Bringing firepower and a hard swing, Crystal Powell powered the Firebrands into another championship match.

Powell had 20 kills to lead Word of Life past second-seeded Moloka'i, 25-19, 25-19, 25-20, in last night's semifinals of the New City Nissan/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division II Girls Volleyball State Championships at Moanalua.

The Firebrands (15-6) will play top-seeded and defending champion Hawai'i Baptist in tonight's championship match. Word of Life lost in the 2006 Division II title game and five players remain from that team.

"We're so excited to get this far," said Powell, a senior, who was on that 2006 team. "It's just overwhelming. It's an awesome feeling."

Powell swung hard all night, while Taylor Ka'alele added seven kills and a new look to the Firebrands by hitting out of the right side. Knowing Moloka'i might key in on Powell, the Firebrands opted to spread the ball.

"Taylor did really good," Word of Life coach LeeAnn Satele said. "I thought she was effective. She got us points in the right time. They've seen us hit left. Here we added to the right."

Tied at 6-6 in the third set, the Firebrands scored six straight to take control. Down 23-15, the Farmers made one final rally, started by a kill and two aces from Kailana Ritte-Camara. The Farmers closed to 24-20 on a kill by Maluhia Mendes-Medeiros.

But a mis-hit by Ritte-Camara ended a long rally and the match.

Kalei Adolpho led the Farmers (12-3) with 13 kills and Wailani Hernandez added 14 digs. Ritte-Camara and Danna-Lynn Hooper-Juario had 10 digs each.

"I'm proud of how our team came out and played relaxed and played with confidence," Moloka'i coach Matt Helm said. "We controlled the tempo in the beginning of every set, but we let Word of Life get into the swing.

"They had too much firepower at the end."

In the first set, a backrow kill by Powell broke a 16-16 tie and a kill down the middle by Kaena Kaina gave the Firebrands an 18-16 lead.

The Farmers closed to one point three times, the last at 20-19. But the Firebrands scored the final six points — three of them off Moloka'i errors — to close out the set.

In the second set, Powell had three straight kills to break a tied game and give Word of Life a 21-19 lead. Ka'alele's tip for a kill on a Moloka'i overpass made it 22-19, and kills from Powell, Phoibe Fetu and Ka'alele ended the set.

"Our coaches, everyone just encouraged us," Ka'alele said. "We wanted it so bad that we had to pull through."

Now, there's one more match left.

"We're going to take it as any other game, play our game and play as a team," Powell said.