The aura of Kamehameha’s dynasty is real.

Or was, for one set. Then, visiting No. 2 ‘Iolani throttled the top-ranked Warriors for a 21-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-16 victory on Tuesday night at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium.

‘Iolani took control of first place in the ILH, improving to 3-0. Defending state champion Kamehameha dropped to 2-1 in a showdown featuring almost entirely underclassmen for both teams.

‘Iolani turned up the heat with its serve after dropping the opening set, leaving Kamehameha’s serve-receive inconsistent the rest of the way.

“Kamehameha played really well in the first set. We didn’t play as disciplined as we hoped, so we just wanted to get back to the right positions on defense and make the plays when they come to us. We trust our kids and trust what we can do,” Raiders coach Kainoa Obrey said. “We’re big on serving. If you can serve well and create some chaos, then it helps you play some defense and get easier balls come our way. We wanted to be flat and attacking with our serves.”

The carnage was stunning for a big crowd expecting a closer match between the state’s top two teams. Instead, ‘Iolani’s athleticism, size and skill were at the forefront. Junior setter Bailey Nakanelua led the way with 42 assists, six kills, four blocks and two aces. Four of her kills came in the third set as the Raiders took command of the match.

“She wants to get to every ball, moves it around it becomes very much playable. We’re lucky. We’ve got kids who can score across the net, so it’s hard to kind of key on one player,” Obrey said of the Ohio State commit. “She has a lot of confidence in herself and her abilities.”

Nakanelua’s elasticity and twitchy plays brought Raiders fans some definite Kawika Shoji vibes. In the midst of her control of the match tempo — some of the 5-foot-11 setter’s kills were delivered by her opposite (left) hand, her ability to connect was supreme. Poema Kalama-Kingma, a 6-2 sophomore, and 6-foot freshman Taimane Ainuu led the Raiders with 13 kills each. Kalama-Kingma added a team-high four aces and two blocks.

Senior Callie Pieper, a 5-11 outside hitter, finished with eight kills. Inadvertently, she is in older-sister mode at times.

“This team is really energetic. All the girls know what they want. They know they want to win and they get along so well,” Pieper said. “Knowing that they’re younger, every game is very competitive. Young girls who were just playing 12s, they’re going to be a little nervous in these games, so we’re calming them down. Just telling them that they can do it.”

The middle was property of the Raiders for one night. Georgie Lee, a 6-2 sophomore, had eight kills and four blocks. Freshman middle Annaura Reid-Gillet added four kills and three blocks. Their combined 12 kills and seven roofs were a significant edge over Kamehameha’s middles, Bella Amey and Alohilani Chun. Amey and Chun combined for seven kills with no blocks.

“Georgie is an explosive, dynamic athlete for us who can play volleyball. She can do the touches. She can do the small things. She understands the game,” Obrey said of Lee, who rotates to all six spots and is listed as an OPP/MB. “She’s an absolute difference-maker for us. She definitely puts a lot of pressure on the other side, and we’ve got a pretty good setter who can get the ball pretty much anywhere on the court. She’s got a good toolbox at her disposal.”

Kalaweloilehua Chock led the Warriors with 16 kills, adding two blocks. Kamana‘o‘okalani Goldsten tallied seven kills, Emilynn Won had five kills. Tiahna Aldeguer dished 25 assists and Shaye Teves had 20.

Longtime Kamehameha coach Chris Blake has a well-documented history of turning young teams into state champions.

“For today, ‘Iolani came in with a lot of heart and desire. We did some good things in set one, and in sets two, three and four, we weren’t able to match some of the stuff they were doing. We’ve got some stuff on tape and we’ve definitely got to bounce back,” Blake said. “It’s lots of things we have to do. They were the better team today.”

In the first several points of the opening set, quick kills prevailed. The host Warriors then opened a 13-8 lead, sparked by a roof from Chock.

The Raiders edged within a two-point margin multiple times, then got an ace from Nakanelua and a hitting error by Kamehameha to tie the set at 19.

Kamehameha scored the next three points, including kills by Amey and Goldstein.

‘Iolani was within 22-20 when Goldstein reached back for a dig, then swooped to the left pin for her fourth kill of the set. After a Warriors service error, libero Ashli Lum delivered a set to Won for a right-side kill to end the first game.

From that point, the visitors were in command. ‘Iolani led the second set from the start and went on a 9-3 run to open a dominant 21-12 lead. Lee had two of her team’s three blocks as the Raiders tied the match.

Set three was more of the same with a monster performance by Kalama-Kingma, who had three kills, two aces and two blocks. Her first ace of the set opened the lead to 12-7, and the Raiders continued with a 14-8 run to close it and take a 2-1 advantage in the match.

Kamehameha trailed by seven points in the fourth set and cut it to 15-11, but got no closer. Ainuu, who had two hitting errors in the set, unloaded two right-side kills after a Raiders timeout.

‘Iolani will visit Punahou on Friday, then hosts Kamehameha next Tuesday in the second of three regular-season matchups with the Warriors.

Kamehameha will host Mid-Pacific on Thursday.