A year ago, Kanani Herring's volleyball season was spent as team manager — practicing every day, every week, every month — only to sit on the bench in street clothes during matches, limited to taking care of equipment and cheering on her Kamehameha teammates.

As a transfer from Word of Life, she could practice with the team but was ineligible for matches because of Interscholastic League of Honolulu rules.

This season, Herring finally got to suit up and she made it count in a big way, helping the Warriors win their first state championship in six years and earning Advertiser State Player of the Year honors in a vote of coaches, officials and members of the media.

Herring, a 5-foot-9 sophomore outside hitter, was chosen for the first team on all 10 ballots.

"She spent all of last season just working out, learning the system," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "It was hard for her not being able to play, but she accepted it and saw it as a learning experience. She was willing to put in the extra time before or after practice, to do all the little things to make herself better."

On Oct. 8, Herring had 13 kills to help the Warriors defeat Punahou, 20-25, 28-26, 25-16, snapping the Buffanblu's 48-match win streak in the regular season and state tournaments since 2002.

Later, she had 11 kills and five blocks in a 25-23, 25-27, 25-23 victory over Iolani to force a winner-take-all ILH title match, then was named Most Valuable Player in the state tournament.

Herring is joined on the All-State first team by two other Warriors: middle blocker Deven Bukoski, a 5-11 senior, and setter Kealohilani Kea, a 5-7 junior.

Bukoski was Kamehameha's unsung player all season, steadily making the crucial plays in the middle with blocks or putting down overpasses and converting the spikes whenever sets came her way.

"Deven was selfless — she made a sacrifice by moving from a position she might be better at, to do what was best for the team," Blake said. "For her to move from the outside to the middle and three months later come out as the best in the state, that's a testament to how hard she works."

Kea efficiently ran the Warriors' offense, finding openings in the opponents' court and delivering the ball to the appropriate hitter. In the state title match, she spread out her 19 assists almost evenly, with Herring and Bukoski each notching six kills and Bekah Torres and Tehane Kahalehau each adding four.

Joining the Kamehameha trio on the All-State first team are Kahuku setter/outside hitter Camilla Ah-Hoy, 'Aiea outside hitter Lelani Kleman-Maeva, Moanalua outside hitter Kaleinani Kabalis and Iolani libero Kelly Pang.

Ah-Hoy, a 5-9 senior, was the central figure in the Red Raiders' fourth O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship in five years. She set, hit, blocked, served and played defense at top levels.

Kleman-Maeva, a 5-11 senior, elevated her game and led Na Ali'i to a second straight OIA West title. She and Ah-Hoy are the only repeat selections from last year's All-State first team.

Kabalis, a 5-6 sophomore, may have been the state's most exciting player. Her explosive jumps and surprisingly powerful spikes lifted her team's and fans' spirits, and her 25-kill performance against Kamehameha almost resulted in a state quarterfinal upset.

Pang, a 5-4 freshman, made an immediate impact in helping the Raiders win their first 16 regular-season matches and reach the state finals.

Blake was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Warriors to their first state title since the three-peat years of 1997-99.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.