the last straw for us."

In the decisive fifth set, Kamehameha jumped to a 5-1 lead and then went on an 8-1 tear to make it 13-4 and essentially seal the match. The Warriors hit .421 in Set 5, with only two attack errors in 19 attempts.

"We talked about Game 4 being the turning point, and in Game 5 nothing would deny them," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "I asked the girls to dig deep, step up and play for each other, and that's what they did."

Punahou took a 9-6 lead in the first set, only to see the Warriors respond with a 6-0 run to go up, 12-9. The Buffanblu then answered with a 7-0 spurt that made it 16-12.

Kamehameha then fought back and closed to 18-16 on a kill by Nicole Sniffen, but Punahou stretched the lead to 22-17 after back-to-back kills from Juliana Behrens.

After the Warriors cut it to 24-22 following a kill and block by Sniffen, the Buffanblu ended it on Brigitte Russo's tip kill from the middle.

In the second set, Kamehameha broke an 8-8 tie and took the lead for good with a double-block by Sniffen and Akana. Punahou stayed close and trailed 18-16 after a kill by Behrens, but the Warriors ran off four straight points — on Akana's kill, a Buffanblu hitting error, Sniffen's solo block and a double-hit on Punahou.

Akana eventually finished it off with a right-side kill off a block.

The Buffanblu won the tight Set 3 after a crucial double-hit call on Kamehameha broke a 26-26 tie.

Lahela Williams then put Punahou up 2-1 in the match with a laser ace off a back row defender.

The Buffanblu broke a 6-6 tie in Set 4 on a Warriors error and completed an 8-2 run to go up, 14-8, before the match-turning net violation.

Kamehameha's young lineup then took control of the match and did not let go.

"Every year people think we won't be able to repeat because of who we lost, but we use that to fuel us," said Jardin-Fermentez, a junior middle blocker who finished with 13 kills and five blocks. "But we worked hard, practiced hard and supported each other. Age doesn't matter — you just have to be mentally mature enough to win."

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