The Kamehameha Warriors hold up the Koa Trophy after beating Iolani in three sets. Crizalmer Caraang Jr. | SL

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KAKAAKO — The title is going back to Kapalama Heights.

Lexis Akeo posted 35 assists with 11 digs to lead Kamehameha to a sweep of defending champion Iolani in the title match of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I Girls Volleyball State Championships before a crowd of 2,592 fans at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena Saturday night.

The set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 31-29.

The Warriors, No. 1 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Girls Volleyball Power Rankings, completed the season with a 13-2 record to capture their record 21st state crown and first since 2015. It was their ninth championship under longtime coach Chris Blake.

The second-ranked Raiders finished 9-8 on the year, with four of those losses coming at the hands of Kamehameha.

It was a rematch of the past two state finals. Kamehameha won in five sets in 2015, but Iolani returned the favor in four sets last year.

Saturday night served as redemption for the Warriors.

"From the beginning of the season we knew we were challenged," Blake said. "We were very disappointed about how things were last year, but with our new team, our new process and the play, we wanted to make sure to get ourselves in the situation and we're very proud of the kids and the staff of how we came out with a 'W' right there in the best match of the season."

Akeo, a junior setter, was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

"It feels amazing, especially knowing that we played our best and we played together and for each other. It felt really good," said Akeo, who also had three block assists and one service ace.

Both teams were far from their best on offense. Kamehameha hit .095 for the match, but Iolani was held to a mere .023 hitting percentage.

The Raiders' dynamic duo of outside hitter Saige Kaahaaina-Torres and Elena Oglivie combined for 34 of their team's 38 kills, but also accounted for 13 and 17 errors, respectively.

"We didn't take care of the ball on our first touch and our third touch," Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said. "We didn't better the ball throughout the whole night, but against a good team they're going to be able to capitalize on that and take advantage, so we kind of put ourselves in that situation. Even though we had a lead sometimes we still couldn't quite get over that hump to kind of be steady enough."

The Warriors' block had a big part in that.

Kamehameha recorded seven of their 10 team blocks in the opening set, four of them by Braelyn Akana.

"We worked really hard on the blocking because we knew that Saige and Elena were their top hitters, so we had to, for sure as a team, get there and I think that really helped us because we had a lead in the first set so that was really good for us and that hyped us up a lot," said Akana, who finished with a team-high nine kills.

Iolani was held to a negative .069 hitting percentage in the opening set. It committed 15 of its 34 errors in game 1 — 13 of them by Kaahaaina-Torres and Oglivie.

Game 2 saw the Raiders turn an 8-5 deficit into a 16-8 advantage with an 11-0 run. Oglivie had three kills and a solo block during the run, which came with Grace Wee at the service line.

However, the Warriors had an answer in sophomore Maluhia Maa, who came off the bench to put down three straight kills and seven in the set.

"It just shows how much work she's been putting in," Akana said of the 6-foot-1 outside hitter. "Not starting the first set, it's really hard to come off the bench, so we're really proud of her."

The Raiders held a 20-16 lead later in the set, but Akana put down a kill out of the middle to ignite a 5-0 run that put the Warriors back ahead.

Iolani got to within two points at 24-22 on another Oglivie kill, but Keonilei Akana and Kalina Obrey combined on a block of the Raiders' sophomore to give the Raiders the game 2 victory.

"In looking at the process, we always believe the same thing. It sounds real cliche, but ‘next person up,' and in the situation it wasn't necessarily the person in front of (Maa) that was doing anything bad, but we needed to make a change," said Blake of Maa, who did not see the court in game 1.

"She came in in the middle of game two after that big run and she made a lot of great, positive plays for us and allowed us to grind it out and get the 'W,' and then she backed it up with her play," Blake said. "I'm very proud of her, when called upon and executing in the biggest match of the season, for us is a big deal for us. It's a great job by Malu, a great job of the team and I'm very proud of all that they did."

The teams were tied 15 times and exchanged leads on five occasions in game 3.

Kamehameha jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Iolani capped a 7-0 run with a back-to-back aces by Kristen McDaniel to pull ahead 10-8.

After a kill by Oglivie gave the Raiders a 22-19 lead — and forced Blake to call his second timeout of the set — the Warriors bounced back by scoring five of the next six points to get ahead, 24-23.

The teams were tied at 29 after Oglivie's 11th kill of the set, but Akeo set Obrey in the middle, who put it down just inside the back line to give Kamehameha a seventh look at championship point.

Braelyn Akana and Maa then combined on a block on the left side on Oglivie to send the Warriors into celebratory mode.

"Last year when we lost, I know it was really hard for our whole team, especially for the returners that are back this year, so throughout the time that we had during club season we were working super hard — I know all of us were — and then when we came back for tryouts all of us were hyping all the other girls up just so they were as fired up as we were, so tonight we just knew we had to win this game," Akana said.

Akeo was joined by Akana and libero Kealani Ontai on the all-tournament team. Kaahaaina-Torres, Oglivie and McDaniel represented Iolani. Kahuku's ShaLi Niu was the lone all-tournament team member who did not participate in the title match.

"This one we knew it was the game that everything we had worked for," Akeo said. "It was all going to be worth it for this game."

It was the fifth meeting between the teams this season, of which the Warriors won the final four times.

Kamehameha was playing in its 15th consecutive state championship match.