'Iolani forced a three-way playoff for first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls volleyball first round last night by rallying past arch rival Punahou, 25-16, 19-25, 27-25, before a raucous home crowd of about 800.

'Iolani, Punahou and Kamehameha each finished the first round with a 13-1 record. Earlier this season, Punahou defeated Kamehameha and Kamehameha defeated 'Iolani. Athletic directors from the three schools conducted a draw Monday night to decide who would get a bye in the case of a three-way playoff, and 'Iolani got it.

So Kamehameha will play at Punahou at 6 tomorrow night, with the winner facing 'Iolani on Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

Most important, the first-round winner receives one of the ILH's two coveted state tournament berths.

"Definitely the pressure was on us — we had our backs to the wall since we already lost to Kamehameha," said Raiders outside hitter Lauren Minkel, who finished with a match-high 14 kills last night. "We really wanted it, and now we're back in it."

'Iolani did it the hard way, rallying from a 23-20 deficit in the third game. But Minkel's kill tied it at 23, and then she slammed another one to give the Raiders a 26-25 lead. Chelsea Hardin and Miyoko Pettit then combined on a block to end it and set off a deafening "Senior Night" celebration.

"Even when we were down, our girls did not show panic and they held their composure," 'Iolani coach Jenic Tumaneng said. "From the beginning of the season, we told them to not feel pressure, to just try their best and trust that the results will come out in our favor. In this kind of game, both teams played their hardest and you hate to see someone lose. But I'm glad we came out on the winning side."

Punahou coach Jim Iams said the Raiders earned the victory.

"We had opportunities to step up, but we definitely did not hand it to them," Iams said. "It was a great match, and 'Iolani did a nice job of making plays at the end. Give them the credit."

Leinani Keanini added nine kills for the Raiders. Larissa Nordyke led the Buffanblu with 12 kills and Liz Ka'aihue added nine kills.

Also, the ILH Division II first-round race ended in a tie between Word of Life and Sacred Hearts Academy. Each finished with a 10-4 record. They will play tomorrow night at 7:30 at Hawai'i Baptist Academy with a state tournament berth at stake.

BIIF MATCH RESET

Boys and girls volleyball matches between Kealakehe and Kohala at Kohala scheduled for today have been rescheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow, Big Island Interscholastic Federation executive director Ken Yamase said.

The matches were moved after Kohala was closed the past two days because of Sunday's earthquake.

Yamase said Kohala's gymnasium has been cleared by inspectors for use. He said the league wanted to allow Kohala's players time to adjust.

Yamase said initial inspections have shown no major damage to athletic facilities on the Big Island. He said gyms at Kealakehe and Konawaena, both on the west side of the island, sustained minor damage that does not compromise safety.

No other BIIF events have been affected by the earthquake, Yamase said.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.