In the talent-rich Interscholastic League of Honolulu, a few mere points separate fruition from frustration.

Second-ranked Kamehameha got the key points, then got the better of third-ranked ‘Iolani 21-25, 25-15, 25-18 in a heated volleyball battle on Friday night at Kekuhaupio Gym.

The Warriors closed out the match with an 8-1 run after the deciding set was tied at 17, keeping the ILH’s pecking order at the status quo for now.

Kamehameha (6-1) remained in striking distance of top-ranked Punahou for the ILH first-round title — and the state berth that accompanies it — while the loss forced ‘Iolani (4-3) to look ahead to the league’s second round for an elusive state appearance.

The match featured several marathon points and big momentum swings. Kamehameha’s equal-opportunity attack prevailed in the end, with a team-high eight kills by senior middle Pikake Laumauna and six other Warriors getting three kills or more.

"Great team win. It’s big," Kamehameha coach Chris Blake said. "We expect everybody’s best effort, and we got it tonight.

"They’re a very well-coached team. They have a lot of great offensive plays and I’m very proud of our girls. We didn’t perform as well as we needed to in the first set, but they settled down and played and did the things they were supposed to do."

Both teams returned from last week’s Durango Classic in Las Vegas brimming with confidence. ‘Iolani tried out a new, modified 6-2 offense with senior Loxley Keala operating primarily as a hitter.

But it was ‘Iolani’s Hoakalei Dawson, a left-handed junior, who put down seven kills from the right side as the Raiders rallied from a 13-9 deficit and seized Game 1. Dawson finished with a match-high 14 kills, while Keala and Haley Robinson added five apiece for ‘Iolani.

"For us we’ve always been slow starters," ‘Iolani coach Kainoa Obrey said after his squad fell by a 2-1 score vs. an elite ILH team for the third time this year. "We always claw back, fight back, and I’m proud of our girls. They battled throughout."

Kamehameha came back with a vengeance, sticking with its even-distribution 6-2 offense at the alternating fingertips of Alohi Robins-Hardy and Faith Ma‘afala. The Warriors never trailed in Game 2 after opening with consecutive aces by Robins-Hardy.

"We played as a team, we stuck together, we trusted each other," said Robins-Hardy, who had 18 assists, seven kills, two blocks and three aces. "We executed a lot better in the second and third sets."

‘Iolani trailed 10-5 in Game 3, but went on a 4-0 run to get back in it, capped off with a big swing by Robinson. Kamehameha countered with its own 4-0 spurt coming out of a timeout, but the Raiders weren’t done yet. They crept back from down 14-9 to tie it at 17, thanks to three kills and an ace by Dawson.

Kamehameha spread things out effectively from there and got two kills from Robins-Hardy to go up 22-18.

‘Iolani could not respond as several calls went against the Raiders down the stretch, combined with untimely hitting errors.

Both teams continue ILH play today. Kamehameha heads to Sacred Hearts, and ‘Iolani plays at Mid-Pacific.