Kamehameha won its first girls volleyball state championship in six years last night, sweeping past Interscholastic League of Honolulu rival Iolani, 25-21, 25-17.

A raucous Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,149 watched the Warriors (20-1) put on a stunning team effort, with everyone on the court making major contributions.

Kamehameha setter Kea Kea was able to spread out her 19 assists almost evenly, with Kanani Herring and Deven Bukoski each notching six kills and Bekah Torres and Tehane Kahalehau each adding four kills.

Defensively, the Warriors limited the Raiders (19-3) to a .076 hitting percentage by serving tough, putting up a steady block and digging up potential kills.

"We're a team, and great teams play together," Kea said. "At the beginning of the season, we started kind of shaky but we pulled together. We knew how important it was to stick together, and we did what we had to do."

Last night's win was Kamehameha's third over Iolani in the past nine days, after the Raiders entered last week with a 16-0 record. Iolani swept the Warriors in their first regular-season meeting.

"After that loss, we told the team that (the season) is not a sprint, it's a marathon," Warriors coach Chris Blake said. "That loss challenged the girls to refocus, and they beared down when they had to in these last couple weeks."

Kamehameha was stretched a bit early in the tournament, holding off Moanalua 28-26, 25-21 in the quarterfinals. But last night the Warriors looked strong from start to finish.

They broke a 15-15 tie in the first game with a 4-0 run and staved off any Iolani challenge, then jumped out to a 9-2 second-game lead and never looked back.

"They did a good job today," Raiders coach Luis Ramirez said. "(Players) 1 through 15, they undoubtedly have the most talent in the state."

Ramirez said his team's struggles with serving and passing also contributed to the defeat. Outside hitter Lauren Minkel had a match-high nine kills, but no one else had more than four.

"We wanted to get our middles involved from the beginning, but we weren't passing great and that made us predictable (at the net)," Ramirez said. "There's only a few girls we could depend on to hit, and we couldn't execute. But at this point, that's something the (nine) girls coming back next year will have to work on. I'm very, very proud of our team. Four months ago, nobody predicted we would be here, so I was glad they got to experience this."

For Kamehameha, the championship is the program's first since the three-peat years of 1997-99, which included future University of Hawai'i standouts Lily Kahumoku and Nohea Tano.

"It feels so awesome," Kea said. "It feels great because we don't just represent our school, we represent all of the Hawaiians out there, too."

THIRD PLACE

ROOSEVELT DEF. KAHUKU: Kahea Pupuhi had nine kills and eight digs and Emily Maeda added six kills and six digs as the Rough Riders of the OIA defeated the Red Raiders, 25-19, 26-28, 25-23.

FIFTH PLACE

MOANALUA DEF. KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI: Kaleinani Kabalis had 12 kills and seven digs and Krysten Adsuara and Brianna Amian each added six kills to lead the Menehunes of the OIA past the Warriors of the MIL,14-25, 25-19, 25-21.

SEVENTH PLACE

'AIEA DEF. WAPAHU: Lelani Kleman-Maeva finished her spectacular high school career with a match-high 16 kills and seven digs to lead Na Ali'i to a 25-23, 25-18 victory over the Marauders to win the consolation title in a battle of OIA teams. Samantha Misa led Waipahu with 10 kills

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.